Hello my friends,

I hope this finds you well. In my prayers and studies last week, I kept thinking about how much vengeance plays into the political environment of today. Everywhere I look on the spectrum of issues, they all seem to be fueled by vengeance. This is especially heartbreaking when Christians support the politics of vengeance rather than oppose them. So this Palm Sunday, I wanted to think with you about vengeance in light of the way of Jesus Christ.

Here are some resources to consider:

​-Into The Gray Podcast. I wanted to remind you that I upload my weekly sermons to this podcast. I have included the link to Apple podcasts here, but you can find it wherever you listen to podcasts.

​-For Religious Liberty and Against Christian Nationalism I encourage you to read this powerful statement written by the Wisconsin Council of Churches against the "anti Christian bias task force" from the government and sign at the bottom if you wish to endorse it.

​-Warning about the Save Act. Please read about this bill that would negatively millions of American's ability to vote, including married women whose married name may not be the same as on her birth certificate, and consider using the 5 Calls to contact your reps and ask them to oppose it.

​-What to do if the Insurrection Act is invoked I found this article to be insightful. I didn't really understand what the insurrection act was let alone the possibility of it being invoked, so I found it to be both informative and helpful, while still holding onto the possibility that it may not happen as well.

Okay, now onto today's content.

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​Vengeance Is Mine Says The Lord.

Romans 12:9-21

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

For me, this passage from Paul is such a clear pastoral message for Christianity at large today. How deeply I wish Christianity in the United States was known for its sincerity in love. For its willingness to associate and live at peace with everyone. For its refusal to repay what it sees as evil with evil, to bless and not curse, and to not seek revenge.

I cannot help but imagine the letter Paul would write to the church in America today.

The Greek word that is translated as “revenge” in our passage today is ekdikésis, which means a defense, avenging, vindication, vengeance, full (complete) punishment.

Paul writes this word while quoting Deuteronomy 32:35, which uses the Hebrew word, naqam, which means revenge.

In context throughout this scriptures, this can have an array of meanings from restoring justice to vindication of the weak. In the context of these two passages however, it is specifically talking about vengeance.

According to the dictionary, vengeance means a punishment inflicted or retribution exacted for an injury or wrong.

Both Paul and the Deuteronomy passage he is quoting is making it clear that such punishment and retribution is God’s domain and shouldn't be a goal pursued by God’s people.

As Paul is trying to make clear here, genuine and sincere love should be the ultimate goal of Jesus' followers, leaving the work of punishment and retribution up to God.

Break The Cycle

The practical truth of this call is timeless. Vengeance will always perpetuate more vengeance. When everyone is preoccupied with repaying evil for the evils done to them, evil will continue to have dominion. In the face of this never ending cycle of vengeance, responding with forgiveness and sincere love breaks the cycle of evil and allows goodness to prevail instead. It is this cycle breaking, evil resisting work of love and caring for all people that Paul desires would mark the lives of those who follow Jesus.

When we look at the behavior of the current administration, one that many have framed as standing up for “Christian values,” it seems to be far more preoccupied with vengeance than with love and serving one another.

Name the issue. From immigration, to federal employees, to spending bills, to education, to national affairs, to those who have opposed the president in the past, vengeance and retribution towards those framed as “enemies” seems to be the primary goal.

Two of the most obvious examples of this for me was the revoking of 900,000 migrant’s legal status with the directive to "self deport," and the rolling back of bans on toxic forever chemicals, both of which were enacted through the previous administration.

As I read both these news stories in horror, it was clear that both the health and safety of human beings and even of the planet itself was less of a priority than vengeance against political opponents.

Then the state department told employees to report on one another for “anti-Christian bias” and my heart just sank yet again. On the eve of Holy Week, where we follow Jesus through his betrayal, death, and resurrection, I just can’t think of anything more like Judas than recommending that people tell on each other for daring to have different beliefs from how this administration so narrowly defines “Christian.”

My heart constantly grieves over where we are right now. Especially over how Christianity is being used as a tool of vengeance rather than a way of liberation.

The Difference of Palm Sunday

Today is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week as the church journeys toward Easter.

I have always been struck by how much of the Christian church burns the palm branches from the previous year’s Palm Sunday for the ashes of the current year’s Ash Wednesday.

For me, the symbolism is powerful. We waved palm branches as Jesus entered our city riding on a donkey. We cried “hosanna in the highest,” yet when he turned out to be the kind of king we didn’t want, we were found saying “crucify him!” later that week.

We wanted him to ride into our city on a war horse, yet he rode into town on a donkey instead, a symbol of peace.

We wanted him to lead an armed militia to overthrow Rome, yet he led a band of fishermen, tax collectors, noble women, and children instead.

We wanted him to vanquish our enemies, yet he came in calling us to love our enemies instead.

We kept waiting for him to tell us to take up our swords and follow him, but he called us to take up our crosses and follow him instead.

So we put him on a cross ourselves, trading him in for a known insurrectionist who would lead the kind of revenge against Rome we actually wanted (Barabbas, who’s name means “Son of the Father.”). We traded in the true Son of the Father for the son of the father we preferred.

Oh how often we still do that today.

I’m reminded of the quote by the American psychologist Gustave Mark Gilbert who observed high-ranking Nazi leaders during the Nuremberg trials. He said, “I told you once that I was searching for the nature of evil. I think l've come close to defining it: a lack of empathy. It's the one characteristic that connects all the defendants. A genuine incapacity to feel with their fellow man. Evil, I think, is the absence of empathy.”

Jesus is the Word of God who became human and dwelt among us (John 1). God experienced the fullness of human life, suffering, and death out of love for us. Instead of seeking revenge towards a world mired in evil and sin, the God revealed by Jesus sought to bring healing, restoration, and love. Yet there are those who claim to worship this very God today who claim empathy is itself an evil while upholding the way of vengeance instead.

The ashes of our burned palm branches represent our misplaced expectations of the kind of king Jesus should be in contrast to the kind of king he came to be for us.

As we conclude this journey of lent, may we begin by acknowledging the ashes of our best laid plans laid to waste. May we repent from all the ways we have expected Christ and his kingdom to look like the vengeful kings and empires of this world. May we rediscover the hope of Jesus, who brings breath where we only see dust and life where we only see death. Not through the vengeful ways of the world, but through the self sacrificial love of the cross.

Then perhaps, when we hold our palm branches on Palm Sunday, we will be more open to receiving the kind of king Jesus actually came to be and leave all desires of vengeance in God's hands.

Our world has enough vengeance. We are in desperate need of the kind of healing that only sincere love for one another can bring. May it begin with us.