Choosing when to speak, choosing where to speak and choosing how to speak are three inherent requirements to taking advantage of your right to speak. Just because you can speak does not make it right to speak out at any time and any place. Consider, if you will, the following scenario.
It’s a beautiful morning. The sun is shining bright and there is nary a cloud to be seen. The birds are singing and your heart is heavy. Today is the day that your only child is to be buried. She was a brilliant young woman in the prime of her life. She went to work every day and was in the church every moment that the doors were open. She was highly active in her neighborhood and all the people at the local shelter knew and loved her and her open, loving heart. Her work was making great advances in genetically modifying grains and other foods to grow in harsh climates and could ultimately bring about relief to starving nations. She was killed on her way home in a freak accident and now she is gone. Just, gone. You wonder how you will make it through the day without falling apart. Your heart hurts and you have learned there truly is a difference between crying and wailing. 
Slowly, you make it to the cemetery, following that great black beast that holds your child in its belly. As you round the corner that takes you to the road that enters the cemetery there are people lining the street. Signs waving and people chanting and shouting. Signs speaking with unbearable hate against your loving daughter. Signs saying how wonderful it is that she is dead. Signs and people shouting out how despised your beloved daughter is for daring to try to make one of God’s creations different from how He planned it. How your daughter is in hell and reviled by God. And, your beautiful, loving, wonderful child is ripped from you – torn from you – a second time. Even this, your moment to let go, your moment to mourn, is stripped from you – because of hatred and people so wrapped up in their own rights that they cannot see that this is not the time and most certainly not the place.
I have spoken about the fact that there is a time and a place for preaching and for keeping quiet. I fully support the rights of people to speak out about what they believe. That is an inherent right of every person. However, along with ‘your’ right to speak out – joined to the hip and just as important, if not more important – is choosing the time and the place and the how. The Bible is very clear on the fact that timing is important, so much so that even an entire chapter is used to talk about everything being in its season.
Ecclesiates 3:1,4 and 7
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
Beyond that, it is not our place to judge the place a person’s soul will go. We are not God. We are not Jesus. As Christians, knowing what is and is not the will of God is brought about by studying the word of God. Nowhere – absolutely nowhere – does the Bible say, “Go ye forth and judge”.
Jesus himself ate with the tax collectors and sinners.
Matthew 9:10 & 11
11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”
12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’a For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
He called people on their own sins, rather than allowing them to rain down condemnation on the sin of another.
John 8:4,5 & 7
4 they say unto him, Teacher, this woman hath been taken in adultery, in the very act.
5 Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such: what then sayest thou of her?
7 But when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
More than once he made it clear that we must look to our own sins and our own wrongs.
Matthew 7:1-6
1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me cast out the mote out of thine eye; and lo, the beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before the swine, lest haply they trample them under their feet, and turn and rend you.
God has never had a problem handling those he has issues with on his own.
Genesis 6:11-13
11 And the earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
12 And God saw the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
Genesis 19:12 & 13
12 And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son-in-law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whomsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of the place:
13 for we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxed great before Jehovah: and Jehovah hath sent us to destroy it.
And, even when Christ himself was spreading the news of the will and word of God – nowhere does he rip the dead from the hands of their beloved. Unless it is to hand them back alive. Instead, any time he comes across a funeral he meets them with love, compassion and respect.
Luke 7:12-13
12 Now when he drew near to the gate of the city, behold, there was carried out one that was dead, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.
13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.
Note that he does not ask the mother about her son. He does not question the people about the life her son led. He does not require anything, simply with love and compassion tells her to weep not. Love and compassion – two very powerful tools in the Christian’s arsenal.
Luke 8:51-56
51 And when he came to the house, he suffered not any man to enter in with him, save Peter, and John, and James, and the father of the maiden and her mother.
52 And all were weeping, and bewailing her: but he said, Weep not; for she is not dead, but sleepeth.
53 And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead.
54 But he, taking her by the hand, called, saying, Maiden, arise.
55 And her spirit returned, and she rose up immediately: and he commanded that something be given her to eat.
56 And her parents were amazed: but he charged them to tell no man what had been done.
I’m sure there is no reason to bring in the quote on Lazarus, most who are even not Christians know that name. So..every funeral that Christ attended – He attended with love and compassion. How easy it would have been to find the funeral of a sinner and condemn and revile him. Yet, not once in the Bible does such a story take place.
The art of being a Christian is – for those who are true Christians and not just hypocrites and modern day Pharisees and Sadducees – is to be Christ-like. To do all in your power to live a life in line with the will of God and follow the example of the only begotten son. The one whose spirit is supposed to imbue and light our path so that we can be fully invested as the beloved, adopted child of God.
Where, then, I ask is any of this evident in the behavior of the congregation of Westboro Baptist Church?
Truly, I have never been more ashamed to have something associated with the name of Christ. This behavior – it brings so much shame on the House of the Lord. I fear that the response they would be greeted much as the moneychangers were greeted.
Matthew 21:12 & 13
12 And Jesus entered into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of he money-changers, and the seats of them that sold the doves;
13 and he saith unto them, It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer: but ye make it a den of robbers.
Shame on each and everyone who not only participated, but supports such actions as those taken by the Westboro Church. Their signs are metaphorical stones. Each sign, each word of hate a stone on the hearts and souls of the family mourning their dead. So, not only are they stoning – but, they are not even taking care enough to stone the one who was “caught in the act” (see the John 8 quote above). Instead, they would stone the family and loved ones of the person who committed the act. So I say to them, and to each and every one of you who feels this behavior justified…and this timing justified…Look you to your own life.
Who of you has not sinned? Who of you stands pure of stain before the Lord? Who of you can say with truth this day that you are blameless? Think it is you? Let us examine that, shall we? I believe a singular verse pretty much covers that:
1 John 1:8
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
Spread the word and honour the Lord. But – do it in a way that does honour the Lord. Do it in a way that does not bring such shame upon his House. This…I believe with all my heart that if Jesus were to step onto the earth today and see such behavior, he would weep. Shame upon each of you, for you shame the house that you should be honouring.
Has a couple meanings in this particular instance. My father’s cardigan is apparently biting the dust and my father has requested that I make one for him for next fall. I pointed him to trusty Knit Picks to find some yarn he liked. My father, being the intelligent individual he is noticed the site had patterns and poked around and viola. Apparently the cardigan he wanted was listed on the site – a very plain, Jane affair. So, this weekend I will be starting on the cardigan.
