Reflections on the Breach of the Capitol

What can be said about the events that happened at the capitol last Wednesday January 6 2021? How should we respond? Apostle Paul said that we wage spiritual war by demolishing arguments and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God and we take every thought captive to obey Christ. There are several ideologies that lead to the tragic and sad events on Wednesday.

The first is the temptation to fuse our personal and political goals with the absolute will of God. When Joshua, the leader of God’s people, met the Commander of the Lord’s army, he asked him, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” The Commander responded, “Neither.” This teaches us that the Lord does not submit to the sides of people but exists on his own plane with his own designs and plans. Joshua responded to the angel by bowing down and asking what the Lord wanted to say. He did not assume that his “side” was on the Lord’s side.

I have observed the toxic fusion of Christianity and Nationalism. It is idolatry to the Lord of the Cosmos to make him the mascot of our national political aspirations. Nationalism has mistakenly fused the temporal goals of the current administration with the eternal Word of God. It has taken religious devotion and weaponized it. We grieve for the loss of life. We grieve over the broken trust.

Jesus has told us that what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles a person. A leader's words are a product of his or her character. Words can either cultivate or desecrate good character. Divisive words lead to divisive violent actions.

So beloved, what do we do now? We pray. Scripture instructs us to pray “for all kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This pleases God our Savior.” We seek the good of our neighbors by championing truth and modeling humility. We ask the Lord to “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.”

We place our hope on the One who sits on the throne. He is our king and we submit all of our thoughts and actions to him.