Father God,
Most High,
    You raise up the kingdoms of man and bring them down low.
    You give your blessings and your discipline
          to individuals and
          to nations.
 
Thank you for the United States of America.
 
We acknowledge her past sins:
    the evils of slavery,
    the oppression of Native Americans,
        and more sins both known
        and unknown.
We acknowledge her current sins,
     and recognize that she is not the Kingdom of God,
     but only one of the expressions of the Kingdom of Man.
 
And yet, we praise you for the many blessings you have poured out on the United States.
We praise you for the wisdom by which you directed many of our leaders throughout our history.
We thank you
     for the freedom of religion
     for the freedom of speech
     for the freedom of assembly.
We rejoice
            in our liberty
            in our pursuit of happiness.
 
America holds to the ideal of the equality of all people,
            we pray this ideal is realized in us,
             and with each generation that follows.
 
Father, help your church to use these freedoms
            to clothe the naked
            feed the hungry
            comfort the oppressed
            seek justice
            and proclaim the Good News of Jesus.
 
As commanded in your Word we pray for those in authority.
We pray for
            President Trump
            Vice President Vance
            Senator Thune
            Senator Schumer
            Speaker Johnson
            Representative Scalise
            Representative Jeffries
            Governor Hochul
            Senator Mayer
            Senator Shimsky
           
            Senator Gillibrand
            Representative Lawler
 
Here in Tarrytown
Mayor Karen Brown  
Deputy Mayor Becky McGovern      
Effie Phillips-Staley   
David Kim     
Thomas Mitchell        
Paul Rinaldi    
Kenny Herzog
           
            And Supreme Court Justices:
                        Roberts
                        Thomas
                        Alito
                        Sotomayor
                        Kagan
                        Gorsuch
                        Kavanaugh
                        Barrett, and
                        Brown Jackson
                       
Give these leaders wisdom in their complex decisions,
     that they will use their power to serve others, and
     that they will use their influence to lift all people up.
 
Help us to love our imperfect country and countrymen.
Help us to live at peace with all as far as it depends on us.
 
Thank you for preserving our country.
God, may you bless us, and may you
Bless the United States of America.
 
Amen.

​We put down Duncan yesterday.
Seventeen years old, he caught four mice within the last week of his life, but what we suspect was stomach cancer left him unable to digest anything and perpetually hungry.
 
I often told friends, “We have two cats, one that I love, and Duncan. I’ll be sad when Duncan goes, but I’ll weep when Daisy dies.” (Daisy is eighteen and still full of exploratory vigor.)
 
But I cried yesterday.
Cried when my kids said goodbye. Cried when I tried to explain the meaning behind all the notes my daughter decorated on the burial case to the vet. Cried while driving up to my parents’ home to bury him next to Tiger, Sparky, and Noel. 

​Duncan was a jerk.
 
We adopted him from the animal shelter in Castaic, CA a year after Daisy. Where Daisy was unaffectionate and aloof, Duncan loved being pet. But he was also extraordinarily anxious. His need for attention was slightly stronger than his fear of plastic bags crinkling, sneezes, and light gusts of air, though, so he fearfully sought attention wherever he could find it. If he was snuggling on our laps and heard the faucet turn on three rooms away he would leap from our laps as if a greyhound race just burst into the room. And he wouldn’t jump off with care for our wellbeing. Every claw unsheathed, digging deeply into our tender lap-flesh, to give him the greatest possible momentum to escape the greyhound nightmare. . . or the faucet from three rooms over.
 
I still bear the scars.
 
But the jerkwad train doesn’t end there.
 
Daisy was a year older than him, and when we introduced them, she tried to mother him through cleaning and playing, but he always returned her affection with cheap shots and aggression. And even though Daisy has always been physically larger than him, Duncan would bully her from her bed, or food bowl. Most often Daisy would just let him have whatever he wanted – although she did remind him from time-to-time that she could trounce him in a wrestling match.
 
Duncan was also vindictive. Years ago, when we lived in Michigan, a good friend came to visit us. We installed a cat door so the kitties could make their way to the litterbox unimpeded. Duncan didn’t like this, and surmised my friend was the reason for the new door, so he pooped on his bed. These kinds of pettiness marked the cat.
 
The worst offense of Duncan was what he did in the middle of the night when my kids were little. If he didn’t receive the affection or attention he wanted, he would go outside the baby’s room and caterwaul at the top of his lungs to wake them, and us, up. I read once that the brains of sleep deprived parents are similar to the brains of people undergoing torture. Duncan didn’t care. 

​So why did I cry when we put Duncan down?
 
Two reasons.
 
The first is about my own spiritual journey. My wife Kristin can attest there were multiple times I wanted to get rid of Duncan or make him a permanent outdoor cat. Around this time voice assistants like Alexa and Siri were becoming popular. I read an article about how people would rage and scream at the assistants. I came to the conclusion this behavior wasn’t helpful because while it doesn’t affect the robot, it trains our souls to embrace rage. While my frustrations with Duncan never became screaming rage fits, I didn’t like him and was convicted by the Holy Spirit this wasn’t only unhealthy for him, but it was shaping my soul to dislike anyone who annoyed me. I began making concerted efforts to love him. Especially when he annoyed me. (Without reinforcing negative behavior.) And my affection for him grew. And I saw over the years that my ability to love him and very troublesome people also grew.
 
Second. Duncan loved my kids. I already mentioned that he was a nervous cat, so he was rightly terrified of the kids when they were young. We monitored their interactions, but toddlers and preschoolers are rough and tumble. Daisy wanted nothing to do with the kids. (Which, despite my daughter’s best efforts, largely continues to this day). Duncan’s need for affection slightly outweighed his terror, though. Duncan was often an emotional support cat to my kids.
He loved them.
They loved him.
And I loved him for it.
 
In his final days Duncan caught four mice. One of them he brought to me in bed – booping my nose with it to show me what he brought for me. The cat knew his time was up. I imagine he was concerned for me and wanted to make sure I had something to eat after he was gone. Which was ironic because he begged for food at the table like a dog. Even as I write this at the dinner table his absence is felt. I couldn’t sit at the table without his incessant demand for food. 

​I saw scholar and author Karen Swallow Prior lost a beloved pet recently as well. When I grew up in the church, the question of pet’s eternal destination was an emphatic no. I’ve soften that stance over the years, after all Jesus is making the New Heaven and New Earth which is  populated with animals – why not remake our beloved pets? And if all creation awaits for the messiah – why not renew the animals?
In her recent article, Prior refers to her article from Christianity Today on this topic which I found helpful. 

​Dr. Prior is a gift to us all.
Duncan was a tri-coastal cat, living on the Westcoast, Great Lakes Coast, and the East Coast.
 
Goodbye Duncan. You taught me how to grow my love. You loved my children well. You are missed. 

I've been on a mission for the last few years. 
Many Christians are terrified of the Return of Jesus. 
This should not be the case. The Second Coming is our greatest hope! 
One small way I am trying to change the narrative is by calling the Second Coming, Second Christmas! 
I preached on this Sunday.

My mother-in-law died on her half-birthday, January 13. 
I don't know if there's any significance to that date, but the ancients believed that a truly great person died on the day of their conception or birth. A half-birthday has to count for something. 

Jane was a great mother-in-law and grandmother. One of her grandchildren said she was the real Santa Claus. This Christmas Jane was in the hospital, and the absence of her normal pile of presents for the kids offered strong evidence for that belief. 

Jane also helped me to be less critical of people who have made bad life choices. She always saw their humanity first and was quick to offer a subtle, but obvious rebuke when I made a judgmental comment. 

The Thursday before she passed, I was able to celebrate communion with her, anoint her with oil (mixed with my tears) and pray for her. I knew in my spirit it was the last time I would see her. 

Jane was at peace. 
"It's all real." She said. God, Jesus, salvation, eternal life, forgiveness. Jane didn't list what she was referring to, but I knew what she meant. 

Jane wanted to stay in this life, but it was evident to me that God was comforting her. Revealing himself to her in ways only reserved for those in intense anguish. The peace of the Holy Spirit was almost tangible. Visible in the hospital room. 

As I (attempted) to comfort her, we spontaneously half-sung the lyrics "we'll meet again" from the Johnny Cash song. 

I love you, Jane. 
Until we see each other again in the Kingdom. 

​America has a hate problem.
 
This problem is owned by the political right and the political left.
 
As the hate problem continues to grow, we will see a rise in violence like we saw with the murder of Charlie Kirk, and the Annunciation Catholic School shooting before that, and State Rep. Melissa Hortman before that…
 
And while I believe the Church has the tools to help us out of this, we are using the hammer of Thor to try and build our own warped version of Christendom instead of the Kingdom of God. 

​The Church in America has a hate problem too.
 
The violence will only increase unless something changes.
How can America escape this death spiral of violence?
 
The solution can’t be hatred of the other side. It is very easy to demonize people outside of our political tribe, while excusing the bad behavior of people we perceive to be on our side. But for any change in America to take place, we need to first recognize the hatred within our own allies, and the hatred within our individual hearts.
 
I am a non-partisan. Not because I don’t have strong political opinions. I do. But because I am a Christian first – above all other allegiance. Consider the words of Jesus, “‘My kingdom is not of this world,’ said Jesus. ‘If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight….’” This means that every follower of Christ will never be truly at home in the political systems of humanity. We might have leanings and preferences, but the Republican party is not the Kingdom of God. The Democratic party is not the Kingdom of God. The United States of America is not the Kingdom of God.
 
Many Christians in America have found their identity too tightly joined to national political systems. And we participate in the GREAT PILE OF HATE that is exploding in violence.
 
Sure, we recognize the hatred when the other side participates, but we excuse the hatred on our own side and within our own hearts. Both the political left and political right are not honest about their own hate, or at the most they justify it.
 
I am going to write a sentence that will bother half of my readers:
President Trump has said hateful things.
 
Now I am going to bother the other half:
Many on the political left hate Trump supporters.
 
I could continue, and offer quotes, and social media posts, and offer detailed analysis and evidence, but let’s just be honest and move forward.
 
Just look at the murder of Charlie Kirk. Go onto social media. Find an article. I see hateful comments from the left almost justifying his assassination. I also see hateful comments from the right using this as an opportunity to demonize every elected and unelected democrat.
 
Something is broken in America when our first response to murders and school shootings is political hatred. The correct first response is grief. Grief is a process, and our response to violence does not end with grief, but if we can’t lament, the cycle of hate and violence will continue unhindered.
 
The GREAT PILE OF HATE continues to grow in America.
The political left hates Donald Trump’s hate so they feel justified in hating the hater.
The political right hate the culture shifts and platforms of the left so they feel justified in hating the ones who support the damaging platform.
 
Hate will never undo hate.
 
When you hate your enemies, it only makes the situation worse.
 
Look at the GREAT PILE OF HATE image below. As I see it, Americans are largely addressing hate with hate, which only makes the problem grow.

​The problem is multiplied because we won’t acknowledge the hatred in us. We might say to ourselves: I just feel strongly about this. This is righteous anger. I’m just really concerned.
Or we might find ourselves yelling at the news. But I think a good indication of hatred comes out in name-calling:
                        “They’re just woke.”
                        “Those bigots.”
 
The bigger the GREAT PILE OF HATE grows, the more violence we’ll see. And that pile will continue to grow as long as we keep adding to it. It will keep growing until we can be honest with ourselves about the hate we have in our own hearts. It will become a mountain unless I change. Unless I repent. Unless I ask God to help me to stop hating, and to somehow help me to love my enemies.
 
The Church has the tools to answer this current crisis. Jesus said, ““You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. For he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:43-45).
 
How can America escape this death spiral of violence? By practicing love for our enemies.
When we stop hating the haters, we stop adding to the GREAT PILE OF HATE. But Jesus doesn’t tell us to disengage and walk away. Instead he tells us to love. Add love to the equation.
 
Do you know what happens if you throw seeds into a pile of garbage? Something miraculous. Those seeds start to grow. Slowly at first, but then faster with each passing day they can transform the refuse into life. 

​This doesn’t mean we are silent about injustices and harms. It means we need to respond differently. The Apostle Paul didn’t say to do nothing in the face of evil. Instead he said, “Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good” (Romans 12:21).
 
What are some practical steps we can take?

• Criticize your own political tribe first.
• Pray “God I ask that this politicians plans don’t go forward, but I ask that you bless him/her with a deep relationship with Jesus.”
• Pray “God help me to oppose this action, but give me your power so I can love the leader and his/her supporters.”
• Spend time with someone from a different political tribe. You don’t have to talk politics, just get to know and appreciate them as a person.

 
The only way out of this death spiral of violence is by practicing love for our enemies.
 
We need to love our enemies.
I need to love my enemies.
 
Stop adding to the pile of hate.
Sow love. 

It's nice to see some of our culture stretching into the 24th Century! 

​Father, Lord God Almighty – you are the Glorious One who keeps all his promises. We, your Church, have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled, and turned away from your commands and ordinances. We have not listened to your Word.
 
Father, all righteousness belongs to you, but this day public shame belongs to us: the people of the Church, the pastors, and leaders, and congregations.
 
We confess and repent.
 
We have honored you with words, but out hearts are far away. We say we love your Word, but abuse and neglect it. We ignore the innocent and have embraced sexual brokenness.
 
We confess and repent.
 
We have embraced the yeast of Herod – mixing the politics of this world into the faith that was once for all delivered to the Saints. We have confused the city of man with the Kingdom of God. We are so fearful of the future we try to impose our will on others, rather than share the good news of Jesus Christ. We are a double-minded people, swinging from one extreme to the other. Desiring entertainment over discipleship. Too focused on judgment and condemnation or not mentioning sin at all.

We confess and repent.
 
We stereotype other churches and see them as competitors instead of co-laborers in the Gospel – because we are too often focused on ourselves rather than those around us; filled with arrogance and pride instead of the Great Commission. We have been far too busy building our own empire, rather than serving in the Kingdom of God.
 
We confess and repent.
 
We applaud arrogant, proud, boastful, unloving, and unmerciful people while neglecting the poor, single people, the divorced, the abandoned, widows, foster children, and orphans.
We have made comfort our god while tolerating spiritual abuse from our pastors because they know how to twist the gospel to numerically grow a congregation. We have accepted hypocrisy while our pastors sexually abuse the flock because we are more concerned about protecting our name and our reputation than your truth, your justice, and your care for the powerless.
We have been overcome by evil and responded with fearful anger, rather than the confidence and love that comes from you.
 
We confess and repent.
 
We are obsessed with the idol of fame. We have embraced false teachings. We demean others with our words. We’re not transformed by Christ, instead we choose to judge others, and accuse others, often using deceit to get ahead in life. We’re self-righteous. Our Christian witness is tainted. We’re drifting from the Bible’s teaching. We tolerate abuse.
 
We confess and repent.
 
Now, Lord our God – who brought your people out of the land of Egypt, and who redeemed your people through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus – may your anger and wrath turn away from your Church. Our sin has made us an object of ridicule to all those around us.

Father God, hear our prayer and petition. May your face shine upon the broken Church. Listen and hear us, O God. We are not presenting our confession and prayers based on our righteous acts, but based on your abundant compassion. Our sins are scarlet, in the Name of Jesus make them as clean as snow. Fill us with your Spirit once again so we might return to our first love and do your will.
 
Lord, hear! Lord, forgive! Lord, listen and act! Our God, for your own sake, do not delay, because your Church and your people bear your Name.
 
In the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord we ask you. Amen.