Eric’s Sunday Sermon; Grace & Democracy

We say grace. We have a friend named Grace. We are here by grace. Our mom’s are the epitome of grace. And this article is probably not what you would call graceful. This word is a great notion. It is that notion that fills us with a love of life. The concept is more than just a word. And we are graced now in getting to talk about the idea of grace.

Democracy is a state of extraordinary grace. It is a privilege. It is a burden. It requires action and sacrifice. It is reborn through blood. In fact it requires battles between friends. It must exist in a constant tug of war. And yes it requires tolerance and acceptance of opposing views. That is grace and privilege?

We looked up the word grace in a standard dictionary and it did not have anything to do with God on the face page. That would be Oxford. Interesting. For me it struck me strange but on further contemplation it makes perfect sense. The secular conception fits the extraordinary. That is really quite cool and rare.

Happy Mother’s Day

We will get to this in more depth starting with shared catastrophe. In a moment. But first we pause to give a thanks from men to all the wonderful girls and ladies who have graced us with their love.

Oh my lady so beautiful in your special special hue

Bear with me as I know not what to do

A mother so sacred yes you are

Brighter than any nova star

I am not your beloved child

I am the one you tamed from wild

You as our child’s mother like no other

Changed me into a loving father

You are a special wife that is true indeed

But so much more is your motherly deed

You raise me up and let me soar

For you do it for my child you bore

So much trouble and trouble here and there

You soothe it all with the tiara that you wear

Not of golden riches that I proclaimed

But of hope not ever here to be named

Hey babe, happy mother’s day to you

Happy mother’s day to your wonderful hue

You make me happy in how you raise

Our beautiful child for no matter what life plays

You crazy fools out the who are not in love

Change it around do not fly off with another dove

She gave freely to you that wonderful baby

Not showing your love would just be crazy

Now make no mistake the author of the above is crazy. But wowza bowza my wife must be crazy too, to put up with this father of her child. Or is that child of her child?

Now back to grace and democracy. I figure that there are folks. Some that tear down, some that stand up and some that think it is fine. Others build up. Others weep. I spent 3 hours researching, not much time, but I found that those is social media that attack and tear down do not consequently build up. They just tear down. Demolition? I figure that some folks are just made to destroy and not build up. I guess if something burned down most the way I would hire the folks to tear the rest down. But I would not hire them to build it back up. A modern day American soldier knows more about building it up than shooting it up. That wins, just attacking gains nothing.

Those folk do not live in grace. They just do not. You cannot live in hate and grace. People who just attack and do not build are simply and fully out of grace. If you have hate in your heart for even the worst of the worst, sorry but you have no grace.

Good people say that grace is fully given without cost. That is true. As it cost not one iota not to hate, the cost is in hating. If I were to say that I hate the king but only tear down the kingdom, what have I gained? And particularly what has my enemy of my neighbor gained.

Freedom in the form of democracy comes from your mother. She will teach you to adore adversaries and still fight with every ounce of your body and mind. But she will teach you how to behave properly. She will teach you grace under fire. Or is that fire under grace? She will teach love. Love is not always easy but it is never degrading.

I see a lot of hateful and too little loving. For some reason today it is just fine to hate. Jesus did not hate Pilot, how could I possibly hate my adversary?

There is no way that grace allows for hate of one and love of another. If you have hate, while not the opposite of love, you cannot have love. You are the vessel and your hate tells us that you have no room for the love that is grace. Those who hate have no grace. See if you hate.

Life is not always mystical. Sometimes it is downright smack you in for face real. If you hate your governor then you cannot love your wife and mother. You do not get to do that by grace. Grace is freely given and it requires the sacrifice of free will, and the ordinance of love. I am amazed but not yet in hate of those who hate. What a General today and a president politician tomorrow and why not the neighbors who are loud on Thursday? Piss on those who disagree with you and then take a sacrament? Have people gone mad? “I can have hate for him but I love her so that is OK”. Not happening. Take the chill pill. Love your enemy and back the hell off.

If you are cognizant enough to spew hate, then you are cognizant enough to know you cannot spew love from your same body. People who spew hate are first on any one elses reasonable prayer list. Hindu, Shinto, Buddhist or Christian you do not by grace get to hate here and love there.

Your Choice

Grace you were freely given yet some of you deny to its face. You hate. What is the matter with you? So many say “Christian” and then write – “kill the Governors”. Incredible to spit on and in grace like that. You do not get to choose who to hate. Who made you God? Oh this side and that side make democracy but any sentient person sees that democracy is not born of hate. He did that and she did this and so we hate them. Really? He wears red and she wears blue so I hate blue and love red?

Fire and Brimstone

Please note the above is written in anger not hate. And I cannot pass judgment and condemn the hate. Please see the difference. You say, “What a hypocrite! He hates hate.” Let me review what was written. If you see hate there perhaps that is the lens upon which you see life. I submit that hate takes away freewill just as love does. If I am filled with love I can no longer choose to hate. Democracy is a right to free will. If I am filled with hate I am no longer free to choose love. Of course you can hate peas and love honey. Hopefully you see the difference in the degree.