Devil Horns.

 

There is Satanism in the AFL.

Photo Credit: AFL. 

Tragedy and Tears.

We carry with us all the pain and hurt we have experienced in our lives.

We hide our broken hearts.

But God can touch this frightened child, this precious soul within us.

And tears will flow uncontrollably.

God restores our soul.

And we can live again.

Photo Credit: sum.drama Flickr via Compfight cc

Fear Not.

If the traditional image of God as a harsh judge and punisher of humans is wrong where does it come from?

The answer is fear.

When Jesus and the disciples went up the mountain and experienced the Transformation Peter and James and John were "terrified".

This was not caused by anything that God did but was caused by the disciples' fear of incurring God's displeasure.

Contact with the Divine can cause people like Peter, who knew that he was not perfect, to fear God.

But God says "Fear not!"

God does not act in the way that earthly authority figures act.

He does not punish us.

He does not judge us.

God loves us.

And it is His pleasure to do so.

God does not expect us to be perfect.

This is not possible in any case.

Everyone will inevitably make mistakes.

But God does not punish us.

He forgives our mistakes and sets us on the right path.

So fear not!

This is good news.

Photo Credit: █ Slices of Light █▀ ▀ ▀ Flickr via Compfight cc

(The image has been slightly modified.)

Shepherds.

"Ah, you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves!"  Ezekiel 34:2 (NRSV)

You have not guided the sheep with love.(sic)

"but with force and harshness you have ruled them."  Ezekiel 34:4 (NRSV)

This was the judgement of God towards the Shepherds of Israel - His own Priests - in the time of Ezekiel.

And it is still true today!

[Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.]

Photo Credit: Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius Flickr via Compfight cc

Love is Love.

Homosexuality is love.

And as such it is in harmony with God.

"God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them."  1 John 4:16 (NRSV)

So do not refer to Old Testament prohibitions.

Many of these are superfluous.

They do not apply to 21st Century Christians.

Their understanding of same-sex attractions is not our modern understanding.

Homosexuality is not immorality.

Homosexuality is love.

[Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken form the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.]

Photo Credit: Catherine Coden Flickr via Compfight cc

The Devil.

The Goat is the devil.

Photo Credit: Betr.

The Last Step.

The last step, when we have established a relationship with the Living God and experienced His unconditional Love, is to realize that all the problems we experience - all the hatred, violence, and rejection - are caused by fear.

And so it is true: there are only two things in the world - love and fear.

And "perfect love casts out fear."  1 John 4:18 (NRSV)

[Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  all rights reserved.]

Photo Credit: joe.(atruestory) Flickr via Compfight cc