Among my theological heroes, Dietrich Bonhoeffer stands tall. His book, “The Cost of Discipleship”, was a challenge to those who would cozy up to dictators and stay silent in the midst of oppression. It got him killed by the Nazis, and it is still relevant today. Costly Grace is the kind that makes you put God first; Costly Grace can get you killed. Cheap Grace makes you popular with the powerful and the ignorant; it is the way of the court prophet and the faux religious confidant looking for earthly power. Cheap Grace ignores the call of God to stand with the oppressed and the abused; Costly Grace gives you no other choice than to speak the truth with love to the powerful, knowing it could get you in trouble. Cheap Grace wraps itself in the flag; Costly Grace loves God too much to serve two masters.
Despair, however, can lead us down a path of destruction. It can make us numb to the problems that face us, leading us to look out only for ourselves. Giving into despair can make us say things like, “It’s not my problem” or “It is what it is”; it can convince us that we are powerless in the face of struggle. Despair can make us give up because it is exhausting to continue fighting for what we believe in, especially when we are in the minority. Against overwhelming odds, it can seem futile to keep going – to keep speaking up and out – to keep telling anyone who will listen that things are not right with the world.
Somewhere between Cheap Grace and Despair lies sanity. I have found that extremes are unhealthy and usually lead to devastation. I think we are at a time such as this now; we are so committed to our points of view that we can’t see the value in anything those we disagree with say. We can’t understand why they would believe what they do when our point of view is so right. Costly Grace forces us to question everything and listen to the voices of those we think we oppose. It might make those we agree with question our commitment to their perspective – it forces us to commit ourselves to the truth, not the party-line. No religion or political party or economic system has all the answers, but to admit that makes us suspect. Imagine that – taking time to think rather than jump to the tune of our ideological masters!
Take time to think and pray and feel. Jesus told His disciples to love their enemies, not because those enemies were always right or good, but because they were God’s children too. We don’t have to agree all the time, but we do have to care about each other when we disagree. I don’t have to be Muslim or Jewish to appreciate their faiths while I hold on to mine. I don’t have to belong to a different political party to recognize that they have good ideas too. Cheap Grace allows us to silo ourselves; Despair does the same. Costly Grace forces us to consider all ideas so we can find the truth. We need to step out of our silos and consider the alternatives. We might find truth in the middle.
Prayer – Holy God, only You know the whole story. Inspire us to aspire to knowing more. Amen.
Today’s art is “Compassion” by Sonya Montenegro.