End of the morning lull.
Not even the Reverend!?!
there's always exceptions.
But it clearly states...
It clearly states that nobody FROM this group is going to heaven. It doesn't say nobody IN this group is going to heaven.
This is akin to Jesus what Jesus meant when he prayed over those his Father had given them, describing them as IN the world, but not OF the world.
Now y'all know why you dubbed me the Reverend. Well, it was also because I am one. But not full-time.
so, if we leave the group we have a chance?
That explains so much.
Nah. We just talk about cigars and life here. That's why I stay. It's honest, most the time.
John Stewart, a songwriter of whom I've always been a fan (God rest his soul), wrote this:
"Jesus hung with the hard line gang
Jesus knew the songs they sang
He didn't have no money
I hear he didn't have a dime
I do believe I'd have been a friend
Of Jesus in his time..."
My late mom hated that song. She thought it trivialized Jesus. I can understand that, but I never agreed.
See, the thing is, Jesus wasn't the handsome, distant, transcendental figure people imagine him to be. The fishermen, the tax collectors, the embezzlers, the whores, the cripples, the lepers, and even politicians liked hanging out with him. They liked having him at their parties. And why? Because he treated them like they were worthwhile, no matter how screwed up they were.
Me, I'm not Jesus. I'm a fuckup. Oh, sure, I made it to the upper end of the middle class. Got the wife and the two great sons, and the dog and the mortgage. On paper, I'm a success. Not as much as some, but sho' nuff richer than most. Which is pretty much what all of us here are.
But...you want the confession? Okay, in 55 years, for all the things I've done good, there are an equal number of things I've fucked up. I've been a drug dealer, an addict, a thief, a burglar, a liar, an adulterer, a cheat, an occasional drunk, and when I was 21 I had a girlfriend who was sixteen...which qualifies me as a sexual predator. Now I could try to justify myself by pointing out that her mom thought I was a great guy, and she and I still correspond once very two years or so, but that's still beyond the pale. Her stepdad didn't like me a bit, and he was right. And when I was playin' in the band? Jeezus.
So I'm not Jesus. But I know Jesus. And I know forgiveness. And repentance. And I try to be a man who repents and forgives. Deano knows what I'm talking about here, from AA. Right, Deano? When you've been to the bottom, you learn to repent, and forgive.
So...y'all call me RevRaz, because I work for a church as a worship arts director, and as an Elder, and as a servant. And that's cool. It's true.
But if I've got anything to say here about all that, it's just this: Jesus loves me. This I know. Cuz the Bible tells me so. And he loves you, too. Cuz if he can love a fuckup like me, y'all got it made.
Still, it ain't about whose sin list is shorter, or whose paycheck is bigger, or whose humidor is fancier, or whose dick is longer or more frequently utilized. It's only that we don't come to Jesus on our own terms. We come to him on his terms. He doesn't give a shit what we've done or said, he only cares that we come repentant. Again...Dean understands this, probably better than I do, regardless of the fact I have a degree in theology.
Here ends the sermon. I don't give uninvited sermons often. But y'all opened this door, so here it is. Jesus loves you, so I love you. And I'm grateful y'all seem to like having me around. Or don't mind, anyway.
And I won't proselytize here. Promise. But if anyone ever wants to talk about Jesus, and what he was, and what he wasn't, you can hit me offline.
I'll shut up now. Nuff said.
