Monday, September 01, 2008

My Ultimate (Non-Political) Hope



Barack Obama is coming to Monroe today, and to me it’s exciting when any presidential candidate does this. But as an alien I’m looking at this from the outside. I very much like the way Greg Boyd puts it - followers of Jesus, pay attention! Boyd writes: “I’m a citizen of a different empire (Phil 1:27; 3:20) and therefore a foreigner in this one (Heb. 11:13; 1 Pet 1:17; 2:11). I’m only here as an ambassador and soldier sent to defend and advance the interests of my own homeland while being careful not to get too involved in civilian affairs (2 Cor 5:20; 2 Tim. 2:4).”

If you are a follower of the Real Jesus, then listen to Boyd’s Jesus-perspective: “Whatever good [Barack] Obama, [John] McCain or any other politician may or may not be able to accomplish, the ultimate hope and allegiance of all Kingdom citizens must remain in Jesus Christ and in the mustard seed Kingdom he established. Our call as ambassadors of Christ is to individually and corporately look like Jesus in how we love and serve people, including the poor, the marginalized, the judged — and women with unwanted pregnancies. And our call is to trust that God will use the foolishness of this humble, servant activity to advance his Kingdom and ultimately transform the world. This is the audacious hope we foreigners are to embrace and passionately work for.”