I Want to Try to Hope

Friends.

Here’s a Bible story for you (from Luke 10:25-37, “The Parable of the Good Samaritan”) …

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]”

28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

I’ve read the story a million times, but the other day I read it. Like REALLY read it. I tried to read as if I had never read it before (which isn’t possible, I know - but I tried).

And.

I had this thought.

Are you ready?

Here it comes. The thought was this:

If us “modern day (Progressive) experts in the law” …

(because, let’s be honest - many of us position ourselves as experts … don’t we? I fully include myself in that “us” and “we”, by the way; it’s all too easy to “school” people who think differently than we do, support candidates who are different than the ones we support, etc)

… were to ask Jesus who our neighbor is, he very well might turn to us and tell us the “Parable of the Good MAGA Supporter”. Would we be ready for that?

I mean.

Just as the Jews hated and demonized the Samaritans, Progressive Christians tend to hate and demonize MAGA and their supporters.

I know, I know - “but I don’t HATE anyone!”

Again - let’s be honest. OK? We aren’t really fooling anyone here. We can say we “love everyone” and that sounds really good and nice and warm. We can say we are inclusive and value diversity.

BUT.

Honestly - how deep does that love, does that value of inclusion and diversity go if it doesn’t extend to … everyone?

Like.

How many of us can say we genuinely love the person who decks their house in Trump flags? Paints Trump’s name on their car? Wears the infamous “Red Hat” everywhere they go? How many of us can say we want to include THAT guy? We want the diveristy of our “Table” to include someone like HIM?

Phew.

It’s hard, isn’t it? I tend to avoid “those people” and I tend to make snarky comments in my head, under my breath, etc.

And so yeah, I’ll be the first to admit - I’ve claimed over the years that “I love everyone” all the while spewing HATEand judgment and shame for the beforementioned crowd.

Just as the Jews hated and demonized the Samaritans, Progressive Christians tend to hate and demonize MAGA and their supporters.

“They are what’s wrong with the world!”

“They are so stupid!”

“They are so uneducated!”

“They are the real sheep!”

“They are filled with hate!”

Etc.

And so Jesus comes along and tells the expert in Jewish Law this wild story about a member of the Samaritan group that his Jewish group demonized being THE EXAMPLE of the kind of love that Jesus was teaching about …

“You want to know what love is? Here’s a story about someone from that group you talk sh*t about all the time loving their neighbor. You want to love your neighbor? Be like the Samaritan.”

… I mean, let’s not overlook this: Jesus’ story showed lots of things, for sure; but (in particular) it showed that there was good in the heart of a group of people (the Samaritans) that the expert in Jewish Law assumed was only evil. It made the evil, demonized Samaritan the hero of the story and the expert in Jewish Law the villian.

And so, again.

Imagine Jesus answering one of us “modern day (Progressive) experts in the law”’s question about “who our neighbor is”, and imagine him pointing to the guy down the street with …

Trump banners on his house.

Trump flags on his car.

A Trump hat on his head.

… and saying,

“You want to know what love is?

Here’s a story about someone from that group you talk sh*t about all the time loving their neighbor.

You want to love your neighbor?

Be like the Trump supporter.”

Oof.

Friends, it’s OK if that made you mad. And it’s OK if you close out the screen and never come back here. I get it, I really do.

But.

This is where I’m at in my journey … and (if I’m being really real with you) I’m not 100% sure what to do with it other than try.

Yes, try.

NO …

Not try to get on board with the Trump guy down the street.

Not try to see things like he does.

Not try to ignore the harm that MAGA is causing so many people.

God, no. This isn’t about being quiet, not having an opinion, and turning a blind eye to the wrongs of the world.

BUT …

Try to see past the issues I don’t agree on.

Past the opinions that turn my stomach.

Past the beliefs and ideas that I wish didn’t exist in my own neighborhood.

Try to see past ALL OF THAT to focus in on and hone in on the dignity, the spark of Divinity that (I believe) is at the core of every person - Samaritans, Jews, MAGA supporters … every person.

The spark …

The spark that gets covered up, but never goes out.

The spark that gets forgotten, but never goes out.

The spark that dims as we spend more time in the world, but continues to glow nonetheless.

The spark that can be fanned back into flame at any moment on any given day when someone wakes up and remembers who they really are, what their purpose really is: to love.

AND.

Allow my awareness of the spark in them to help me push aside my judgments, my strong opinions, my desire to “set them straight” or “show them their errors” so that I can ask some questions, be more curious, and remember that just as I have a story that brought me to my beliefs … so THEY have a story that brought THEM to THEIR beliefs.

In her book “And” Felicia Murrell writes these heartfelt words …

“While I mourn and am deeply grieved when someone chooses violence, exclusion, apathy, or hate as their expression of fear and doubt, my own journey with Love allows me to be patient enough to believe that Lovingkindness will one day reach every stony heart.”

I’m not sure I feel this yet, if I’m being honest.

When I look at Donald Trump, when I look at Elon Musk, when I listen to some of the leaders we have (Republican, Democrat, etc).

I don’t know.

But I feel very little hope that those who seem to choose violence and apathy towards the most vulnerable will ever be able to have love make it’s way into their (seemingly) cold, stony hearts. I feel lots of anger, lots of rage - lots of the feelings you probably feel … very little hope.

BUT.

I want to try - I want to try and feel it, I want to try and believe it - I want to try and hope for it.

Truth is (and I’ve said this before), I’m exhausted by the gloom and doom, I’m exhausted by the barrage of darkness the media throws at us every day. I’m tired of story after story after story that is spun one way or the other all in an effort to make us outraged and afraid and angry and confused.

Tired. Science has told us again and again that our nervous systems are not wired for this sort of living.

And so I want to try something different, I want to hold my Progressive values differently and I want to believe with every fiber of my being that “Lovingkindness will one day reach every stony heart” - even the hearts that seem to be the hardest of them all.

I want to love.

I want to be inclusive - TRULY inclusive, not just inclusive of and curious about the ideas and the stories behind the ideas that I agree with or that make me comfortable.**

(**NOTE: no, no, no - this does not mean we have to be friends with everyone. This isn’t about friendship. There are some people in this world that aren’t physically, emotionally, mentally safe for you to be in the same room with, people who I’m not safe with either. This isn’t a call to be wishy-washy and open yourself up to abuse, trauma, etc. There are some people who you will try to understand their story and extend them grace/love only to be met with hate, judgment, shame, ridicule, etc. Do not expose yourself to that if you don’t feel that is best for you and your heart. You can allow that person to sit at the other end of the Table and you can silently bless them, hope the best for them, and extend them love from afar - without every speaking a single word to them.)

And, last thing, one more time: it’s OK if you’re not here, in this same place I’m in.

Please hear me on that: it’s OK if you’re not here AND it’s OK if you never get here. It doesn’t mean I’m better than you or you’re better than me. It doesn’t mean I’ve arrived in some amazing place and you haven’t. It doesn’t mean you’re more on the right track than I am or viceversa. I’ve got nothing but love for you - wherever you’re at, wherever your story has brought you to.

It’s just where I’m at:

I’m tired of demonizing.

I’m tired of choosing sides.

I’m tired of having to stand on one side that thinks it’s right about everything while pointing out all that’s wrong with the other side.

.. So. Tired.

Back to Felicia Murrell. In her book she also says …

“Pain demands we pick a side, but we don’t have to. We can choose to side with love and love sees fully. Love is inclusive of both the victim and the perpetrator. In our black and white, right or wrong, polarized society, we demand allegiances and then we castigate or accept others based on their loyalty to their ideals instead of loving them for their humanity. We all have the potential within us to do depaved things. It doesn’t mean our depraved actions define us.”

Wow, right?

The first time I read those words, I cried. I sat at my desk with tears in my eyes and put the book away.

“Love can side with the victim and the perpetrator.”

“Love sees fully.”

“Our depraved actions don’t define us.”

I cried because I’ve defined people by their depraved actions and their (I think) depraved voting choices. Over the course of my time on “the Right” and “the Left”, I’ve defined people by everything from their voting choices to their religious affiliation and everything in between. I’ve chosen to see people as less than human, as less than me, as not as good or smart or wise or righteous or Christian or holy or spiritual as me, I’ve chosen to ignore the Divine spark that is inside even the person who thinks the most differently than me in favor of seeing only their voting choice, only their view or words or ideas on some issue.

Yes.

I want to pick a side.

I want to side with love.

AND.

I want to explore, figure out what that means, what that looks like, and dream about how it might be able to change the world that my daughter and grandchildren and great-grandchildren will one day live in without my physical, bodily presence. Because, honestly - all this “love” and “unity” stuff … it’s all a mystery to me in these explosive/divisive times; but it feels right … and so I follow, even if I limp or crawl as I make my way.

I’m talking to Felicia tomorrow on the podcast … and I’m bringing all of this to her, ready to sit at her feet to listen and learn.

Much love.

Glenn Siepert