I love Jesus, not necessarily organized religion.
Imagine being in a dire situation, and someone bails you out and gives you another chance. Imagine you have the worst COVID case, and someone comes to your home and brings you food and takes care of you. Imagine you are in the worst part of town, your car breaks down, and you are stranded until one of the people you least expected comes and fixes your tire and makes sure you get to the right place safely. Contemporary settings, but that's why I love Jesus and follow Him.
In a time when religion has become a weapon to personally attack people, to manipulate politics, to divide nations, Jesus' teachings are in sharp contrast to a world gone mad. His primary commandments:
to love God and to love your neighbor, could change everything in this world, our communities, and our families if we would take them seriously. If you read the Gospels (the story of Jesus told by four different authors), you will see how He treated people: Jesus loved people where they were, Jesus cared for the sick, Jesus restored prisoners, and Jesus forgave sins. He spoke of kindness and grace, gave people second chances, and did not discard the women or children. Jesus was MLK Jr's, Bonhoeffer's, and
Gandhi's example for right living. He inspired artists and musicians. He encouraged people to create organizations that would impact the well-being of millions around the world. Hospitals and schools were started with the vision to love God and love people. Many good things have been done because people followed Jesus.
But religion can also be used as a weapon, and history has story after story to prove that. Even today, religion is being used worldwide to kill, harm, and destroy.
That was never what Jesus had in mind. Would He get angry and frustrated? Yes, but if you read the
Gospels, it is mostly against religious people, people who should have known better, who should not
have claimed Jesus' name over what they did to others.
I want to encourage all of us to reread the Gospels and see what Jesus did and imagine how He would
do things in our world today. May 2026 be a year when we strive to be more like Jesus.