Every day I see the news it dissects another reaction to another Trump tweet, another reaction to another Trump pronouncement, another outrage to another Trump outrage … Another spat about a Brexit spat, another announcement about another Brexit pronouncement, another outrage about another Brexit outrage … On social media I see ever more frequent comment strings: “What will church leaders say about this … ?  What will your sermon include this Sunday … ?  What will you tell your congregation … ?  How can we as Christians not say something … ?”  And the comment strings are outraged as the pronouncements from the Trump and Brexit camps.  Comments as outraged as those from the targets of this outrage.  Outrage!  Righteous outrage!

And the role-model for this outrage?

The very Son of God: “See Jesus  – tables overturned, money changers cast out, reclaimed the House of God for God and us – us people of sincere faith and belief!  Reclaimed for us – the outraged silent majority – the sincere followers – the good Christians.  So if outrage was good enough for Jesus then it is certainly good enough for us Christians – we should be outraged!”

I don’t agree with that convenient “endorsement”.

“Jesus went out again beside the sea; the whole crowd gathered around him, and he taught them.  As he was walking along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.”  And he got up and followed him.  And as he sat at dinner in Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were also sitting with Jesus and his disciples–for there were many who followed him.  When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”  When Jesus heard this, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.”” Mark 2:13-17

The scribes of the Pharisees … He said to them (the scribes of the Pharisees) …

Not one table turned over.  Just a quiet observation directed to the “outrage” of the religious/political status quo.

The status quo is what has given us Trump and Brexit. The system of privileged bubble. The system of remote leadership.  Protected leadership.  Leadership concerned more with getting and keeping power.  Leadership that serves the status quo. Leadership that protects the system.

I have come not to overturn the system, but to empower real people.

Trump the President is not a “real person”. The Brexit circus is not “real people”.   And this current crop of division is the result of a surprised empowerment of real people who found that their vote actually counted – actually made a difference – that they could actually change things.

Trump the President is the result.   Brexit the circus is the result.

One silent quiet invisible vote.  No tables needed.  No outrage needed.

And the consequence of that?  The system is now in “outrage” overdrive.

The system is doing the only thing it knows – it is selling fear (again), just at a new target.  The system sells fear to avoid change.  The system protects itself using fear. The system needs its status quo and fears change.  The system is not “real people”.  The system is fear.  And the fear of the system is real fear of real people truly empowered.

So we do not need more fear moral outrage.

I have come not to overturn the system, but to empower real people.

And guess how he did that?  By not fearing anything or anyone – by having no need for fear moral outrage.  But by welcoming all – ALL … ALL … ALL … ALL!

Whether they were of the system or outside it.  Whether they were “good” or “bad”.  Whether they went to church or not.  Whether they were political or religious.  Whether they were a friend or a foe.

I think Jesus is a role model.

Just not the role model we like.

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