Scripture: Romans 12:2a
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, sovaldi but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Thought for the Day: Paul was a smart guy. He understood that spiritual transformation means doing the hard work of deep thinking. It’s our job to study and meditate and never, ever stop questioning. With God inspiring us, we need to look around our neighborhoods, our cities, our countries and the world, and ask, “As a child of God, how do I feel about this or that?” And then, we have to toss aside how we feel, and let the Truth of the Universe inform our decisions, from a place of unconditional love.

The debate about marriage equality this week was stunning in many disturbing ways, but for me, one of the most worrisome aspects was that we even feel it necessary to have a debate about what two people in love are allowed to do, as if we have any right to deny love. Although I suppose by killing Jesus on the cross, that’s exactly what we did.

I hope we all take some time this Dark Saturday to reflect on our Christian faith, and the twisted remnant of Jesus’ love it has become. No longer an institution of love and healing, Christianity divides the world in the most hateful and spiteful ways imaginable. As we look towards the hope of the resurrection tomorrow, it is my fervent prayer that the entire church will once again find its way out of the abyss of hatred, and back into the loving arms and teachings of Jesus. Because the world needs a light now, more than ever, but Christians are too rarely the light, and too often the tools that snuff it out.

Prayer: Sharpen my mind, O Lord, so I stop picking on others just because they’re different. Imbue my soul with respect, God of Love, so that I stop saying hateful things in your name. Enlighten me, so I’ll be a light in a dark world, rather than a mindless tool of ignorance. Make me like Christ. Do it now. Amen.