Once upon a time…

Once upon a time, there were no Democrats or Republicans, and no religious liberty as we’ve come to know it.
Once upon a time, there was just Rome. Caesar was Emperor, and he’d convinced both himself and the people that he was a god. Then a baby was born in Roman ruled Palestine who would become more famous than Caesar. He would grow up to become a Jewish Rabbi that would overturn religious, political and social norms of what was acceptable, and eventually He would be…
Betrayed by a friend
Condemned by the temple
And crucified by the empire.
Today He is…
Worshipped throughout the world.
Not long after His crucifixion, believers would gather around the world on the first day of the week and share stories or fragments of a letter they had received from one of HIs followers. They would renew their vows to chastity and fidelity. They would renew their oath to live as men and women above reproach; to be honest, and to live with integrity. And against the trend of culture, in these gatherings in homes, court yards, and on hillsides, you would find masters and servants, men and women, Romans and Jews, and people from every socio-economic strata which society said shouldn’t mingle together.
Children, farmers, landowners, gentiles, Jews, Greeks, Romans, soldiers, civilians…because of the teachings of this Rabbi, all came to believe that people had intrinsic not assigned value. For them, God was alive and real and not a stone image worshipped in a temple somewhere. The days of animal sacrifices were over. And as a result of their faith they too were…
Betrayed by friends
Condemned by the temple
And persecuted by the empire.
And their influence spread like an airborne disease.
And now it’s our turn. And someday, one day, our generation of Christianity will be a “Once upon a time story” and I wonder what story will be told of us, because…
We are stewards of the faith for our generation, and we’d do well to remember that there is a version of faith that causes people to lean into rather than away from Christianity. Just my dos centavos!
