what we say and what we do

What we say and what we do are not always the same.
The days of "I say what I mean and I mean what I say" seem to be over.
It is about whatever gets me the most and best of what pleases me right now.
It is all about the pleasing of self and not the standing on our word.
It is all about appearing to be full of integrity, honor, good values and even a relevant faith,
    while doing what we can to please our selves and get all that we can for our selves,
    regardless of the means or of who is hurt in the process.

We claim to love our children,
    but when children are killed in their schools, we choose our love of guns over our children
    and when it comes to balancing the budget, we cut funds that literally take food out of their mouths
         rather than insist that the most powerful citizens and corporations pay their taxes

We claim to be the nation of welcome (see the words on the Statue of Liberty)
    but unless folks have a PhD or lots of money, we do not want them
    and unless we can exploit you for cheap labor and then send you home to your life of poverty,
         don't bother to come here

We say that we are a Nation among nations,
    but we use our position, wealth and power to exploit people in other nations to build our wealth
    and we march our military into other nations to take their resources for our selves

We say that we are the nation of equal justice for all,
    but when some intentionally line their pockets off the pensions and life savings of others
             illegally, they go to a "country club" prison to write their books, for a short term, if they
             get arrested at all
    and young black and brown men who out of desperation steal from an individual or sell something
    on the street to live, are sent up for hard time or shot and killed, unarmed, in the street, even just on
    suspicion...

We say we honor our military and support them,
    yet we vote for politicians who write laws that strip the VA of funds for them when they come
             home, denying their care in diseases and disorders they have because of their service
    and we keep their families in the need of food stamps even while their loved ones are on active
             duty, and THEN cut SNAP funding on them

We say that we are the land of equal opportunity,
    but many schools get MUCH less funding for their students, because of tax brackets
    and wages range from those who make 300x what laborers make, to below poverty level wages
    so we bail out major corporations and their exec's and stockholders make more money, while
            those who work for them get laid off from making even their meager wages
    and we break up any organized labor, so that no one will stand up for worker rights, and those
            who own and benefit from their labor can exploit them further to line their own pockets

We say that we recognize that "all (men) are created equally"
    but the disparities by race are played out in every aspect of society
    and the disparities by economic class are played out just the same
    we deny women the same wages for the same job with the same experience
    we deny our gay and lesbian citizens equal rights to marriage and the benefits of it

The truth?
The truth is that our greatest love is only, exclusively for our selves and those just like us,
    that our idol in America is SELF... getting more for self... benefitting self above all others
    and on the backs of others... being above others to elevate self... so, we re-create God in our
    image until our god IS SELF... even changing what we SAY God says, to match what pleases
    us in our churches and in our society...
    we will say one thing that sounds good so that others might not hold us in total disdain and to
    appease our guilt over our duplicity, but do whatever it takes at the expense of others not like us, to
    benefit our selves and those who are just like us...

We do not say what we mean or mean what we say... it doesn't pay (at least not what we want)

... and I GOTTA TELL YA, God is not pleased with us as a nation.

Repentance means to "change one's thinking" so that one's direction changes...
    We need to repent... this is NOT the narrow way that Jesus directed us to travel in life...
    It is time to change our way of thinking and our direction...

It is time to give up our Idolatry to GREED, LUST FOR POWER AND PRESTIGE and ultimately SELF... because giving lip service to God while serving those idols INSULTS GOD, as the prophets have taught us...
It is time to AGAPE LOVE God with all that we have, and love our Neighbors AS WE LOVE OUR SELVES... active commitment/committed action on behalf of the other, for the sake of the other... as Jesus COMMANDED...

then, our words and actions will be in alignment
then, our integrity and honor will be intact
then, our souls will thrive and not slowly die - along with the soul of our nation
then, our people, ALL our people will thrive and not some of them slowly die while others live in
    excess...
then, God will be pleased.  Not until then.

Pastor Jamie