When I first heard about Chick-fil-A Day, I started making dinner plans for August 1. My 23 year-old son, Brad, asked my why I would do that. I told him that I was going to support the owner’s right to express his Christian values as much as gays and lesbians have the right to express their beliefs. He replied that, while he did not agree with the gay lifestyle, he is called to love everyone, and descending on Chick-fil-A did not seem like a very loving message. I reflected on his words, and I felt something move in me, but I still struggled with what to do. I was having a difficult time finding the words to express that stirring in my heart: What action would most reflect my Christian faith?
On Chick-fil-A Day, Brad and I were running errands, and I said, “Do you want to go to Chick-fil-A for lunch?” He said he would, if I wanted to go there. I got that stirring in me, again. I also really love their grilled chicken and waffle fries, but that seemed pretty lame compared to the issue at hand. Then I started thinking about my gay and lesbian friends. What message am I sending to them? Right or wrong, in agreement or not on this issue, I love them. God loves them. And frankly, I get tired of the fighting. If you come to my house, you will be loved. I will hold to my beliefs, but I will not judge. Judgement is for God, and the relationship a person has with God is between them and God. Only God truly knows what is in a person’s heart.
I opened my Bible this morning with one reference in mind, but I opened to another that was equally fitting. In Luke, chapter 7, Jesus forgives the sins of a woman who washed his feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. When the Pharisee homeowner questioned Jesus about allowing this from a sinful woman, Jesus told a parable about the debt of sin, forgiveness, and love. Those who have the most sins are the most forgiven who show the most love. He told the woman her faith had saved her and to go in peace. Jesus did not embarrass her; he did not make a list of her sins for all to see. If anything, he was admonishing the Pharisee for his judgemental spirit.
My original text I was looking for is in John 8, the story of the adulteress woman brought for stoning. The scribes and Pharisees were testing Jesus. Jesus said to let the those among them without sin cast the first stone. They walked away, because everyone has sin. Jesus told the woman to go and sin no more. Now, is that woman going to sin again? Of course, she is human, but Jesus wanted her to strive for no more sin in her life. Again, that is between that woman and God. In reference to how Jesus answered the men, he could have said to them, “You bet. That is the law in the Good Book. Have at it.” Instead, he showed love and forgiveness to the woman and gently admonished those that would judge her.
Jesus came to fulfill the law with the two greatest commandments: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:34-40). I read the transcript from Mr. Cathy’s interview, and I support him in being able to express his beliefs, but I, personally, did not feel I could support the way he expressed them; I did not feel in my heart that they were made in love. In Jesus’s many examples, I do not see him pointing the finger of condemnation at the unrighteous, but the so-called righteous. I see him lovingly touching the hearts of the unrighteous, and that is the example I want to support and follow.
Better to Laugh 