Religious Freedom, Gay Marriage, and Kim Davis; Lessons from Kentucky

I will admit that I have not followed the story of Kim Davis as closely as some of the other headlines bellowing from the current news outlets. I am convinced though that even on the surface there are some pretty significant lessons to be learned from this chronicle.It takes a lot of courage to face imprisonment for your beliefs and convictions. Freedom in a prized possession for us. The loss of it is very significant. It is a true testament of someone’s faith. Many of the writings from and of the Scriptures were written from prisons. When I reflect on this; I hope that I would have the some courage, strength and fortitude in the face of such consequences.

When I see stories of Christians around the world being persecuted and martyred for their faith I am truly overwhelmed by their fidelity and piety. I wonder if I could portray the same in the face of such despair and cruelty. I truly and honestly am not sure. I guess I have some work to do. I need more time in prayer, meditation, the scriptures and adoration. Psalm 91:1-16; “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, ...” Lesson 1.

Many people look at this broken woman, who has made some pretty big mistakes in the past, and call her a hypocrite, including some self-proclaimed Christians. I see a woman just trying to start a new day, and do the right thing, as she believes it to be. Isn’t that the beauty of our Christian faith? Isn’t our faith based in the premise that our God is steeped in mercy and forgiveness? We can change our hearts and lives on any given day, at any given time and start anew. Jesus forgave many, and always sent the faithful forward to “sin no more”. God offers us each day as a new beginning. All of us fall, continuously. True defeat comes when we stop trying. None of us has the right to condemn another, we are all sinners and broken! Judas’ true sin was that he gave up and didn’t seek redemption; not his betrayal. So never give up, the war between good and evil is a constant struggle! John 8:11 “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” Lesson 2

It seems that many people misunderstand Christians who try to preach the Gospel and evangelize Jesus to the World. Mark 16:15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. “ Many of us are not as skilled as we would like at this, and I am sure that Satan distorts the Word; and what is heard and how it is received. The number one goal of evangelizing is to show God’s love and mercy to all; to lead everyone to the Truth. We do that with the tools we have available and the help of the Holy Spirit. It is though, a human endeavor and not perfect. True Christians act out of love and charity, they want to bring others to Christ so that they can experience overwhelming peace and joy. Once a Christian finds such peace and joy it is hard to contain, it is something to be shared. Christians don’t just yearn for heaven for themselves, but they yearn for it for everyone. We want everyone to share in the eternal banquet. There is a true and real fear that if people don’t hear the message, they will miss out on the joy and peace that only Christ can give them. That joy and peace does come with an Earthly price. Christians know that there is no Earthly price big enough to compare with the bliss we will find in Heaven or with Jesus here on Earth. John 15:18-20 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. Lesson 3

It really is all about Heaven and Hell. For this Clerk, the decision to issue a marriage certificate really does carry with it that choice. That is a significant belief. It is as significant as gay couples wanting to marry. It is a shame that tolerance of one is expected, yet not of the other. The main goal of a Christian is Heaven; that is the purpose of their entire life. As discussed in Lesson 3, not only for themselves but for others as well. The things of this world will not last. True sacramental Marriage is a covenant between one man, one woman, and God. It is not just a civil union. The civil semantics of the marriage definition may try to undermine this, but cannot. God will always win! It seems that there could have been much distress alleviated by just agreeing to call these unions civil ones, and not a “marriage”, but that wouldn’t have created the desired political affect and dissent. Most Christians are not bigots, we are commanded by God to love everyone, even our enemies, but we must also remain faithful to God. It becomes difficult sometimes to do this in the face of our enemies, but we are just trying to do the right thing. It is definitely not easy. 2 Timothy 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” Lesson 4

The fight really is worth it! Of all the original Apostles, only John escaped a horrific martyrdom. All of Jesus’ closest followers were imprisoned, tortured and killed for their faithfulness. They knew the fight was worth it! They gave up everything to proclaim the Gospel. In comparison, we have had it pretty easy in this country for the last couple hundred years. We have enjoyed religious freedom and liberty. The times are changing, and with the changes will come hardships we have never known. We will be tested. Luke 21:10-17 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness. Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, ... “ I hope that we are ready. Lesson 5