"Who loves ya, baby?" -- Kojak

I know.
I'm old.
Many readers have never heard of Kojak or the actor Telly Savalas that played the NYPD detective that sucked on lollipops and and always used the line -- "Who loves ya, baby?"

I started by thinking about -- Whom do you love? and How do you show it?
I could ask -- Whom do you hate? -- but people would just lie about that. 
So how about this -- Who loves you, baby? 
And how do you know it? What do they do to demonstrate their love for you?

I ask these questions because it seems that so much of what people say these days doesn't match up with what they do. Christians often use the line -- Love the sinner, hate the sin -- but they don't really love the sinner. They exclude people with certain sins from their fellowship. They vote for politicians that actively oppress those sinners. Their actions tell their truths while their words are just lies that they justify with some bullshit made-up religious garbage.

There is no hate like Christian love.

Is it really fair to say you are not a racist when you support, follow or defend someone that is?
Can you really say that you love a queer person when you support legislators and legislation that actively oppresses them and may even make life less safe for them?
If someone is working against your best interests, would you think that person loves you?

Honestly, today's John doesn't even care if you claim to be a Christian or not. I would stand with, work with and defend a hundred persons of different faiths or of no faith or atheists that actually care about and love their fellow humans rather than stand with the hypocrites that claim to love in the name of Jesus but do nothing to prove their words true.

If people knew you, if they watched you and you couldn't tell them anything -- would they feel like you love them?

It is a struggle for me to spend a lot of time with people. I am learning to see good in people and that isn't really the issue. I think that oftentimes it is more about whether or not they will see the good in me or will Ugly John make an unscheduled appearance and destroy what I have built on the ashes of that old, judgmental creed that I have set aside.

The funny thing about growing past your past is that it is always back there lurking and waiting to drag you back -- even if only for a moment. I suppose it is a good reminder that I was there and that I need to have grace for those that still are, and hope that they will evolve or grow, as well.
I believe that as I have become more contemplative I have also become more caring and more loving. I am grateful for the privilege to have the time and means to be contemplative and meditative. God knows (and so do most people that know me) that I have a long way to go. 

Figuring out who loves me is way easier than demonstrating love towards others.
I'm going to go ahead and post this now, on Saturday night. Tomorrow is National Back to Church Day and while many churches have been busy inviting people and will be hoping to welcome large numbers of people back to church -- The Venues isn't doing church tomorrow. We will be being the church. 

No church service tomorrow, just community service. We will gather together early at The Venues and then disperse throughout the city and take care of different needs in our community. Then we will meet back at The Venues around lunchtime and we will have a party. 
Serving the community and having fun.
James, the brother of Jesus said something about showing our faith by what we do. I think it also works if you take out faith and put in love.

John