I want to talk with you this morning about what is going on in the world. I want to talk with you about hatred, terrorism, torture, and genocide. Can you imagine a worse subject for a Sunday morning sermon?

If we read the paper, listen to the radio, or watch the news, we cannot avoid hearing about events too horrifying, too tragic, too catastrophic to even imagine. They are happening in Iraq, Sudan, Palestine, Israel, Afghanistan, North Korea, America--and so many other countries.

So why, David, do you bring this up now, in church, when we are bombarded by such sickening news every other day of the week? ...Yes, it is sickening--and I believe we need help with it.

Jesus’ words to us this morning seem to offer little comfort. Listen again, this time from the NIV Bible which you have at your seats, Jesus says: "...Love your enemies and pray for those persecute you."

When we consider these words in light of the terrible things that are happening in our world today, they are confusing. They are troubling. Dare I say it? They are outrageous! And I imagine that some of us might well be thinking something like this:

"Wait a minute, Jesus. You are telling me I should love the terrorists who carried out the unspeakable horrors of September 11th?! You are telling me I should pray for the cold-blooded killers who targeted hundreds of children and their parents in a Russian school and slaughtered them with the push of a button? How could you ask that of me?! May they burn in hell for what they’ve done!"

Make no mistake. This is exactly what Jesus is saying to us. At the heart of our faith is a message of love and forgiveness which is so radical, so extreme, that it is just plain scandalous.

If we consider what it would mean to us--what it would cost us -- to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, we might well say to ourselves: "No! Absolutely not! No way!" I suspect that this is exactly how most people in Jesus’ day reacted when they heard him speak of these things.

So what are we to do with this seemingly impossible teaching of Jesus? Well first I think it is important to understand what Jesus is NOT saying to us. He is not saying, "Like your enemy." Jesus is not telling us what to feel. He is not saying, "Don’t feel horrified, anger, pain, or heartbreak at the evil which your enemy is doing." And Jesus is certainly not telling us that the suffering, death, and destruction caused by our enemy is okay! It is not okay! It is evil.

Okay, Jesus, we’re with you so far. But this still doesn’t help us understand what you mean when you tell us to love our enemies and pray for our persecutors. How are we supposed to do that?!

The truth is that we have enough trouble dealing with the people we encounter in our day-to-day lives. Take, for instance, the woman in the car behind you, blasting her horn so you’ll get out of her way and she can continue driving recklessly through traffic at 85 miles an hour.

Or do you remember that inconsiderate man who just parked his grocery cart, packed with at least 40 bags and boxes, in the 10-items -or-less Express Line? And to our young people, perhaps you’re thinking of that bully at school who has been insulting, punching, and pushing you around every chance he gets.

Then there’s that tyrant of a boss you have to face every day at work. And don’t forget those people you never quite see who keep throwing their cigarette butts, empty beer bottles, and other trash on your front lawn. ...Our lists could get pretty long, couldn’t they?

Yet in all likelihood, none of these people are terrorists or any other kind of criminal. But the things they do sure can make our blood boil! Which brings us right back to Square One: "How, Jesus, are we supposed to love or pray for any of these people?!"

And we hear: Silence. ....Then suddenly, right out of the blue, it hits us: "Wait a minute. This is just one verse out of the whole Bible. Maybe we could just sort of 'skip over' it. What do you think?" Tempting, isn’t it?

* * *

Not long ago I was driving west on Interstate 78. A blue van was in the next lane over, just ahead of me. My eyes were drawn to a bright white bumper sticker where I read the following words: God Bless the Whole World. And then below these words, in parentheses: (no exceptions).

Now that’s a switch! Over the past 3 years, we have become used to seeing God Bless America signs and bumper stickers. And we have heard that song sung many times, on many occasions.

That bumper sticker made me think. It is indeed a good thing to call upon our God and ask for God’s blessing upon our country. But what about the rest of the world? Does not this whole crime-filled, war torn, and tragic-but-still-beautiful world desperately need God’s blessing, God’s help, God’s touch? You and I know that it does. So I ask you today: Can we go beyond God Bless America? Can we also find it in our hearts to say: God bless the whole world?

I must admit to you that something about that bumper sticker troubled me: those two words in parentheses: (no exceptions). "No exceptions?" Not any? That means "God bless: the drug dealer, the thief, the rapist, the pedophile, the terrorist. "God bless Osama bin Laden." Who could say that? And actually mean it!

I bet Jesus could.

Could we? Before we answer that question, we would do well to remember that raging, hate-filled parents who beat the living daylights out of their children right here in our own communities--they were once children too. They were once innocent. In almost every case, they faced the savage blows of a brutal parent--utterly alone. That child, now a violent parent, needs a blessing.

The suicide bomber, the torturer, and the cruelest of tyrants--they were once children too, innocent and good. How they became capable of such evil, we will never know. But that child, now an adult, committing terrible atrocities, needs a blessing.

When we become filled with fury and judgment about people and events beyond our understanding...

When we would inflict violence on our own children at home or on people we do not know around the world...

When we look upon ourselves with hatred and we don’t like what we see: we need a blessing. We all need a blessing.  Every last one of us.

We may not be ready to ask God’s blessing on Osama bin Laden. Perhaps a better place to start is with that impatient driver who’s blasting her horn at you so you’ll get out of the way. I can’t tell you where to start. That’s up to you. But we must start somewhere.

Our whole anguished planet is crying out to be touched...and blessed...and healed by God. May the day come, and may it come soon, when with humble voices we shall say: "God bless the whole world. No exceptions."

Amen.

David Turner