Living In Babylon

May 1, 2021

We are pilgrims in a strange land

We are so far from our homeland

With each passing day it seems so clear

This world will never want us here

We're not welcome in this world of wrong

We are foreigners who don't belong

We are strangers, we are aliens

We are not of this world.

- Christian Rock Band, Petra

Our son, Steve, and his family live in Livermore, in the East Bay of Oakland. They are just a few blocks from First Street, lined with restaurants and young families gathering (imagine a Main Street of the 1950s). A few years ago, we were visiting and had walked to our favorite dinner spot. While waiting for a table, I noticed that across the street, a group of men were gathering on the corner. One of the men walked to the curb, put down a crate, stepped up with a megaphone in hand and started yelling, “Repent, the end is near. You’re all going to burn in hell. Turn or burn!” (I could keep going but you get the general idea).

After about fifteen minutes of his hate-filled ranting and the growing discomfort of diners outside evident, a man stood up and engaged with him, as a devout Catholic and Jesus follower. As the shouting match ensued and I grew more incensed with the hatred coming from the “evangelist”, I knew I couldn’t sit still! So what did I do? Got up and marched my little 5’1” self, with my 5’2” daughter-in-law passionately following right behind me, to ‘care-front’ this man about his lack of love.

While he was still preaching condemnation, I started trying to reason with him. I told him I was a believer and reminded him that Jesus lovingly cared for people and then spoke truth. I begged him to look at the crowd and see how angry they were growing. I reminded him of the greatest commandment to “love God and LOVE people.” I yelled “STOP!” And that is when he turned around, looked me in the eye and told me to come back with my husband and let him speak for me. (Fortunately for Ken, our table was ready so he and Steve summoned us back across the street!)

Pastor Jared talked this past weekend about the Israelites going into captivity in Babylon from Daniel 3:4-6,12. They had a choice. Did they throw a fit, stand on street corners, and convince the Babylonians to follow their God? Did they become apathetic, melding into the culture and worshipping their gods? Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego give us a beautiful example of how to be in the world but not of the world.

Just like the Israelites, we’re faced with a choice each day while we’re living in Babylon. Pastor Jared said, “the greatest threat to our faith is apathy.” When training counselors, we talk about God’s truth, the Absolute Truth. We cannot give in to the culture and align with its truth.

If we become apathetic about our faith, we run the risk of falling away from the absolute truth of God.

2021 has shaped our Babylon in an even more dramatic way. As followers of Jesus, in many ways, we’ve become like the guy on the street corner yelling in his megaphone arguing over politics, racial issues and the pandemic. We’ve jumped right in to the cancel culture, canceling one another, while those who don’t know Jesus have canceled Christians altogether! We know better! We are better!

Annie F. Downs says, “If people will love people with the love of God, they will fall in love with Jesus.”

While living in Babylon, we need to do our part to “be for Babylon” and to show extraordinary love to our neighbors. That means we build bridges, honor others, and show respect even when we disagree. Then the “Babylonians” will ask questions that will give us an opportunity to share our faith. 1 Peter 3:15 - “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”

I know it’s messy, navigating being in the world but not of the world. Learning to love a world we are not part of takes extraordinary grace, unending hope, and an unrelenting perseverance.