Wrath: From Polarization to Peacemaking

Today we continue with our worship series Fully Alive, based on the book of the same title by Elizabeth Oldfield. This book focuses on the question, “Who am I becoming?” In a world that is rife with division, pointing fingers, selfishness, and ecological destruction, am I becoming someone who is part of the problem or part of the solution? Am I becoming someone who is fully alive, or am I simply going through the motions of existence on this planet? More and more, I’ve been struck with the reality that people are searching for meaning in their lives—as Elizabeth Oldfield points out, they’re searching for wisdom. And there’s millions of places for people to find meaning and wisdom—social media influencers, authors and podcasters, on tags of teabags and inside Dove chocolate wrappers. The one place people decidedly don’t look is to religion, and particularly, the Christian faith. So much damage has been done in the name of the Christian God. And in Fully Alive, Elizabeth Oldfield acknowledges the harm that’s been done in the name of Christianity—she holds that and honors it, while also reminding us of the wisdom that the Christian faith tradition holds. She shares the signposts that show us how to become the kind of human this world needs. And she does this by digging into the seven deadly sins: how they show up in our lives and what it would look like to move towards more positive, life-giving virtues. Last week, we talked about how sin is “the human propensity to screw things up.” And it’s part of the human experience—of who we are as humans. Sin is anything that causes disconnection between ourselves and others, us and the natural world, and us and God. It is something that needs to be met with grace, not judgment. And even though it’s part of the human experience, sin does not define us—our worst choices are not our identity. These are important truths to remember, particularly as we continue this series, focusing on one “deadly sin” each week. This week, we focus on a sin that is oh so fun to talk about—wrath.