Love Boldly: Evict Hate from God’s Home

Love Boldly is the first phrase in the United Methodist Church denomination’s new Vision statement; “Love Boldly, Serve Joyfully, Lead Courageously.”      

However, the need for followers of Christ to ‘Love Boldly’ is far from new.  For far, far, too long leaders of the Church (Yes, I’m confessing my own guilt too) have allowed voices of hate to blare out of megaphones, public squares and pulpits.  To counter this apathy, in 1945 American theologian Rev Howard Thurman, whose ministry inspired leaders of our Civil Rights movement said:

“The bitter truth is that the Church has permitted the various hate-inspired groups in our common life to establish squatter’s rights in the minds of believers because there has been no adequate teaching of the meaning of the faith in terms of human dignity and human worth.”

It seems a major reason for this throughout our history has been/is the fear of losing status, that is power. In fact, the most well-known person Rev Thurman influenced was Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr., who wrote his plea - Why We Can’t Wait to ‘liberal’ White Pastors to try to motivate them to get out of their cushy siloed church offices and join the movement.  Dr Rev King penned this passionate proclamation from a lonely jail cell, where, like the apostle Paul he spent a fair amount of time.  Imprisoned, chained, barred, yet free and bold in Spirit! 

No doubt it makes sense in terms of survival to choose words and actions that do not put my/your own lofty status in danger.  Why risk persecution when you could have power?! … Well because it sure seems like that is what Jesus did, over and over and over again, until the Powers that Be sentenced him to an unjust death on a cross.

I’m not advocating anyone willingly go to the cross, Jesus already did that for all of humanity.  What I am challenging myself and you to do is not be afraid to ‘Love Boldly.’

The prophetic teachings of Rev Howard Thurman are urging those of us who know God as Love, as the Author of Life, to put the ‘squatters’ of hate on notice- move out of the holy house of God, hate has no home in the Body of Christ!  Hate’s eviction notice from the Church is written in the life-giving blood of Jesus shared with his disciples at that Passover meal which become Communion at the Last Supper.  May hate pass over the Open Doors of our UMC, for the blood of the Lamb on the cross has been shed so all may follow in the humble way of Love. 

To evict the squatters of hate we must start in the den of our own hearts.***  We are challenged, I am challenged, to discern why we have permitted hate to establish squatter’s rights in our own hearts and minds. How did hate move-in in the first place? Did our own ego open the door and let hate in? What did hate find so accommodating in the home of our heart? How has hate been permitted to hide out and squat in our lives so long? Maybe hate has even messed with the thermostat and turned the heat up so high no one can stand to be at home with you, or maybe hate has blasted the AC to the extreme of ice-ing others out.  Perhaps hate has deviously turned up the volume on your TV or playlist so loud that now apathy is all you can hear, and fear is all you can see. Has hate’s friend fear locked your front door from the inside? Then, how can we help hate pack-up all its’ iniquities and haul-away all the toxic waste infecting our souls? Psalm 66:18 “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.”

The real friends are the ones who help you move. If you need help packing up iniquities and hauling off toxic waste, then you have friends at FUMC Farmersville.  During Sunday School (Zoom 9:15a and in-person 9:30a) and worship (10:50a) and on Wednesdays (4p Bible Study, 5p Family Night) we can help each-other clear out hate’s sinful possessions from our lives.  And through this Body of Christ, you also have helpful friends in the Farmersville Outreach Alliance, CommonGoodMedical, One Day Warriors AA, and more.  As we join hands as the Body of Christ, we are united in a fellowship that has the God-given power to drive out darkness! 

As Jesus did in flipping over the tables of systematic sin in the Temple, as Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit upon his disciples, as the mighty wind of the Spirit of Truth was poured out on every tongue at Pentecost, as the apostles continued the healing ministry of Jesus, as Peter preached boldly to the crowds, as Phillip traveled alongside the outcast Eunuch, as the Church of Antioch welcomed all of God’s diverse children…and as our founders of the Wesleyan movement had the boldness to go to where the most vulnerable were and advocate for abundant life. Whereas we are joining hands with our siblings in Christ across the vast connection of the Horizon Texas Conference to ‘love boldly!’

So we have plenty of empowered friends to help move hate out of our homes.  When one is having issues with a rental apartment, it is always a good idea to examine the lease agreement.  Rest assured hate’s name was Not on the original limited-time lease of our earthly vessels.  We are created in the holy Image of God.  God breathes the Holy Spirit of Life into each of us at our creation.  Therefor we are called to be ‘living statues’ of God.  “You are born in Love, by Love, for Love” Arch Bishop Desmund Tutu.  And, with free will to choose what kind of residences we will permit in our temple made of flesh.  Nor is hate’s name on the deed to the dwelling place God has prepared for us in Christ’s Kin-dom. In fact, The Author of Life has written Christ’s name on our hearts since before we were even out of our mother’s womb. We belong to God. God has created our temporary bodies and God longs to be the only one harbored in our hearts. 

The squatters of hate must go, if we seek to be fully hospitable to hope.  The daunting task of driving out the derelict of hate seems to be integral in the everyday struggle to Romans 12:2 “do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God- what is good and acceptable and perfect.” 

When we take this vital task seriously, we free ourselves from the shackles of sin, turn off the playlist of apathy, turn off the voices of hate on the TV, duct tape shut the boxes of our iniquities, maybe call some friends for help hauling off the squatters’ toxic waste, clean the house of our hearts with the wellspring of Living Water, and become hospitable to hope.  May our houses be a habitat for hope, love, peace, joy.  And more fully embrace the affirmation we at FUMC Farmersville proclaim every Sunday ‘know the joy of loving Jesus Christ!’

To spread this knowledge of the joy of loving Jesus Christ, we need to love boldly.  What does loving boldly look like? It might look differently to love boldly in Farmersville than it does in Dallas, Detroit or Dakar. What does not change with location is the source of the bold love, that is in the Crucified and Risen Jesus Christ.  Our scripture for this Mother’s Day Sunday (5/10/26), John 14:15-21, affirms that those who follow God’s commandments have the Holy Spirit of Jesus within them.  This Holy Scripture should embolden us to illustrate what the love of Jesus looks like lived out, lived out of our own homes, lived out in the streets of Farmersville.  “Justice is what Love looks like in the streets.” Dr. Cornell West. 

Joining hands and hearts for the on-going work of justice is loving boldly.  In our everyday lives we can love boldly by speaking up for the voiceless, by utilizing our status to lift up others, by rebuking hate speech, by silencing our internal ego’s selfish desires, by speaking Truth to Power, by choosing to risk our popularity in standing in solidarity with the down and out, by reading the Gospel and allowing Christ’s teachings to inform us in the ballot box, by forming relationships with those who have been cast out, by connecting the cast out with the wounded Risen Body of Christ…loving boldly in the belief that Love wins in the end and the courageous faith to put this belief in action today.

If we choose to love boldly we have a lot of moving to do, thank God for good friends in the Body of Christ…If you need help moving out squatters, FUMC Farmersville is here to help.  Let’s get a move on, “Rise, let us be on our way.” John 14:31   

…next Burnt End Blog: “Serve Joyfully”

***My thanks to my colleague Rev Wally Butts for the inspiration of this metaphor in his Easter 4/5/26 sermon at Axe Memorial UMC, Dallas TX

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