Words are not enough

I just opened my e-mail and found a message from Susan Crothers in Jerusalem.

Susan, frequent readers will remember, is the mother in the mother/daughter team of Susan and Michelle Crothers, serving as volunteers for one year at Joseph's Storehouse on the outskirts of Jerusalem. They have been in Jerusalem for 10 months, and have sent e-mail updates through the course of their sojourn there.

They are part of a humanitarian outreach that provides food, clothing and medical supplies for those impoverished by the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

Susan's message today (Tuesday) begins with "We are fine!" She and a friend, Heidi, were in Jerusalem having dinner. (They are nine hours ahead of us.) Just as they were making their way home, the sirens and alarms went off throughout the city and the news broke that there had been another bus bombing.

In checking the Associated Press wire, early reports indicate that a suicide bomber blew himself up on a Jerusalem bus, wounding 80, and killing himself along with as many as 20 others.

Apparently, the report continues, the Islamic Jihad has called journalists and claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that was in revenge for the killing of Jihad area leader Mohammed Sidr last week.

Susan relates the mass confusion that is the immediate outcome of these acts of terrorism, with "Some in ambulances, some in police cars and others are volunteers in their own cars with lights and sirens" all heading toward the bomb site.

The AP report indicates that there is a high level of concern that the attack could trigger a renewed cycle of attack and retaliation, derailing the U.S.-backed "road map" to peace. Susan writes, "How many times can peace be just talked about? Why should the Jewish people trust the words that say we want peace?"

She's got a point. At some point, words without corresponding action become mere words.

It's a matter of integrity. Do my actions match my words? Do I say "I believe" and then live like I don't?

Do I demonstrate the virtues of the fruits of the Spirit -- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness gentleness and self control?

Or do I shove little old ladies out of the way to get to the front of the line at the grocery store, only to complain bitterly about the rude service offered there once I get there?

Do I exercise the self-control advocated in the passage in Galatians or am I hot-footin' it around town, looking for the next wild party, or running up a monstrous debt, knowing I can come out from under it easily because of the lax bankruptcy laws of the land?

If my actions don't match my words, my words are worthless. Too many times I hear of the unforgiving nature of "those Christians." Too often I hear of the infighting, the discord, the differences. Too many stories of abuse, divorce or infidelities end with the caustic comment, "And he claimed to be such a good Christian."

Not nearly often enough come the comments, "She lives what she believes.

"He stands firm on principle.

"If you looked up the word Christian in the dictionary, you'd find his picture there."

There is a definite difference between simple belief and a life-changing faith.

There is a definite difference between showing up in our Sunday best for an hour each week, and living out the tenets taught during that brief hour. The world needs to see that difference more than ever. But, our words are empty. We have lost our credibility. And we have forfeited our ability to serve the Kingdom of Christ.

My pastor in Brighton challenged that congregation frequently with the words, "Believers attend. Disciples make a difference."

Do not be deceived. The difference we make carries with it eternal consequences.

"You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that -- and shudder." James 2:19 (NIV)

Susan always closes her e-mails with a prayer for peace in Jerusalem. May God hear and answer her oft-repeated prayer and bring all of his children safely home.