Well, another eclipse is coming up, so being the music nerd that I am, I’ve been belting out that song, “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” (In my car, of course.) And being the blog nerd that I am, I’ve found an analogy. It reminds me of what I see happening around me. Eclipsed hearts. An obscuration of the light. 

Bear with me. I know I’m a nerd.  

Anyway, it feels like we’re a people who see the edges of a strongly-held conviction, but so often miss the real deal.   

Here’s an example. Read the list below and feel its vibe. 
 
Remember the poor. 
Loosen the chains of injustice. 
Untie the cords of the yoke. 
Set the oppressed free. 
Share your food with the hungry. 
Provide the poor wanderer with shelter. 
Take care of widows and orphans. 
Carry each other’s burdens. 

It sounds like it could have been written by someone to the left of Bernie Sanders. But actually, it’s straight up from the Bible. 

On the flip side, there are other lists that seem more stereotypically right-wing. Take for example Ephesians 4-6. Now there’s a list! It’s about getting rid of impurity and obscenity and greed and such. It’s likely not well received by people who don’t like “imposed morality.” 

But in both cases, I think the main point is missed. Some people will fight the “leftist” language of the first list and others will fight the do’s and don’ts of the second, when all along, Jesus was more about the heart. If one’s heart is right, we’ll want to consider others first and we’ll understand the rationale of getting rid of impurity.  

Maybe we blot out the language we don’t like because we can’t handle the brightness.