Blogging Towards Sunday, October 19, 2025
The only time that I remembering heard the word “weaponized” as an adjective was with the word anthrax. But now in our polarized and polarizing battle between them and us, (good and evil) we’re told that everything is or can be. We hear of weaponized justice, information, big tech, & even Christianity.
Our nation is in a time of brokenness and division. We now hear of the division of Christian Nationalism and what we are now forced to call Authentic Christianity. Christian nationalism is the belief that America is defined by Christianity and the government should take steps to keep it that way. It’s rooted primarily in preserving a particular nationalistic or political perspective. Authentic Christianity is rooted in the preservation and active practice of the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. In this tearing apart, we hear of the tension between revival and revolution, of the weaponization of empathy – and even empathy and kindness as sin.
This month we’re wrestling with the notion of sin. In the Biblical Languages of Hebrew and Greek sin means less an immoral act, or a “bad thing that we do” than “missing the mark,” which signifies a failure to meet God’s standard of righteousness. It encompasses both a specific act of sin and a broader condition of falling short of God’s will. It can be intentional acts, mistakes, or simply the inherent human condition of being separated from God.
In today’s gospel portion, we hear of sin being weaponized as an explanation for blindness. The blind man is portrayed as defective, unworthy of God and unworthy of love and inclusion. Then sin is used as a weapon to justify and delegitimize the view of Jesus. Throughout sin is repeatedly used as a statement of condemnation: “He is a sinner.” “You are a sinner!” And yet we see repeatedly in the gospels, the way Jesus dialogues about sin in the gospels is radically different. When folks repent, take stock of how alienated they are from God, other people, and their createdness in the image of God and then say “I am a sinner,” Jesus responds with life-changing grace, love and, healing. Even in scripture we see that sin is used both as a weapon and a balm, as a tool for excluding and a ruler for creating welcoming space.
Questions for Reflection & Examen:
- What engaged, enraged, or surprised you in these texts?
- When have you experienced someone telling you that “you are a sinner”? When have you said yourself “I am a sinner”? What was the difference in the moment, and the outcome of that?
- Paul in Romans says that “one person got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did right and got of out of that trouble and into life.” How do you need to let that good news penetrate your being and how you relate to and love yourself, other people and God?
- What do you hear God saying to you through today’s readings?
CAPC Oakland 