Erin Church Devotional - Jesus is Lord - or how being PC ain't being PCUSA

Audio version here

Psalm 69:13 But I pray to You, O LORD, in the time of Your favor; in Your great love, O God, answer me with Your sure salvation. (NIV)

There’s a debate taking place across the Presbyterian Church as to whether or not it is still appropriate to call Jesus “Lord.” The argument goes like this: we are no longer part of a medieval feudal system or a society that depends upon slavery. Terms like “Lord”, “Master” and “King” denigrate people around the world by making them feel subservient and worthless. Instead of being made to feel inferior, we need to know that we are special, chosen, and favored by God, therefore terms like Creator, Friend, and Encourager should be used when we refer to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. In other words, we want God to be shaped and molded, created and contained by our descriptions; we want to be treated as equals and not as servants.

At the recent meeting of Mission Presbytery in Texas, a commissioner complained that the use of the word “Lord” should be outlawed across the church because it reeks of Western imperialism. “After all,” the commissioner concluded, “Jesus never used the term to describe Himself.”

This is where Biblical ignorance rears its ugly head: the speaker obviously hadn’t read the following verse:
"You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am." John 13:13

Fortunately, someone was there to remind everyone of that verse. An Hispanic pastor also stood up to say that for some Hispanic communities in South America, the Lordship of Christ is a life or death issue, especially in areas where drug barons or military juntas wickedly rule the community. Christians, who firmly believe in the Lordship of Christ, do everything in their power to confront evil in their community, even if it costs them their lives. And the same could be said for Christians in China, Myanmar, the Middle East, and Africa.

We Western Christians have become so obsessed with political correctness that we have forgotten what it means to pledge our allegiance to Christ. We are creatures of God, called to be servants of the Kingdom and slaves to the Gospel. We are all unworthy, and none of us can claim equality to Christ or God. If the Presbyterian Church keeps following this blind alley, then we’ll end up falling into the pits of despair and desperation. We’ll do anything to woo the world, instead of being wedded to Christ. We’ll sell our souls to the loudest lobbyists, instead of giving our lives to our Lord.

I, for one, am not willing to surrender anymore, or to follow the maddening crowd. Jesus is my Lord. I am only His servant.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, teach us why we must become subservient to Your ways and words. Release us from our arrogance and sinful pride. Help us to accept our role as servants in Your Kingdom. Give us the courage to stand up against those who would tear You down. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.