The Old Testament relays a belief in the will of God and our duty to obey it. Isaiah believes in the importance of obeying the “will” of God to make his Chosen nation the “salvation” of all the nations. The Gospel reading instead addresses the freedom associated with Jesus. John the Baptist is reminding us that he saw “the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and remain upon Jesus.”
The importance of people obeying the will of God is linked to a particular image of God, a War Lord. War Lords invented the image of a War Lord God. They consequently force us to obey the will of that violent War Lord God’s violent War Lord agents here on earth. The relationship model has been promoted across the history of institutional christianity; from Ambrose and Augustine, on to Reformation theologians Luther and Calvin, up to current preachers like MAGA pastors Robert Jeffress and Franklin Graham. Graham cautions us that the Renee Good “incident serves as a strong reminder that everyone needs to obey law enforcement. If they tell you to raise your hands, raise your hands; if they tell you to get out of the car, get out of the car.” It is of no relevance to MAGA nor its pastors to distinguish ICE from law enforcement or even from soldiers of the National Guard. MAGA believe we are duty bound to obey a violent God’s will and thus are duty bound to obey the will of his violent earthly agents. Might we consider that it is of no relevance to any of us to distinguish ICE from law enforcement or soldiers? All armed forces believe they have the right to kill. They have the right to kill we peons. The War Lord class has been grooming them in that right to kill us. From ancient times onward, we have been violently policed because the War Lord class have been paying armed slaves to violently police us. The violent behavior of these current armed slaves makes the historic pattern of the armed slave system all the more obvious. The War Lord class fears the people’s ability to terminate their criminality. That criminality is thoroughly obvious in the grossly corrupt Trump administration. Our ability to terminate that War Lord class is hindered because they have also been grooming us. Since ancient times, the War Lord class has been grooming us to believe armed agents are Godly, our saviors. The morally depraved Donald Trump, like Hitler with the German Church, knows he can insulate his regime from termination by making it Godly. White evangelical nationalists, the American church, are providing that supposed Godliness for Trump. As peacemakers we can identify Trump as another War Lord, like Herod or Pilate or Caesar, particularly Caesar Nero. How can we identify Franklin Graham and any armed slaves who want to call themselves ‘Christian’? We can identify them as Judas. As such, they cannot remind us that “the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and remained upon Jesus.” The MAGA base can’t be Jesus’ freeing witness. We can.
“Singin’, freedom! freedom! Where are you?… Channel 9 news tell me I’m movin’ backwards Eight blocks left, death is around the corner… misleadin’ statements ’bout my persona… But mama don’t cry for me, ride for me Try for me, live for me Breathe for me, sing for me… Yeah, open our mind as we cast away oppression Yeah, open the streets and watch our beliefs And when they carve my name inside the concrete I pray it forever reads Freedom! Freedom! (Beyonce Knowles)
Prayer: Spirit, may we be peaceful and powerful while freeing slaves from their image of a violent God.
Question: In what ways am I coerced to believe armed agents are legitimate, even Godly?
January 18, 2026 Gospel John 1:29-34 Second Sunday in Ordinary Time