Ya know, those guys with the signs have a point.

On my liberal campus, I frequently walk by a group of people with signs that often say things like, "REPENT" and "THE LORD SAVES" and "GOD HATES..." with a list of all sorts of sinners listed underneath.  These people with the signs are often shouting things like about how we are sinners and totally screwed up and we need to repent or we will burn eternally and everything we do is wrong.  I often hear about how these preachers are harassed and ridiculed by other christians.  Some students were even so bold as to debate with these preachers with the picket signs.

I used to get really irritated by those preachers.  I thought they were SO off in there thinking because I know that God loves, so how could they have missed the mark.  

And then I read Joel.

Joel, was a prophet out of the Old testament.  And when I started reading Joel with my bible study at the beginning of this semester, I didn't realize what I was in for.  I think its interesting how many Catholics act like the Old Testament is very out dated.  After reading these 3 short chapters, I realized not much has changed since the days in Israel. 

Joel, was a prophet who spends THREE Chapters telling of the wrath of God.  His message is Clear: GOD is pissed.  No, bad word choice.  God, is sad.  And FRUSTRATED.  He is frustrated because he LOVES us.  He gave us all these beautiful things, and then gave us choice.  And guess what we did.  We got greedy.  We needed 2 wives.  We needed not just our sheep, but our neighbors.  And he got frustrated.  

Now, what does sheep and wives have to do with today? EVERYTHING!  In Joel's day, God sent wrath and trample and uproot things to start from scratch.  Today, he doesn't HAVE to because we are SOOOOOO selfish we pretty much have the punishment thing down.  

God calls us out.  He says "Look kids, just 'cuz you are good for an HOUR on sunday does NOT make up for the rest of the week."  

If I hear one more person ask, when talking about natural disaster, "Why is GOD doing this to us?" I might laugh in there face...

GOD doesn't create the natural disaster.  They are Ramifications of STUPID decisions we have made in our selfish attempts to have EVERYTHING.  WE are STILL less than perfect.  FAR less than perfect.  If you turn on ANY "popular" television show you'll see not much has changed: people are STILL sleeping around, lying to each other, and beating up on the little guy.  

And yea, its a harsh message, but guess WHAT: it's TRUE! Those guys with their signs, they *sorta* know what's up.  I can imagine Joel outside some Bazaar back in the day in desperation trying to warn people of God's wrath, and them doing the SAME THING we do today: ridicule, harassing, taunting.  

I never stand around long enough to hear the end of the street preachers today, but I can only hope that they are sending a message of Hope too.  Joel says, after 2 chapters of wrath, "The LORD roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the Earth Shake.  But the LORD is a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel." 

So yea, he's angry.  The same way if your parent gave you something important and you broke it.  But they still love you.     He still Loves you.  But he doesn't like you harassing your brothers and sisters.  

Leave those radicals outside the amphitheatre alone.  They may be extreme, but they aren't wrong.  And guess what? We need to hear it.