somewhat expectedly, ive been hearing two problematic statements going around evangelical christian churches. maybe you've heard it too. something like this:
"si jesus lang ang liwanag sa dilim. hindi si leni."
"kahit sino manalo, god is in control."
they're not necessarily wrong... and i know that some have good intentions for saying this. for instance, they want to encourage people that indeed god is in control no matter what happens. but without proper context or even an ounce of sensitivity to the times, these things more often than not come off as quite frustrating and discouraging.
it's somewhat parallel to people who respond "all lives matter" to those who cry "black lives matter." or when women who are hurting say "men are trash" and some are quick to respond "not all men." suspiciously very often these types of insensitive responses come from those who are offended and feel they have to defend something. in our case, when we're witnessing the joyous celebration of millions of people who are finally beholding a tangible and concrete representation of hope in our country, what exactly are these naysayers defending? and what are they offended about?
i don't know. actually, i think i kinda do. wink wink.
but in any case, let's unpack these statements. let's start with the "god is in control" part.
i think for most evangelical christians, their introduction to politics is from the teachings of st. paul when he exhorts the early church to obey and honor those who are in power--as they have been put there by god. (it's important to note that even though st. paul says this, he is also himself a rebel because he goes around preaching the Jesus message that people in those days considered "dangerous"). however, it's always important to look at the context of this teaching--and by this i mean the very human and socio-political context.
in st. paul's time (the first century), people did not have the same rights that we have now. they did not have this kind of democracy wherein we have the ability to participate and elect our own leaders. instead they had emperors and rulers and kings and stuff like that. so when he says they were put there in place by god, he is acknowledging that this is out of his control. hence, god is in control. fast forward to now, this doesn't fully apply to us anymore. because fact is we DO have the ability to elect our leaders. we DO have some level of control over this.
(also important: there are numerous teachings of paul that we just don't apply today because... it's a completely different world. see his teachings on women for example.)
so does this go against the idea that god is in control of everything? no. this brings me to the second thing i wanna say: God is not out there.
for many people, they see god as some sort of being in a control room high up in the sky with buttons everywhere and he presses this and this happens and he flips this switch and that happens. but i think this idea completely misses the point of jesus teachings about the kingdom of God.
jesus says "[God's] kingdom come, [God's] will BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN." and jesus also says "the kingdom of God is IN YOUR MIDST." here we see that central to jesus' teachings is the idea that the kingdom of God is something that will happen and is already happening NOW. not somewhere else. but HERE.
i know many of us grew up with the idea that christianity is about getting to heaven by saying a special prayer handcrafted by your bible study group leader. nothing explicitly wrong about that. but it's also not the point. if you read his story, you'll see jesus wasn't very interested in that. instead, he is interested about bringing heaven here on earth so that heaven and earth will be as one.
and how will heaven happen on earth? who will do this? surprise, surprise: you and me.
st. paul teaches us that we are the body of Christ. can you imagine that? we are a divine being's body. we are God's body. can i ask you, how do you do stuff? how do you walk, run, exercise, dance, or even do just about anything? with your body, right?
so that when we say that God is restoring this world, we are also saying, we are the ones who will restore this world. when we say God will heal our country, we are also saying, we have a part to play in its healing.
so when you say, God is in control, yes, God is. God is in control and God is moving and accomplishing God's purpose through you and me. yes you and i will make mistakes out of our own stupidity and free will, but even those will be used for the renewal of all things until heaven and earth are one.
now let's take it further.
st. paul exhorts that "in Christ, we move and have our being." elsewhere he says he has the "mind of Christ." i believe this means God dwells in us and we dwell in God. that is why it is often said "where can i go from [God's] presence?" because you cannot. God is in the heavens, in the ground, in the mountains, in the trees, in the animals, in you and me. and all those things are in God. that's why we say God is "over all and through all and in all." and that is why we say we are made in "the image of God." we have this divine imprint, this divine DNA that extends to everyone and everything.
what does this mean for us? it means that when we see a person doing God's work of renewing all things and bringing heaven on earth, this person is doing nothing except reflect God's character, and it is no longer this person who is doing this, but God themself. that is why st. paul says, "it is no longer i who live but Christ in me."
when we see someone bringing light to this world--liwanag sa dilim--maybe we should suspend our cynicism. because if we look harder, i bet we will see Christ himself. or in this case, Christ herself. (can you believe that?)
and this is where i go back to the "jesus lang ang liwanag" thing. yes, yes that is true. but also, i believe Christ dwells in leni, in the same way that Christ dwells in you and me. in the same way that Christ dwells in the birds of the air. in the same way that Christ is in the ocean, and the sky, and the trees, and the wind, and everyone and everything. and not only does Christ dwell in her, but im sure she is aware of it, and through this awareness she is compelled to do what is just, loving, and merciful. (because to be sure, there are a lot of evil people in the world--and there is one who is quite famous nowadays in our country--and these people are not aware and they do not accept their value and true nature in Christ.)
to be very clear: in saying these things i am not elevating anyone to the status of god. i am aware that quite possibly in the future leni will make mistakes and she may do things that i will not agree with. people are not perfect, that much is true. and im very aware that she may not be able to solve all our nation's problems. but the only thing im saying is this:
i see Christ in leni. and that is why im voting for her.
i will vote for leni not only because she has many achievements, but mostly i will vote for her because of her character. i will vote for her because her campaign is built on truth. i will vote for her because in the face of demonic forces, she responds in love and strength and grace. i will vote for her because i see the kingdom of God in her heart and i can see that she is part of God's work in bringing heaven even to our nation.
and also, i see Christ in kiko, so i will also vote for kiko!
and i hope that when we vote on may 9, whether you believe in my God or not, may we vote for someone who reminds us of goodness. who shows us that there is a better way, and who makes us want to be a better person so that we too can be a part of this good work. so that we too can be "liwanag sa dilim."
and lastly, wonderful people, i implore you: contemplate on this mystery, of how the Divine is working in and through you to bring about God's kingdom on earth.
and i also implore you: do not separate the reality of the mustard seed from the reality of the tree it grows into. do not focus on abstract and lofty notions of God when God is already in your midst doing the work through the body of which you are a part.
God is doing something right here, right now, through you and me. open your eyes and behold it. ipanalo na natin ito!
peace to you.
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postscript: to dearly beloved evangelicals, have you ever wondered how things would be different if instead of thumping your bibles and announcing platitudes, you focused instead on rebuking the lies and the corruption and the evil on which the other camp's campaign stands? the evil on which most of our nation's system is structured?
maybe, if you do this, people will see Christ in you.
