We're doing a summer at the movies series and this Sunday's movie is Beauty and the Beast. As I reflect on the events in Charlottesville VA, I can't help but believe the Holy Spirit had a hand in scheduling this particular movie for this week.
What a better way to illustrate the horror of hate? I think particularly of the scene where Gastonia incites the villagers, making up false claims of the acts the Beast will do - such a creature cannot be allowed to live. All the while Belle tries vainly to attest to the humanity of the Beast. Finally the villagers grab torches, make weapons out of what is at hand and rush to kill the Beast.
Sounds all too familiar, doesn't it?
With false claims of the horrors that the Other (PoC, Jews, anything group that is not cis-white-male) will do, ignoring all attestations to the basic, created-in-the-image-of-God, humanity and worthiness of the Other, the alt-right, Neo-Nazis grabbed torches and used whatever weapon was at hand (a car) to subdue the Other. They surrounded a church- a church! - to intimidate those gathered to prepare to counter their message of hate.
Beauty and the Beast. The irony of this story is that the Beast is beautiful inside. And outward beauty often hides the beast within.
Our scripture for this Sunday is 1 Samuel 16:1-13, especially verse 7: the Lord doesn't look at outward appearances, but at the heart.
And Psalm 139:13-18 which proclaims we are all fearfully and wonderfully made by God, who in great wisdom and delight made us each exactly as we are. Male and female. Red, yellow, black, white, brown and all shades in between. Ability, sexual orientation. EVERYONE created by God, in God's image.
We hear Paul's admonition in Romans 12:9-21, encouraging us to follow Jesus' Way of love, and to not be overcome by evil but to overcome evil with good.
We hear Jesus' own words in Luke 6:37-45, telling us not to judge, not to condemn, reminding us that what is in our hearts will be shown by the fruit we produce - or by not producing good fruit at all. He goes on in the next verse to say, So why do you keep calling me Lord, Lord when you don't do what I say? Read all of Luke chapter 6 and you'll find that Jesus tells us to do pretty much the opposite of what the torch-welders in Charlottesville are proclaiming.
Jesus calls us to be the Beauty. Jesus asks us to let him cast out the beast inside, so the we can be filled with the love that flows from the very heart of God. The Heart that is weeping as torches and weapons are brandished. The Heart that loves and delights in the great diversity of creation.
Beauty and the Beast - love will always triumph over the beast.
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