April 22, 2026

The President did not send a team of negotiators to meet with Iran representatives yesterday because the Iranian government had not “come up with a unified proposal.” There is a good deal of confusion over who is exactly in charge over there. Iran had a cleric running the government for a few decades, but he is now in the afterlife. His son was appointed to replace him, but no one has seen or heard from him leading to speculation that he may also be dead, or in a coma or incapacitated to the point where he has no functional influence. The military, however, has a lot of influence due to the obvious fact that they have a lot of guns, which, well, you know whoever has the biggest guns tends to get what they want. But word is, that the military is not really run top down, but more like various groups that are simply a variety of organizational pyramids where different people seek to make it to the top. Then there is the civilian police force. Apparently, the police force doesn’t get along too well with the military. Are you now sufficiently confused? All of that would make it a bit difficult to negotiate a truce or agreement for peace. Seriously, how would you even be able to send a negotiating team that has any authority to agree to anything?

Unity and organization are a big deal and very difficult to achieve and protect. It is rather miraculous that our own country is celebrating 250 years this year. Fact is, out of 195 countries currently in existence, only about 5 have had the same government for the past 250 years. Over 97% of all governments have been in power for less than 250 years. Can’t we all just get along? No, we really can’t. Seriously, we really can’t. Sin fundamentally separates us from our perfectly unified triune God. Sin ruptures what is supposed to be whole. Sin causes us to turn on God which of course leads us to turn on one another.

The only way that our world will ever get itself together is through Christ. That is not a cliché, that is a spiritual and relational reality. Only followers of Christ are restored to God and therefore, have the capacity for a long-term and genuinely bonded relationship with one another. While fear is powerful to force people together, it is not sticky enough, like love, to create oneness and create a bond that is eternal.

What’s one of the most surprising things that we have to look forward to in the Kingdom of Christ, is the complete lack of drama, division, pride and politicking. When a local church is comprised of people who display that now, it is not only sweet, it is shocking.

Grace and peace,

Bob

Sunday’s Text: Luke 19:1-10