As a child, I was taught to respect my elders. They told me never to call my friends’ parents by their first names. Words like thank you, please, yes sir, no ma’am were normal gestures. In school, my teachers were the jugs that poured water on my underdeveloped mind, and as a result, they taught me to admire them and submit to their authority with obedience and gratitude. Throughout my college and graduate years, I learned to accept people for who they are and not judge them for what they believe. I was biblically taught to love everyone, even the most undesirable. Jesus taught me to forgive others, no matter how many arrows were shot at me. I was instructed by the Holy Spirit not to be aware of one’s racial identification, ethnic status, religious faith, political and socioeconomic status. Showing respect for others is the key to opening the door to social harmony. It is the path of reconciliation. It is the path to unity.

Just as horizontal respect is needed in our country today, it is necessary to restore vertical respect. I have seen over the years the increasing disrespect that has been shown not only in the world but also in the Church. The name of God has been dragged from the Heavenly Throne into the sewers of the world. The name of God no longer has a period behind it, but the exclamation of “damn it”, to accentuate the disgust that so many have for him. In many churches Jesus is being treated like any Tom, Dick or Harry. He is called our “brother” instead of the Almighty Son of the living God. Sunday services remind me of a “Christian club,” where we sit for coffee and donuts between choirs. We then settle in to listen to a candy-coated message that addresses people’s wants, rather than their needs. Is that showing respect? Just mentioning the name of Jesus should bring us to our knees. To fully understand Jesus, we should take ourselves to the foot of the empty cross, praising him not only for what he has done, but for who he is today. He is the Son of God who left the presence of his Father and became man to offer the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. He is the Son of God who left the presence of this sinful world and ascended to the right hand of God, to intercede in the lives of Believers.

I urge every believer to rethink the community of Jesus and know his holiness and sovereignty once again. Let us rekindle the true fires of worship and give him the honor he deserves! Let us channel our emotions to reflect our understanding that He is more than a brother, He is our Savior, Lord and Soon to come King!