Religious fervor is a stunning phenomena. It can feed the hungry, clothe the naked, love the unlovable, heal the sick, provide homes for the homeless. It can lead to riots, death to whole races, unmentionable sins, unbearable grief. I watched a documentary the other night with the kids. It is called Obsession, and is about the Islamic Extremists. They do what they do---killing and hate crimes---because they believe it is the will of God. Watching the crowds over and over yell, "Death to Americans! Death to Americans!" was fairly close to a biblical scene. In Luke the crowds are yelling "Crucify him! Crucify him!" as they try to remove what they saw as a danger to their religious belief. They had fervor, for certain, but it blinded them to what they were truly doing. "If we claim to be in the light and hate someone, we are still in the dark. But if we love others we are in the light, and we don't cause problems for them. If we hate others, we are living and walking in the dark. We don't know where we are going, because we can't see in the dark." 1 John 2:9-11 Lord, please give us a religious fervor for you that leads us to love our enemy, care for the hurt and neglected, and serve all of the world. Shine a light in the darkness so that we know when we are in the dark, and lead us to your light. Amen