Stan Moody:
Tweedledee and Tweedledum, a pair of identical twins in Alice and Wonderland, originally were based on a nursery rhyme by the same name. Tweedledum was ready to go into battle with Tweedledee, who he said had spoiled his nice new rattle. A monstrous black crow flew down and scared them both so that they forgot their battle and took to their heels.
Was God the interventionist in this drama, we might wonder?
Tweedledee and Tweedledum are now running for President of the most powerful nation on earth.
Tweedledum, for whom some 80% of white Evangelicals would walk barefoot over ground glass to elect, has accused Tweedledee, the choice of the self-satisfied elite, of stealing his rattle some 4 years ago. In this drama, God becomes the convenient interventionist.
The Intervention:
Tweedledum claims that God saved his life by moving his head one-quarter inch so that the bullet from an AK-47 rifle ripped off only the top of his ear. Tweedledee, when accused of being too old and senile to serve, stated emphatically, “I’m in it to stay!”, or something to that effect. “Only the Lord Almighty could convince me to quit!”
We people of faith are expected to greet this divine presence with a measure of relief, even though it appears that you couldn’t slide a page of the Bible between these two characters. One is tripping over claims to be the only person in the universe who could make us “great again”. The other, consistently showing physical signs of dementia, claims to be the only person standing who is capable of preserving democracy. Both are modern day reincarnations of General Custer, longing to go down in history as the greatest warriors in the graveyard.
Democracy or Personal Fiefdom?
The questions that occur to me are, “Is democracy so fragile that it can be buried in 4 years by a 78-yr old business tycoon of questionable merit and a contingent of angry white male sycophants? Is America so strong that all it needs is a shot or two of Geritol to keep it piling up debt in defense of the status quo?” We voters have been saddled with two old white guys who love America so little that they have claimed it as their personal fiefdom.
The ear thing got me to thinking. It apparently was nicked by the bullet from an AK-47 that can be purchased on the open market by nearly anyone anywhere for around $1K. Another ear incident that comes to mind is the night Judas Iscariot brought a mob to arrest Jesus. Peter whipped out his sword and cut off the ear of Malchus, a servant of the High Priest. Great form, Pete! God intervened in the act of Jesus reaching out and healing the ear, or Peter likely would have been pushing daisies.
He Who Has an Ear to Hear:
If we could get our hands on that sword of Peter’s, do you think it would be worth enough to make either Tweedledee or Tweedledum great again for one last turn at the wheel? It would have to be worth a few thousand times more than an AK-47! Still, the message was one of a kind of love beyond Peter’s reach – a healing love intended to make the world a better place instead of, “May the best patient win!” in the battle over a missing rattle or two. The Church knows about that kind of love but finds it a bit uncomfortable at the moment.
The Big, Black Crow of Divine Intervention:
I've been around long enough to know that the battle between good and evil will never be settled between Tweedledee and Tweedledum. The big, black crow of divine intervention is forever circling, ready to dive. It occurs that nothing less will satisfy the profound lack of leadership evident within two political parties so convinced of their own superiority that they will always sacrifice our nation on the altar of loyalty to the platform.
If you are a Kingdom Kid – that is, a citizen of the present, dynamic, triumphant Kingdom of God, fear not! Whatever these parties may do to destroy life as we know it, and they surely must in order to justify themselves to themselves, God is forever on duty, and His Plan ultimately will triumph.
“He who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches!’’ (Rev 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22). The Spirit is saying to the churches, “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!”
Wow! Simply Wow! Fear not!