10-24-21

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
October 24, 2021
Donna and I went to the Renaissance Festival yesterday. It has been something the two of us have enjoyed doing from early in our marriage, though we didn’t go last year because of the pandemic. Yes, we do dress up and enjoy the goofiness of doing so. But both of us are people watchers, and there is a lot to see, a lot to take in. Yet what’s interesting in that setting is the lack of judgement. Some folks have over the top costumes, and others are wearing a couple of simple items they purchased off the internet. Some folks have kept to a theme/genre in every detail, and others are doing a blending of historic periods, fictional characters and something else I couldn’t figure out. Compliments about outfits, shoes, hairstyle, etc. are spoken often and with great care. In the end, there is community and a high level of acceptance. I have said before – the church might take some lessons from such events when it comes to making space for people as they show up. In Matthew 5, we find the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus challenged his audience about loving not only the neighbor, but loving the enemy. He added a little sarcasm when he asked how hard is it really to love those you already love? But the line I often miss is when he added, “…if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others?” He was pointing out that greeting (the word also means embrace) those with whom you feel comfortable isn’t risking anything. Thus suggesting how our current welcome and embrace might be a bit too restrictive.

Gracious God, no matter how I show up to any moment of life, you seem to find something to celebrate, something to lift up. May I show a similar amount of welcome and affirmation to all those I meet along the way, even those I do not fully understand. Amen.

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