Being “Family” - September 22
Today’s Readings - Psalm 80; 2 Kings 5:1-19; 1 Cor. 4:8-21; Matt. 5:21-26
When I was in the first grade my best friend had several siblings, all close in age with a huge house and yard – great for making forts and playing pretend. They also had a station wagon with fake wood paneling on the sides. I was convinced if you had a station wagon and lots of children to fill it up, life would be grand.
Our house was very quiet in comparison. I had one sibling, a brother ten years older. Once he graduated from college, he never wanted to come home. I missed him terribly but there was something that kept him away.
My mother had four siblings. They all lived in Georgia except for one who lived in California. One Christmas we all met at my grandmother’s house in Gainesville, Georgia. I loved it. I had cousins to play with and I helped my grandmother and aunts as they cooked, listening to family stories. With the exception of a couple of funerals, I don’t think we ever got together again. My mother had a falling out with a few of them. Most of it seemed trivial to me, but it was enough for her to cut them out of her life. As I grew older our family became smaller and gradually the church was where I found my family.
Today’s gospel reading reminds me of all the times I wish my mom had been willing to reconcile her differences with her family. It also reminds me of how easy it is to be unwilling to take the first step in admitting our part in whatever is separating us from those we care about.
Our world is complicated beyond words these days, with divisions everywhere you look. God doesn’t see our world as a dichotomy of good and evil, saved and unsaved. However somehow, we’ve managed to do just that. God created all things for good, and yet somehow, we’ve created a world in which the culture encourages seeing differences first and then only allowing grace and respect for those we decide is deserving. How did it get this way? Or has it always been this way and I’ve been too naive to see it?
I’m so grateful to have a vocation, where I am tasked to spread Jesus’ message of salvation and reconciliation, to spend time striving to find ways to bring people together rather than apart. But what about those people who can’t see past the divisions? In today’s gospel reading Jesus doesn’t say wait until your accuser comes to you, he says, “if you remember that your brother or sister* has something against you, . . first be reconciled to your brother or sister, . . .* Jesus puts the responsibility back on us to make peace, to end divisions – even when someone has something against us rather than the other way around.
How do we address something so huge, so out of control? It requires God’s help. Mary Bea shared a quote with some of us from Northminster Baptist church in Jackson, Ms., that I’d like to share with you:
"We agree to differ. We resolve to love. We unite to serve. If we cannot agree to differ, we have no freedom. If we do not resolve to love, we have no Christianity. If we do not unite to serve, the kingdom of God and the world will suffer.”
Pray that God enlightens us to embrace these sentiments. Let’s find a way to be ‘family.’”
Faithfully,
Sally+
Questions for Reflection – What is the worst thing that could happen if you approached someone who looks at the world differently from you and ask, “Can we talk? I’d like to understand your point of view.” To quote John Burrus, “Respecting the dignity of every human being must also include how we value and listen to those with whom we disagree.”