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Who you gonna serveMonday, December 26, 2005
Matthew 10:22, 19-20
"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me...but when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you."
What goes around in the family comes around in the world. Christmas sentiment sours so fast, and we pound our fists and hold our heads in frustration. How can this be? Generosity and gratitude and grace are swallowed up in the maws of selfish people. And these are brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers ... The disappointment is devastating. Sparkling tinsel and lights, fresh evergreens, sideboard full of meats and dessert ... and then we can't be civil with each other for more than a few minutes. What I wanted to share, I end up grasping tight and fighting for. Yuck! What a wretched man I am. Who can rescue me from this body of death? How close is this? Too close too often. In Romans 7 Paul says the rescuer is Jesus. And in Matthew 10, Jesus himself says it will be the Holy Spirit. If I just shut my own mouth, God himself will speak for me. But I have to ... we have to ... put him in charge, make him the center, capitalize Him and minimize me. That's my job again, today, the day after Christmas. Back to work. Jesus, you know me today. Speak through me. Your words are generous and grateful and full of grace. |
Here it is the day after Christmas and already the smiles wear thin. Celebration twists into the day after, and the old tensions build. Blood runs deep, and it's dangerous when we don't agree about the deepest things, when we make quick judgment, close up and turn away from each other. Yesterday's smiles and earnest hugs seem conditional today on some unspoken loyalty oath. None of us will recite it for the other.