Friday, December 24, 2021

the Holy inconvenience

 Another Christmas evening and I'm home with a toddler, watching Christmas Eve services online. He's quarantined even though he wears his mask like a religion, unable to be vaccinated. That's not the inconvenience testing my theology.

A sweet neighbor stopped by this afternoon with a plate of Christmas cookies. She asked to use our bathroom, but I said "better not" since our home is in quarantine. Instead she pressed and let herself in so she wouldn't be inconvenienced in wrapping her children's gifts at another neighbor's house where she parks her RV. Unmasked, unvaccinated, she walked into my house. Her presence altered the energy of our home, with our dogs alarmed and barking as they should. It woke up Beau, who had settled in for the first nap of the holidays. My vulnerable child ran naked outside to the deck with our dogs, in the chilly rain.

I guess that's how I'm to love my neighbor today?

After she left, I went to the drug store to pick up photo prints for our last-minute family gifts. My mind kept turning the question, "How do I love my neighbor?" The drug store employees were clearly overworked and understaffed. I dug deep to my empath soul as I watched the shift lead manage multiple situations at the check stands with poise, grace and calm. Seven separate customers walked into the pharmacy unmasked. Some wandered the aisles sampling Christmas card messages. Each walked brazenly past the multilingual sign explaining the mask mandate for public health.

I apologized to the calm checkstand supervisor, on behalf of the customers defying the masking rule. He told me that it's been really rough. So many staff are calling out sick that everyone is working through the holiday. He gets tomorrow off, but the store will be open at 10AM like every Saturday.

This anxiety about protecting my only living child doesn't make sense to many of my own family members. I try the best I'm able to love, anyways, regardless of how well any understand my pain. It's harder, though, to have sympathy for those who claim to love God within the Church. Tomorrow we celebrate the Holiest Inconvenience of all: God born out of doors. 

I pray my family understands the gravity of the Holy Inconvenience as we gather around a table under shelter from the snow. I pray we listen to the prophets in our midst, whose megaphones are not carried on cable news of any persuasion. I pray our hope and peace mimic the Holy Family, willing to be inconvenienced by government, for love, and willing to flee all comforts. I pray our joy reflects the shepherds interrupted by Glory. I pray our compassion is large as the astrologers who journeyed for years. I pray we can be quiet in worship, too.

Oh, how do we do any of this?

So the shepherds hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the words concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. 

Luke 2:16-20

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Ephesians 5

Therefore, be imitators of God as dearly loved children and live in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. But among you there must not be either sexual immorality, impurity of any kind, or greed, as these are not fitting for the saints. Neither should there be vulgar speech, foolish talk, or coarse jesting – all of which are out of character – but rather thanksgiving. For you can be confident of this one thing: that no person who is immoral, impure, or greedy (such a person is an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Let nobody deceive you with empty words, for because of these things God’s wrath comes on the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them, for you were at one time darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light – for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth – and find out what pleases the Lord. Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For the things they do in secret are shameful even to mention. But all things being exposed by the light are made evident. For everything made evident is light, and for this reason it says:

“Awake, O sleeper!

Rise from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you!”

Therefore be very careful how you live – not as unwise but as wise, taking advantage of every opportunity, because the days are evil. For this reason do not be foolish, but be wise by understanding what the Lord’s will is. And do not get drunk with wine, which is debauchery, but be filled by the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your hearts to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for each other in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, because the husband is the head of the wife as also Christ is the head of the church – he himself being the savior of the body. But as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her to sanctify her by cleansing her with the washing of the water by the word, so that he may present the church to himself as glorious – not having a stain or wrinkle, or any such blemish, but holy and blameless. In the same way husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one has ever hated his own body but he feeds it and takes care of it, just as Christ also does the church, for we are members of his body. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This mystery is great – but I am actually speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each one of you must also love his own wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

hey guys