On This Side of Life

I respect the life that Mary mother of Jesus lived. I respect it, but I don't envy it. She was asked to carry the child that was God's son and face public scorn. she was willing, I respect that. she gave birth to a baby in a barn, I respect her for her strength and doing what you had to do. I don't envy her having to go through that experience, being rejected hearing, "There's no room here for you."
I don't envy a mom who spends her whole life knowing how special her child is only to watch that child be ridiculed and rejected. I don't envy a mom that watches as her son gets arrested unjustly. I certainly don't envy a mom who watches as her son is executed. And yet the Bible says when Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting the child lept in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry "Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb."
Just saying someone has a blessed life does not by any means mean that they have an easy life.
It's a rainy day on the sunset coast of Michigan. Everything about today makes me want to slow down, perhaps even take an afternoon nap (I am usually opposed to taking naps because it means I would have to get out of bed twice in one day). Days like this lend themselves to contemplation. Just thinking about where you been, we've been through and where you are now. It seems I've done a lot of that lately, remembering the people of my past, people I've lost along the way, the people I've left behind. It's a terrible thing to experience the brokenness of this world, to experience the pain that comes inevitably with this human life. The thing to do, however is to repair the brokenness. I've said that before this blog. When we can make connections when we can demonstrate love and when we can heal old hurts, I believe that's the beginning of the abundant life that God has promised to us. I'm sitting here in my office at the church just on the other side of the office door is the sanctuary, lit only by the lights on the Christmas tree in the chancel area. People come to this place to experience the presence of God, to experience the love of God by demonstrating that love for each other. Behind every happy smiling face that I see on Sunday, There's a story. There's a story of pain of old Hurts of brokenness and of struggle.
And God loves each one of them so much he came and sacrificed is own human life for each one of us. We may think we know our fellow brothers and sisters. We may think we know them so well that we have the right to judge them, but we don't. Some people have felt the pressures of this life and found it to be too much to bear. In the last 20 years, I have lost four friends who thought just that. Blair, Jeff, Angie and Matt, for them, I will remember. I will remember them and I'll try harder to reach out to really hear those who have something to say.
God said that he will make all things new. I don't think God is waiting to the end of time to do this. I think through us we have to make all things new. We have to fix those relationships. We have to fix those hurts. We have to lift each other up and support each other and love each other. That's what it means Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
So let's all be kind to each other because a blessed life does not necessarily mean an easy life.

In God's perfect love

Jon