Sunday Musings - December 12, 2021
Rejoice
On the Christian calendar today it is the third Sunday of Advent and is traditionally called Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is the Latin word meaning “rejoice”.
The tradition is to rejoice in the promise that when the Lord arrives all will be changed. We know, of course, that this Jesus fellow whose birth and teachings the Christian Church celebrates brings this radical message to love your enemy, visit the sick, quit judging others instead of removing the sin from your life, feed the hungry, forgive seventy times seventy, and quit pretending that one knows people and can label “those others” because of some act of commission or omission.
The Christian tradition is to remind all to rejoice. This radical, socialist, unemployed, former carpenter who does not even have a permanent physical home, but is a couch surfer, invites one to upturn one’s idea of justice, to quit waiting on the so called leaders to open the gates of prisons, to quit thinking we are in a position to judge another, and to redefine the idea of success.
Rejoice is the message of this man who did not need a walk-in- closet to hang his work and play costumes, whose status was not known by the car he drove and hangs out with those who many see as unsuccessful or even losers.
Rejoice! Most of us will try acting as if writing a check from the safely of our gated communities, saying a prayer that those sinners will change their ways, and convincing ourselves that we only have what we deserve - what we have earned - will show that we are rejoicing in the coming of the baby Jesus. If we attend a church we may participate in a play depicting the birth of Jesus while ignoring the fact the adult Jesus would consider the message of Godspell a mild, watered down version of his message.
Is our prayer?
· Rejoice. Let’s celebrate our freedom to pretend as if our decisions and behavior do not affect others.
· Rejoice. We are not like those socialists.
· Rejoice. We are not the criminals.
· Rejoice. We are not the lazy homeless.
· Rejoice. We can shoot those who take what we do not need.
· Rejoice. We are the righteous, peaceful nation selling guns and other weapons to the highest bidder.
· Rejoice. We are responsible for our financial success. Luck or grace is not a factor.
· Rejoice. We are not the disgusting, irresponsible addicts whose addiction demands to be fed no matter how many of one’s core values it tosses aside.
· Rejoice. We are not the worthless or disposable person who once laid in a manager.
· Rejoice. The sex addict is not among the chosen.
· Rejoice. Baby Jesus shall forever stay a baby and not become a radical, feminist, pinko, unemployed, unsuccessful, wandering servant minister.
Or is our prayer:
· Rejoice for our amazing ability to create healing medicines, amazing art, music which forces us to dance, and magical machinery.
· Rejoice for our acts of kindness and devotion to caring for the ill.
· Rejoice for the gifts of laughter, amazing food, heavenly chocolates, and magical instruments to communicate with each other.
· Rejoice for our quickness to forgive ourselves and others.
· Rejoice in the message of that Jesus fellow to opens our arms and welcome all to safely gather and be loved not caring what language they use, what religion they profess, what concepts of God they formulate, what home they have or do not have, what mental health/illness/diagnosis they have, what race they are, what sexual orientation they are, lor what their prison or jail number is.
Rejoice as we gather in spirit, if not in person, on this third Sunday in Advent when the pandemic number may dictate we avoid gathering too physically close.
Rejoice.
Written December 12, 2021
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
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