Colossians 3:11-15
Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
I read this verse earlier and the first thing I wondered was – how often are we thankful for the opportunity to show compassion and love and humility?
Forgetting the retail calendar, this week marks the true beginning of the holiday season. Pastors are pulling out the feel-good holiday sermons. Devotionals focus on love and peace on earth. A heightened spirituality is ushered in that will carry us through the next month or so. We will be more apt to give to charity. Allowed to engage religion publicly. And use terms in everyday conversations which are generally reserved for Sunday mornings – thankfulness, joy, peace, love.
But at the same time those feel-good sermons will be crafted to exclude. Forget celebrating that we believe in the Virgin Birth, we want to make sure we tell others they are wrong if they don’t. And those devotions about peace on earth had better not be applied to American foreign policy or your salvation might get questioned. And we’re fine with writing a check to some trendy charity, but you’d better as hell not expect us to give up our prime parking spot at the mall. And by public religion we mean that unless your business prominently uses the term “Merry Christmas” and not “happy holidays” we will boycott you and encourage our friends to do so as well. And by love and compassion we mean loving people enough to tell them they are going to hell unless they start acting and looking like us (oh, and say a payer to Jesus).
Compassion. Love. Thanksgiving. Unity.
Sometimes I wonder if they are just holiday buzz words with no real meaning in our lives. What would happen if we dared to show true hospitality and kindness to those around us? To not draw lines, hold grudges, or point fingers. To not debate the humanity of the Other as if they were not right there listening in. But to truly love others regardless of differences and to the thankful for the opportunity to do so. To stop talking about these seasonal concepts and actually do them.
I’m trying to figure it out. To cut through the hallmarky bs and be real. Half the time I catch myself simply being selfish and stupid and wonder what the hell am I doing. I’d love to find that unity, but most of the time I’m just overwhelmed by the ongoing failure to love. So I’m working on seeking that unity by being thankful for the diversity – to love those who fail to love. But I’m finding it hard to be thankful for things that don’t benefit me. Sad isn’t it. But I’m trying.
So happy holidays, and thankfulness, and love, and peace and all that stuff.