We just love our holidays and expect everyone to do the same

When I think of Jesus, I think of an unimaginable inclusivity. Like one who would love the enemy - welcome the nobodies into a feast for only the somebodies in town - forgive those labeled sinner and helping to move those who label others as sinner into a place in which they might see themselves in those they choose to condemn. That - is all an upside-down world in which there is no manufactured differences that create hostility or isolation or indifference. When Jesus was on scene, there would be inclusivity even if no one approved of it - even if it meant folks were ready to kill him for his odd way of being within the society of the day.

Jesus was not afraid to let go of the biases and well developed ways of casting some people out of the party. In fact, he simply let go of all that bullshit. He lived as though it held no power over him or  those with whom he spent his time. Never was he afraid to let go of all that stuff and then make room for those who did not make the grade of the culture or the religion at hand. As one might expect - Jesus pissed people off - big time. For the well-being of any and all and as a vital incarnation of Jesus' God and the life within the Reign of that God, Jesus' hospitality had no limits. Jesus embarked on and persistently followed through with a death-defying inclusivity that marked his daily life and left marks on his body after the powers-that-be rejected his unbounded hospitality

I think I just describe something quite antithetical to many who claim to be the follower of Jesus today. The expansiveness of Jesus' loving hospitality, even to cover the enemy is,  too burdensome - too risky - too uncomfortable - too out of our control. Too often, the followers of Jesus want to be comforted rather than offer comfort - want to be included rather than include - want to be in control rather than give up control. So, are the followers of Jesus serving others in the way of Jesus or are we too easily simply wanting a self-serving doll baby that will comfort us?

I like the simple turn of the popular phrase from the 1970's. It was WWJD (what would Jesus do). It was a good way to make people talk - debate - turn the story into one that might fit us best. The turn is a simple one: WDJD (what did Jesus do). At every turn in the road, Jesus resisted the violence of exclusion - Jesus ignored the way the privileged defined life. Instead, Jesus made available a loving kindness and mercy and forgiveness that made all the holy-rollers crap in their pants (possibly a reminder that, yes, we all are unclean at times so just stop throwing your crap at others). It is the same today. Those who like to be seen as holy-rollers (and they think that is a good thing) soil themselves in their own inhospitality when Jesus shows up among us today. For the self-righteous holy ones - those who claim to be the chosen - those who claim to have earned their place and therefore feel that they are called to put others in their places - those whose bumper sticker theology is more than willing to bump those of their choosing out of the family, miss the Jesus who is in the midst of the people religious folks feel free to cast out.

So, today I wish you Happy Holidays so that life is not merely about me and my own and how we want the world to be. The wish-you-well world of Merry Christmas is one that wishes well to their own kind and then expects everyone else to take part in their notion of well-wishing. This world  is really the culture that loves to wish well to some - not all. It is the religion that calls blessed only those who adhere to exclusive religious practices so that they can point out who is in and who is to be left out. Happy Holidays reminds me of a Jesus who actually did something that followed the way of God's Reign rather than use the seasonally-trimmed words of a culture that claims to define the character of that Reign. What did Jesus do?  Go back to the story - Jesus made the left-out, the welcome guests - the blessed assured - the favored ones - the stranger and alien no more. So, we may do well to lean into the lives of our neighbors and embrace them at every turn - rather than bitch about them not respecting us and our ways. 

TRRR