By the Way: He practiced what he preached

By Rev. Jeff Decelle on January 11, 2020.

You probably didn’t notice last weekend, but last Sunday marked the moment of the year when the Earth, in its orbit, is closest to the sun. It might seem a little strange, at least for us in the northern hemisphere, that the time of the year that we are nearest to the sun happens in the middle of winter when our temperatures are at their coldest. It’s a little counter-intuitive on these frosty winter days when it sure doesn’t seem like the sun is any closer!

The way of life that Jesus offers to us also goes against our expectations. When someone has hurt us or caused us pain, our first response is often to want to hurt them back, not practice a path of forgiveness. When someone is struggling, we often want to blame a person’s poor choices or mistakes rather than being compassionate. When we disagree with someone it’s easy to turn them into an enemy, especially on social media, rather than trying to understand where they might be coming from.

The thing is revenge, blame and demonizing others might feel good, but they don’t lead to contented relationships or a fulfilled life. We seem to be living in a time of disconnect – where we have so many ways to be connected and yet we often find ourselves isolated and easily angered. We don’t really want to listen to each other, or least listen without judging or belittling.

There’s also nothing easy about forgiveness, compassion, or taking the time to listen and really understand a person. Jesus, though, never promised easy. His practice of forgiveness and compassion for those who weren’t deemed worthy led to his crucifixion. And yet even then Jesus never had revenge on his lips. He practiced what he preached, even in giving his life.

It’s a whole lot harder to own up to our mistakes, to set our judgments aside, to listen when we are impatient, to see dignity in everyone – but these are the very things that Jesus invites us to practice.

Although it doesn’t feel like we are any closer to the sun, the Earth is moving a little faster in this part of our orbit, which means that winter is actually our shortest season by about three days (at least according to the calendar). It turns out that even what’s counter-intuitive can work out in our favour. So it is with the way of life that Jesus offers us as well.

Rev. Jeff Decelle is pastor at Unity Lutheran Church.

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