Winter has come to New England. My yard is white and according to the weatherman it will get even whiter in the morning. Someone needs to tell our rosebush. I would think the chill in the air would be enough communication, but we have three nice red roses. They are out of place. I’m going to guess that there have been times in your life when you felt out of place. Perhaps you under dressed for an occasion. Others showed up in suits and you showed up in blue jeans and a t-shirt. Perhaps people were partying a bit more than you wanted to.
I have always been fascinated by some of the events Jesus attended. He certainly raised the eyebrows of the establishment because of the company He kept. “Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” Luke 15. We often talk about how wonderful this was that Jesus made Himself vulnerable by doing this, but I wonder if there were not times when He was uncomfortable where He was.
I am sure Jesus must have been repulsed by the behaviors of many people. Yet, He never stopped loving them. That is so amazing. How does one grow to the point where we care about people who make us feel out of place?
Written by Roger Bothwell on December 9, 2009
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