Sometimes God's Truth is...

SCANDALOUS.

This Sunday, the lectionary texts were: Isaiah 40 v 1-11, Psalm 85 v 7-13, Galatians 3 v 23-29, and Luke 1 v 57-66,80. The Episcopal Church was celebrating St. John the Baptist's Birthday--its a feast day for them. (thus the readings...)

As I was studying, reading, thinking and praying about the message of Truth from these passages, and even looking for a connection between them...I came across the realization that scandal surrounded not only various parts of Jesus's birth, life, and ministry--but they even were part of John the Baptizers life too. In Luke's accounting for the events of John's birth, I could find two. (how about you?)

First, the mere fact that people, who were past their "child-bearing" years, were actually going to give birth was scandal #1. Just think about how the press would have a field day with this news today. In the past year, a 62 yr old gave birth to a child in the UK (July 6th, 2006); a 67 yr old woman gave birth to twins (December 2006) and this may a 60-year-old woman gave birth to twins in New Jersey. Hm...scandalous? Perhaps.

Second, there was a great deal of controversy surrounding the actual naming of John. According to tradition, male children (or the first born male) was meant to be named after the father or some other male in the family---thus the people at the babies circumcision were going to name the child: Zachariah. But his mother, Elizabeth, insisted his name was to be "John". The people were aghast, "but there is no one among your relatives who is called by that name." So the people summoned the child's father to inquire the choice of name from him. Zachariah wrote on a tablet: "his name is John"---and the people were astonished! hm...scandalous? Perhaps.

Breaking with tradition...
Going against the grain...
Standing up to the "law"...
is risky business
and is often considered "Scandalous"
especially if the laws & traditions have been in place for generations...

So taking actions or making changes which goes against these laws, traditions, grains, requires great courage, strong faith, and confidence in your own identity.

When was the last time you did something "Scandalous" (or at least what people might consider scandalous)?

Interestingly, Paul in the letter to the Galatians addresses their on-going struggle of keeping to the tradition & upholding the law--especially were it concerns the "admittance" of Gentiles/Greeks, slaves, women or other unlikely characters into the family of God.

Laws, rules, and traditions have a place in helping us but they should never hold us back from extending God's love, grace & hospitality to anyone. Even Jesus reminds folk that God sends the sun to shine on the good and evil alike; and God makes the rain to fall on the just and unjust alike. (Matthew 5:45) So to should we--followers of Christ, believers of God's Truth--administer God's grace, love & hospitality.

Even Jesus goes against the religious "traditions" of the day...just count the number of times the Pharisees, Scribes or Sadducees plot to kill Jesus after he has an encounter with one of them...

One of these moments is Luke's telling of Jesus healing on the Sabbath day...see Luke 13 v 10ff. Here Jesus singles out a woman (who is crippled by a 'spirit' for 18 years) in the middle of worship on the Sabbath day, in the presence of a bunch of men. Jesus calls to her, speaks to her, lays hands on her, and heals her. hm...Scandalous? Definitely, look how the synagogue leader responded.

We must grow in our faith in order that we keep rules, traditions, laws and other things in check. That these do not keep us back from extending life to others. Clearly, there are moments when breaking with rules, laws and traditions---or the "way we've always done things" is the way of God's Kingdom. And perhaps, when we do this, we too will be seen as "scandalous"...we may even have people want to kill us...but for the sake of the Gospel, may we persevere. Amen.