Psalm 69:7-13
7 It is for your sake that I have borne reproach,
that shame has covered my face.
8 I have become a stranger to my kindred,
an alien to my mother’s children.
9 It is zeal for your house that has consumed me;
the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
10 When I humbled my soul with fasting,
they insulted me for doing so.
11 When I made sackcloth my clothing,
I became a byword to them.
12 I am the subject of gossip for those who sit in the gate,
and the drunkards make songs about me.
13 But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord.
At an acceptable time, O God,
in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me.
8 I have become a stranger to my kindred, an alien to my mother’s children.
This verse from Psalm 69 brought to mind the old TV show, All In the Family. Archie and his son in law, Mike, were always at odds with each other over everything. Archie was conservative and Mike was a hippie. Every conversation they had turned into an argument.
While Archie and Mike disagreed mostly on politics, the same dynamic often plays over religion. Grandparents lament the way their children are raising their own children without a church home. Parents, who have raised their children in one faith tradition grieve when those children move on to another faith tradition as young adults. Nothing, other than politics, can turn a pleasant Sunday dinner into a barroom brawl like disagreements about religion.
The difficulty we often have is that we mistake church membership, or denominational affiliation, with discipleship. There are devout followers of Jesus in every Christian denomination, sitting right next to people who practice religion without faith. In my experience, the way to really get the fireworks started is to send a family member who is genuinely trying to follow Jesus into a gathering of relatives who are more devoted to their church than they are to Jesus.
Obviously, I’ve oversimplified a complex doctrinal, social, and theological situation. Hopefully, it will be thought-provoking without causing too much distress.
Prayer: Lord Jesus: Like Archie and Mike, we all lean toward one stereotype or another. Help us to see through our differences to the core of faith that you have placed in everyone. AMEN