Above the Love

I love to look up the origin of colloquial phrases. It is so amazing how words that once were used as a criticism are now a compliment. The story of the Good Samaritan, for one. The Samaritans were half-breeds, no accounts. A people not even good enough to worship with the Jews in Jerusalem.

My how that identification has changed over the years.

It reminds me of the children's song we sang when we were small, "Ring Around the Rosies". A few years back I found out it was a ditty derived during the time of the Black Plague in Europe. Folks would keep a pocket full of rose petals in hopes of warding off the illness and/or possible death. "Ashes, ashes, we all fall down". When I hear those words now, I "gets a shiver in me timbers"

I think it is also ironic how in the gospels, words such as Sadducee and Pharisee have become a moniker of evil when in reality they were the Jewish good guys. In the lectionary gospel passage, the Levite and the Priest are the low down good for nothings that pass the beaten man by. How many times has it been cussed and discussed why they did not offer their aid. The cleanliness laws, fear of being robbed and beaten, busy schedule. No one knows. But Jesus was very specific in describing them by their vocations. They were folks that "should" have stopped. They had no excuse, they were men of God. Heck, if anyone had an excuse not to stop, it was the Samaritan. In fact if the man had been conscious, he might have declined any assistance from such a person

So what is the point? Is it that I should stop and help travelers on the road when they have a flat tire? Or maybe I should realize that my neighbor may be the homeless guy sitting next to me on the bus. Maybe it is just to look at my life and see all the things that I do that are out of line. And if I am not doing them, then start.

What if I was intentional in doing things no one would expect of me. Like let someone in front of me at the check-out. Letting the guy into my traffic lane, even when I know he is cutting and not waiting his turn at the back of the pack like I did. Instead of thinking the good things about people and saying the critical things, turning it the other way around. Being transformed from Minimal Mamie to Magnanimous Mary Ann. In a world that does not expect kindness and graciousness, and just laying it on thick.

Talk about shaking things up a bit. They will wonder, why I did what I did. And then they will want to know who put me up to it. And I might just have to tell them.

Don't you love keeping folks on their toes! Have a good one...