Sunday, December 15, 2002

And he was amazed at their unbelief. Mark 6: 6a

I am my daddy's little darling. I always have been. Ever since I was very small, I remember that the two of us would rise hours before the rest of the household. We would have those deep conversations that yield themselves only to a quiet household before the sun rises. On Saturdays, we would run errands. For me this was quite literally "running errands." Dad would extend the index finger of his large square hands and I would grab it with a chubby fist and hold tight as we moved at the gait of a busy man of six feet two. Dad is clergy. I always thought that he was brilliant, handsome, gentle and wise and certainly the best preacher and storyteller that I ever heard. He was a popular minister. So, when a church he served ran him off, I was amazed at their unbelief in my dad's ability to lead. How could a group of God's people be so wrong about my daddy? How could the townspeople be so wrong about Jesus? It is not so hard to imagine how a little girl could be amazed by such rejection of her dad, but how could an all-knowing Jesus be amazed by his rejection? Perhaps the amazement comes from seeing good reflected in the face of even the most disagreeable of God's children. It comes from a child-like view of goodness. In the Advent season, a season of hope, it seems most appropriate to look for the good in others and to be amazed, but not defeated when others act contrary to the goodness that we see in them.

"If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we would find in each person's life enough sorrow and suffering to disarm all hostility." Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Kate Jones

All contents copyright 2002 by the Wisconsin Chapter of the Methodist Federation for Social Action. Permission is granted to United Methodist congregations, individuals and groups to reproduce and distribute this devotional without charge. All other use requires the advance permission of the editor.