Stranded

Stranded above the high tide line, this ancient marvel, the horse shoe crab will die. Folks unfamiliar with them will kick and poke at them, thinking that are a danger. In fact, they are harmless, unless you step on a tail when it is sticking up - but it is a very, very, rare occurrence.

Today, I want to remind myself about all of the folks who get stranded and isolated above the high tide line, who cannot, on their own steam return to the safety of the buoyant and life giving ocean. They are every where. With the cost of gas and everything else sky rocketing, there are people every where who are stranded and in danger. There are also plenty of people who have gotten stranded and isolated from their families, their communities, their source of healing and life.

In the reading from Matthew today, Jesus eats with his new disciple Matthew and other "tax collectors and sinners."He is terribly criticized by the religious leaders for this. The story moved on to a place where he heals a child from death and a woman from years of bleeding. All of these people are those who the rest of the world would toss to the margins, poking and kicking at them, thinking that somehow they were a danger to us.

May my heart be broken open today. May Christ's compassion and vision see those who are stranded and isolated, and see them as beautiful, ancient creatures, made by the hands of God. May I have the courage today to go to them and act in love. I ask you to pray with me, that we might all see the stranded and outcasts as our neighbors, family and friends. May we see the stranded and outcasts that are among our families, neighbors and friends. May Christ give us the courage to reach out, so that others might know the buoyant and life giving love of God.