Time to Celebrate

And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.” And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’” Luke 5:33-39

She's here - Lillian Eileen Ringer was born on Tuesday at approximately 10:30 PM by c-section. She is healthy and sweet and her Mom and Dad are elated as are we. It was amazing, after all the labor, all the waiting, all the false starts and a couple of insensitive nurses thrown in, nothing mattered but wonderful Lilly. She is a calm, sleepy child, beautiful of face and spirit. It was hard to come home and leave that little of bundle of joy and her parents behind. We are already making plans for our return.

The religious community wanted the obligatory fasting from the disciples and the community that surrounded Jesus. They wanted them to go through the correct motions, to live according to rules. But it was time to celebrate. The living presence of God was with them and there was no time for the rules of life. Nothing mattered but soaking up the time with Jesus, celebrating and living fully in the moment. Like all of us with this newborn wonderful girl -nothing else matters.

Today, as we celebrate Lilly's arrival and remember my Dad on what would have been his 94th birthday, I want to give thanks and celebrate the fullness of life as we have it today. Today as Lilly demonstrates love made new, I want to thank God for her, for my Dad and for all who showed me love made real. May we celebrate fully today the gifts we have been given, setting aside judging others, sets of rules and putting love first wherever we are.