You did not dance

“But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates, “‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.” Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.” Matthew 11:16-24

Some people find Mondays to be a struggle. When I had Mondays off, I found myself tying up all the lose ends from Sunday and would have a hard time really taking the day. Other people, who have weekends off from work, often find it hard to get back into the routine after a few days of enjoying family and friends, taking the time they need to relax and refresh. There are always reasons for not enjoying a given day and avoiding any celebration or social interaction that might remind us of our lack - whether it's sleep or family and any host of other things. We can find excuses for avoiding good times when our hearts are not in it.

Jesus was frustrated with the people he encountered who were so wrapped up in their own little worlds that they could not imagine that God was in their midst doing marvelous things. For whatever reason - their pain, their frustration, their self-image, their guilt - they could not embrace the love that was with them, healing them and renewing the face of their world. They were so broken they did not even know they needed fixing, and they were so lost they thought they knew their way. They could not celebrate the love because it was a threat to their already fragile, delusional existence.

Today I pray that God will help me to celebrate the love that id in our midst, the signs and expressions of God that surround us. May we all, despite our brokenness and pain, rejoice in the abundance of love that is ours and share it with our fellow travelers on the road.