Today is day 14 of a 31 day blogging challenge with my friend and colleague reverendmommy, Robin Fitzgerald.We will be using a daily word prompt from katemotaung.com.
About six months ago, Kate started telling her sisters, “go away!” She was very emphatic and I wondered where
she had learned that phrase. Upon asking
her teacher, I learned that they had been reading a book entitled Go Away Big Green Monster. We are now the proud owners of that book that
encourages the big green monster to go away until we tell him to come back. I could argue that this was Kate’s first book
she read as she proudly turned each page reading “go away!”
This phrase continues to surface at the Queen house and it’s
often not about the big green monster. I
find myself reminding the girls it is not nice to tell people to go away. And then there are days I wish I could tell
people to go away and leave me alone.
Jesus on the other hand says “come to me all you who are weary and I
will give you rest” (Matthew 11:29).
When the disciples wanted to send the children away and Jesus says no, “let
the little children come to me” (Matthew 19:14) or when the disciples wanted
Jesus to dismiss people in need of healing, Jesus said bring them to me. The challenge for us is to extend the same
kind of inclusivity and hospitality. So
instead of dismissing and banishing, we invite and embrace.
My beloved UMC is in the midst of this struggle right now. We differ theologically as clergy and laity person. In Western North Carolina, our bishop has invited us to gather for conversation around the issue that could divide us. My prayer is that the screams of "go away" will be silenced by hands and hearts that invite, embrace, and say "come, YOU are accepted and welcomed here."
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