Sunday, January 12, 2014

Beating the Winter Trap


 

On Thursday of this week the sun was shining bright, the blue skies could actually be seen and at 5pm it was actually still light outside – the first signs to me that it is indeed getting closer to spring.  Outside our windows this week was another story.  The frigid air that hit us a few of these days however was a harsh reminder that it not only is still winter but we do indeed live in upstate New York (or perhaps the North pole?).

This too is the Season of Epiphany.  The sign of God’s revelation to the world and more importantly this Sunday is the baptism of the Lord Sunday.  As Baptized Christians we are called to be born anew in our baptism.  Now, I’m using this phrase knowing well what implications I’m bringing to you.  You see, it is important that through becoming Christians we realize that our lives are different and we are changed.  For by being Christian we are called to live a higher and new life. 

But it is easy for us as Christians to fall into the trap of deception.  You see just like those who sat inside their warm homes on Thursday looking out at what looked like a beautiful day.  We are called to do more than just proclaim our Christianity well living sheltered lives.  We are called to do more than sit in comfort and overlook the obvious – the harsh realities of the world around.  We often put blinders on the realities around us and don’t fully live into our Christian call.   We might be “doing” everything we think we need to and yet if we are not opening our eyes fully we might be missing out on God’s true voice speaking to us.

Another slant to this illusion is that it is easy for us as Christians to judge the world around us by what we see and think we can observe.  But we are called through Jesus to make our Lord the judge of all and are called instead to show love to all we meet.  We must take heed to this call from God for this is what Christianity is all about, isn’t it?
There will be several more days in which the Sun will beat it’s warm rays down upon us and we will be reminded of what Spring and Summer shall bring.  When that happens, let us be reminded that in our life we need to do more than accept things for the way they look. Instead we should search beyond knowing that God, through our baptism, has called us to live anew, to be better and to challenge our understands finding meaning beyond what we think we know.