Unwelcome

We have an instinctive feeling that, no matter who we are, no matter our follies, foibles, shortcomings, we should always belong. With our close friends, and with our families, we should have a place where we fit in.

We hear the story of the prodigal son, and despite the horrible things that the son does, it still seems somehow right that the father welcomes the son back. Some of the worst stories that pull at your heartstrings are those of parents abandoning their children. That feels so, wrong, so unnatural, that you can hardly believe such things happen. Rejection by those that are supposed to love you unconditionally, by those who know you best is the most complete rejection one can experience.

So when Scripture tells us that Jesus came to those who were his own, but his own did not receive him, we have a picture of what that is like. The Hebrews were God's chosen people. They were brought out of Egypt, given the laws of God, brought into the Promised land, led by the judges, the phophets, the kings, and even when hundreds of years of the most vile sins had sent the Israelites into exile, they were brought back to their land, with their culture intact, awaiting the promised Messiah.

If there was any group of people that should have recognized and welcomed Jesus, it should have been them. But Jesus was rejected, viilified, and executed. God himself enters the world and suffers first-hand the worst the worst that humanity can dish out, including rejection by his own beloved people.

Busy, busy, busy.

A new car, a new job, and the tight finances created by moving from one job to another. The 11 hour day of leaving at 7am and arriving home at 6pm takes some getting used to. I have been reading a couple good books at once, interestingly covering the same topic - one a biography, the other a sort of autobiography, and it is interesting to see how various events in the person's life are treated differently.

I have nothing truly exciting to say, except that if you have not seen my archive at morguefile.com recently, you should check it out. Search the archive for photos by renowiggum. Let me know if you like any, why you like them, or if you have any photographic requests.