2007-03-30 - Topsy-Turvy Worlds

My family spent a week in a cabin in the wilderness, where the rules are topsy-turvy. On some gravel roads, speeding is not only lawful but necessary, to maintain momentum and avoid literal backsliding down the steep mountain road. Blowing one's horn isn't a symptom of rudeness or road rage; it's a safety mechanism to prevent head-on collisions on winding, narrow dirt roads. Talking to oneself doesn't mean one needs psychotropic medicine; it means one is avoiding surprising bears.

In some ways, Palm Sunday, which many Christians celebrate the week before Easter, is a topsy-turvy holiday. Christ's contemporaries were expecting a political messiah; instead, our Lord - our spiritual Messiah - rode on an humble donkey, with no military procession. He was the leader of a Kingdom not based on power but on humility (see Philippians 2). He taught that the "first shall be last," instructing His disciples to be servants rather than power-graspers.

His courageous followers, who strewed leaves in His path as He rode by, were casting their lot not with the leader who was winning the popularity polls. Rather, this unlikely King was on His way to the most disgraced and painful form of death, reserved for criminals.

What does all this mean to us - in the 21st century? We should be topsy-turvy Christians. We should be the most patient and cheerful customer in the long line. We should be the commuter who prays for the rude driver, instead of responding in kind. We should be faithful spouses, loyal friends. We should be sterling role models - totally honest when we file our taxes, refusing to laugh at people who are different, and in fact - reaching out to those that are outcasts to others. In so doing, we will follow in the footsteps of our topsy-turvy Lord.

Dear Father, please guide us in living as topsy-turvy Christians. In Jesus' name, amen.

Jan

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http://www.cfdevotionals.org