In the baptismal liturgy we invoke the images of Psalm 69:14-15
over the water in the font; “By the baptism of his death and resurrection, your
Son Jesus has carried us to safety and freedom. The floods shall not overwhelm
us and the deep shall not swallow us up for Christ has brought us over to the
land of promise.” It is a confident hope in what will be that allows the
psalmist to endure what is. God’s steadfast love, faithful help and abundant
mercy will overcome reproach, shame, insults and the indignity of being the subject
of gossip and drunken songs. A life of zealous service is often misunderstood although
in our cultural context one’s piety is largely ignored which I suppose is a
more subtle form of insult. It could be that we are less than zealous for the
sort of things that might generate criticism. Like selling all our possessions
and giving to the poor (Mark 10:17-31) or taking literally the 70 x 7 forgiveness rule (Matthew 18:21-22) or the admonition for those who sin to
leave the stones on the ground (John 8:7) or overturning the tables of our own institutional
idolatry. (Mark 11:15-19) Maybe if we were more zealous for the things that got
Jesus crucified we would be the subject of drunken songs. Not saying that’s a
good thing just that maybe getting noticed for doing what Jesus did is better
than not doing anything worthy of ridicule.
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