Sea lions completely covered the docks at the bayfront in Newport, Oregon. Many of the sea lions were trying to sleep while others were barking to show their dominance. Sea Lions can be loud and raucous, or adorably lazy. A small juvenile was swimming in the water near the docks. He kept trying to find a place to haul out of the water onto the docks, but every time larger males kept him from getting on the docks.
He kept trying and trying to find a place to rest on the docks, only to be rebuffed at every turn. Finally, he was able to haul himself up onto a cable attached between two floating docks. Once he was on the cable, he kept slowly and carefully inching his way onto the attached dock. After a while, he was able to get his front flippers onto the dock. By carefully maneuvering he was able to get most of his body onto a corner of the dock. As he was trying to get enough room to be able to lie down, he drew the ire of a couple of occupants of the dock who slowly moved closer to the edge and forced him back into the water.
The winter sea lion population in Newport has increased tremendously in the last ten years. The sea lions haul out on docks, rocks and anyplace accessible in the water. The wooden sea lion docks on Newport’s Bayfront have provided a haul-out for sea lions for over twenty years. Tourists and locals alike enjoy observing these amusing and interesting animals close up.
Almost every kid has a memory of being excluded. I do. I was the weird kid, the chubby kid. I wasn’t the popular kid. But exclusion doesn’t stop as children grow into adults. People of all ages exclude others from acceptance, love, and affection. But Jesus was different. He went out of his way to extend love where it wasn’t expected; to society’s outcasts. In his ministry, Jesus consistently included the people that religion had left out.
In each story Jesus wants us to understand that he loves and cares for everyone. He demonstrated that all people are welcome at the table of God’s kingdom. In Jesus, the outcasts of society have hope. Those that the religious community marginalizes can find Him extending a hand, inviting them back into the community with dignity and affection. When you study the life of Jesus, you see that no one ever opened a wider door of hope and love to the human race.
Henri Nouwen wrote, “For Jesus, there are no countries to be conquered, no ideologies to be imposed, no people to be dominated. There are only children, women and men to be loved.” Paul wrote, “In Christ, there is no difference between Jew and Greek, slave and free person, male and female. You are all the same in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28 (NCV) The kinds of divisions between people that are normal in human society, should not be found in the church of Jesus Christ. Neither race, nor ethnicity, nor economic status, nor gender, nor any other human distinction should exclude people from the church.
Gentle Reader, if you study the example of Jesus, you will see that he was a champion of the oppressed. His example was one of unconditional love, and He was against all exclusionary practices. He did not follow his society’s exclusions. This was often a surprise to those who were used to being excluded. When Jesus talked to the woman at the well, “the woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, ‘You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?’” John 4:9 (NLT) Don’t be like the sea lions keeping others from joining you in your resting place. Be like Jesus, inviting everyone to rest.
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