Don't Be a Sea Lion - January 11, 2023

 My An Arkie's Faith column from the January 11, 2023, issue of The Polk County Pulse.

I will be traveling to the Oregon coast for a family reunion in a couple of days. My brother and sister-in-law provide the family with beautiful condos on the ocean. I have been to several family reunions at these condos at Gleneden Beach. I always enjoy my time on the beautifully rugged Oregon coast.

One day while we were there, we visited Newport. We spent our time in the Historic Bayfront district. Bayfront is a working waterfront that services Yaquina Bay, home to Oregon's largest commercial fishing fleet. The turn of the century historic buildings of Bayfront house shops, art galleries, chowder houses, restaurants, and tourist attractions. I enjoyed taking a step back in time and trying to imagine this bustling port in times past.

My favorite activity of the day was watching the sea lions that completely covered the docks. Sea Lions can be loud and raucous or adorably lazy. Many sea lions tried to sleep while others were barking to show dominance. 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 could haul himself onto a cable between two floating docks. Once on the cable, he kept slowly and carefully inching his way onto the attached dock. After a while, he could get his front flippers onto the dock. He could get most of his body onto a corner of the dock by carefully maneuvering. As he was trying to get enough room to lie down, he drew the ire of a couple of occupants of the dock, slowly moving closer to the edge and forcing him back into the water.

As I watched the little sea lion trying to find a resting place, I felt sorry for him. The rest of my time watching the sea lions, he could never find a place to haul out of the water. No one would make room for him. 

Watching the sea lions and their interactions with the youngster who wanted to join them reminded me of how I have seen many people act. Many people feel shut out from society. They don't seem to be able to get a seat at the table. Sometimes Christians remind me of the sea lions who had a place on the docks. They want to keep certain groups of people from joining them. They won't associate with them.

Almost everyone remembers being excluded as a kid; I know I do. It seemed like I was excluded more often than I was included. I was the weird kid, the chubby kid, the unpopular 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. Jesus consistently included the people the religious leaders had left out.

In Luke chapter 15, Jesus tells three stories: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son. If we read the first three verses of the chapter, it tells us why Jesus told the stories. "The tax collectors and sinners all came to listen to Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to complain: 'Look, this man welcomes sinners and even eats with them.' Then Jesus told them this story." Luke 15:1-3 (NCV)

With these stories, 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. 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. In Jesus, the outcasts of society have hope. Those the religious community marginalizes can find Jesus extending a hand, inviting them back into the community with dignity and affection.

"Come to me, Jesus said, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT) No invitation could be more inclusive, more welcoming. Those who customarily feel shut out are told they are welcome to come to Jesus. The love of God is inclusive. God's salvation is offered to everyone, no matter what their background is or what they have done in the past.

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, ethnicity, economic status, gender, or 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 unconditional love, and He was against all exclusionary practices. He did not follow his society's exclusions. He often surprised those who were familiar with 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 a sea lion keeping others from joining you in your resting place. Be like Jesus, inviting everyone to rest.