Black Friday?

15 ‘If another member of the church* sins against you,* go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one.* Matthew 18. 10 - 20

Anyone have the Post Thanksgiving blues? What do they look like? What seems like 48 hours nonstop of cooking, cleaning, setting, and organizing all comes to a head with the arrival of what seems like casts of thousands. Some don't like where they were asked to sit, some don't like the time of the meal, some don't like the chosen blessing, some don't like that the dishes need to be done. Maybe this is not true for you and your Turkey Day was blissful and smooth in every way. But if not, keep reading.

This morning for the first time I thought about why today is called Black Friday when the day Jesus was crucified is called Good Friday! Good Friday is so named because the death of Jesus Christ led to the Resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit and God's promise of life eternal. But why "Black Friday?" It is a rather ominous name for what lies ahead on this day...finishing the dishes, massive shopping, people in line before sun up, and our egregious materialistic nature in full swing.

In the gospel reading for today, the author of Matthew instructs Jesus' disciples on the importance of every single sheep, aka person. First we hear the story of the lost sheep, and then we hear what to do when a person wrongs you. Jesus did many things that made his enemies angry, including telling the truth. "Go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone," he says if someone sins against you, "and if the person listens to you, you have regained that one." Well, how is that going for you? I have never found it very helpful to point out people's faults to them. And the day after Thanksgiving is usually a day when I would really like to!!!

Maybe the day after Thanksgiving should be a day of quiet conversation; maybe a rehash of the day before and a time of apology and forgiveness. Sure leftovers need to be front and center, but also conversation about how to live together in peace, how to accept each other and work together for the good of humankind. And also to remember those precious moments from what was the chaos of the day before when just two or three were gathered together and Jesus was in their midst. I might start calling today Green Friday...the color of healing.

This is my moment...oh how I love my brothers.