beheading

Thessalonians 4:13-18//Jeremiah 1:17-19; Ps 71 I will sing your salvation; Mk 6:17-29

What a gross feast we celebrate! The beheading of John the Baptist.

Really! Is this really a feast we celebrate in the church? The answer of course is yes. And what a feast it is.

John the Baptist the precursor to Christ, the one who comes to make JEsus known as the "lamb of God" loses his head over a dance.

But it wasn't the dance of the girl that cost him his head. No, rather it was the dance he chose to make with truth and love.

John the Baptist did not mess around when it came to the truth in love. He had the courage to call it as it was.

"John said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

ANd because of this honesty in love, Herod "harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so."

John refused to sell out, knowing full well the consequences of the decision to speak the truth in love. The cost was high but he knew love was only love in truth.

John the Baptist could be the patron of true love.

What's the point of having a head if true love was to be denied.

When was the last time we sold out? When was the last time we spoke the truth about sin in our life or the life of others? John valued the truth even over his life. I know many, especially parents, who are willing sell out the truth for the sake of their relationship with their children.

How often have parents allowed their children to enter in to unlawful unions and kept their mouth shut?

How often have we kept our mouth closed and denied the truth with out silence. John had a mouth and was not afraid to use it. Though he used it wisely to serve the truth.

It isn't gross at all that we celebrate this feast, but what is gross is how the mother in the gospel uses her daughter.
Talk about bad parenting!

That is sickening. How perverse!

"Herodias' own daughter came in and performed a dance that delighted HErod and his guest. The king said to the girl, "ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you." He even swore many things to her, "I will grant you whatever you ask of me, even to half of my kingdom. She went out and said to her mother, "what shall I ask for?" She replied, "The head of John the Baptist."

Some parents should never be parents. And some parents just don't get it. This mother made it about her and her lifestyle and used her daughter to further her own agenda. How tragic! How so like our modern society.

Rather then face the truth, She wanted to get rid of the truth sayer. Sounds a lot like our society. But once the truth is spoken it remains echoing in the air. The truth is, it can never be denied. But our task is to speak it.

True love is worth losing our head over.
Speak up, be truthful in love, and let your head roll.