Spring Cleaning
At that very hour, some Pharisees came and said to him, "Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you. He said to them "Go and tell that fox for me, "listen...'" Luke 13: 31-32
Spring cleaning may apply not just to the closets and windows but also to our enemy list. There is the neighbor who stole the cat; certain relatives come to mind, especially former relatives. "Ex's" also come to mind, the people who we once loved passionately and now cannot abide.
Very few of us have an enemy like Herod was to Jesus, actually chasing us so much that we have to run. On the other hand, many of us have grudges so well held that they become our enemies. Many of us also have internalized what the bosses have told us is true, so much so that we dare not leave Lent or home without the sound of an enemy at our heals. Toting those suitcases full of grudges, while being pursued by internalized Herods, can make life very heavy. We have a lot to carry.
Spring cleaning freshens things up. It throws things out that should have been thrown out long ago. It lightens our loads. It does so by dropping some of the load. We can spring clean grudges and bosses as well as windows and closets.
We can keep the grudges around if we choose. Just dust them off, put them back on the mantel and stare at them. They make a reasonable focus for many people. "If it hadn't been for him or her, I could have done this or that." Looking backward is such a great excuse for not looking forward. Many employ it full time. We can also pack the grudges away in boxes, or just throw them out.
The internalized bosses are another question. They are much more firmly attached; some having dug in like a really expert tick, drawing blood and nourishment from their host for long perios of time. They surprise us when we see them during a spring sweep.
Jesus shows no such surprise when the Pharisees threaten him with the Herod chase. Just tell him to get out of here, says Jesus. Our internalized Herod might be the 11th commandment to be rich or successful, joined by the fear that whatever student or mortgage debt we have must be our fault, or the idea that the harder we work, the more successful we will be.
When it comes to spring cleaning, letting go of grudges can renew the whole place. When it comes to spring cleaning, exhuming the Herods can lighten our load. After that there is always plenty of time to dust the rest of the place.
For the peace that comes to listening in on what Herod wants from us, we pray. Amen.
Donna Schaper is Senior Minister, Judson Memorial Church, New York, New York.
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