Scripture: 2 Samuel 12:7-9 – “You are the man! … Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight?”
In the classic 1986 film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, our titular rapscallion says, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while you could miss it.” Ferris says this at the beginning of the movie, when he is about to implement his plan to have the ultimate skip day in Chicago with his girlfriend, Sloan, and his best friend, Cameron. He has thought everything through, from fake recordings to a mannikin in his bed to licking his palms (It’s a little childish and stupid, but then, so is high school). Ferris outwits the school dean and de facto truancy officer, Ed Rooney, at every turn. But what Ferris does not take into consideration is the feelings of his friends. He manipulates Cameron to get his hands on his father’s antique Ferrari so he can cruise in style, even though he is taking advantage of Cameron’s strained relationship with his father. At the end, Ferris realizes that he has pushed Cameron too far and is willing to take the blame when the car is destroyed. Likewise, Ferris flaunts his ability to get away with things in the face of his sister, Jeannie. But in the end, when Rooney finally catches up to Ferris, Jeannie is the one who lies to Rooney to “save Ferris”, as the sign at Wrigley Field would say.
Ferris only sees at the end of the story how his seemingly charming and “fun” escapades are actually hurting those around him and are designed to ignore the pain of the fact that he is about to lose Sloan and Cameron when he goes off to college. This reality that his greatest strengths may actually be his greatest weaknesses is an uncomfortable truth for Ferris to realize. Life does move pretty fast, and in his attempt always to stay one step ahead, Ferris misses quite a lot.
In the Second Book of Samuel, the prophet Nathan confronts King David after David had engineered the death of his loyal soldier, Uriah, so he could steal his wife. Nathan tells the story of a man with great flocks of sheep who stole and slew the only lamb of his neighbor to feed a guest. In fury, David orders the man to be punished before Nathan reveals that the man in question is actually David himself. Like Ferris, David is used to getting away with things, as God’s favorite, as a savvy survivor of battles and exile in the wilderness, and as a privileged monarch. Only when David had accepted the sin to which he had been blind and the fact that there would be consequences for his actions was he able to heal his relationship with God.
I think the same is true for us, especially at this time of year. The stresses of the season can bring out not just anxiety and sadness, but negative behavior done in the name of jollity and generosity. It can be an uncomfortable truth to face if we realize that our desire to have to perfect tree or the most thoughtful presents actually makes us blind to how perfectly thoughtless we were being to our family, friends, or community at large. We may be hiding other bad habits or destructive patterns about ourselves as well. So as we seek to create a merry Christmas in the style of Ferris Bueller, even when trapped behind our own walls, be sure to take the take time look around and notice the good and the bad that is going on your life. After all, you could miss what is really important.
Prayer: God, give me the insight to see when I have been wrong and the humility to seek reconciliation with you and others. Amen.
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