PENTECOST IX
July 30, 2023
“Square Pegs and Round Holes”
What do you think of when you hear the expression, “Like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole,”? You may visualize someone who is a complete misfit and unsuited for whatever they’re trying to do, or maybe you remember the simple toy played with by generations of young children. That sturdy little wooden pounding bench with colorful pegs and a matching mallet was a satisfying answer to the need for my little boy to noisily whack at something Sometimes he’d start the peg a little less than straight, and then it would take some wiggling and grumbling, and often some extra hard whacking.
Most of us would rather not be the one who doesn’t fit in, who doesn’t really belong. After all, in order for a square peg to fit that round hole, it would need to be trimmed into a different shape, perhaps sanded down to take off the rough edges. Or the hole would need to be squared off to accommodate the peg. It would be so much simpler to just smoothly slip into place with no muss or fuss.
Christians, however, aren’t meant to be smooth and round, sliding easily into made-to-fit spaces. Rather, they have sharp corners and rough edges, and they aren’t always compatible with their surroundings. They’re the ones who speak up on behalf of those who have no voice, they call on their communities to be places of acceptance and support, and they do this as God’s people, sharing the Gospel of love, forgiveness, and compassion. Throughout Jesus’ ministry on earth, he taught and demonstrated to the disciples and other followers how they were made anew through belief in him as God’s Son. They were developing new understandings of their relationship with God as well as their relationships with other people. In the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10), Jesus teaches a lesson about a “square peg” — a foreigner deeply disliked and mistrusted by the Jews — who is the only person who does the right thing and comes to the aid of an injured traveler.
When Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount, he spoke about what it meant to follow him, and in reading Matthew 5, we find both lessons and promises. We love the kindness and caring of “the blesseds” about the merciful, the peacemakers, and others, but then the promise takes a darker turn. Verses 11-12: “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
It’s hard to see how we can feel blessed, or rejoice and be glad when we’re being reviled and falsely accused. But consider the dangers, hardships, and persecution Christians have faced over the centuries, and remember they, too, were promised that earthly evils cannot overcome the loving protection of God himself. And so we are assured that all the lopsided, rough-edged, worn-out square pegs are welcomed with rejoicing and loving embraces into the presence of our heavenly Father and all the company of heaven.
Not all that smooth,
Your friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers