But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted." 1 Peter 2.9 - The Message

          I love language. I am fascinated by the words we speak, where they originate, and how they change over time. I thoroughly enjoyed the undergrad courses I took at the University of Akron on those subjects. I still read books and articles on those subjects. A while ago, I was watching a video series on linguistics and language. The speaker was lecturing about words that have come into English from other languages and how those words have changed over time.
       One of the examples used in the video was the word, "silly". Apparently "silly" started out in German as "selig" - meaning "holy". Silly started out as holy? I was more than a bit intrigued about that idea. It seems that as the word moved into Old English it was connected not only to the idea of "holy" but of innocence as well. So for example, "selig Maria" ("holy Mary") changed in spelling to "silly" over time, and changed in meaning from holy to innocent to lacking wisdom to foolish!
       Wow. Somehow that all clicked for me. When that 1 Peter letter was written, the truth is that there were many who thought these followers of Jesus were not "holy" but foolish. Throughout the centuries since then there are still people who believe that we who call ourselves "Christian" are silly, not holy. Truthfully, throughout the centuries since then we have often behaved in silly rather than holy ways.
         To be called "holy" by God is a deeply sobering and joyful experience. We are holy - because God is holy and we belong to God - not because we have any power to be holy on our own. Yet we too often forget that fact, and live lives that are attempts at being "holier than others" rather than holy before God. We argue over matters that even Jesus didn't think were critical to discuss. We want to see ourselves as the exception, rather than those under God's rule of grace.
         We will argue over carpet colors, church furnishings, money, who belongs and who doesn't, all the while ignoring the very people and places where Jesus assures us we are called to serve. We begin to believe our own press releases - that our "holy" designation by God makes us somehow better or more important than those we have decided God hasn't designated as holy.
          Reading the correct translation of the Bible (that of course is the one we have decided is correct), criticizing and demeaning others, holding on to our stuff even as we are surrounded by heart-wrenching needs, are just some of the ways we can be very silly - and not the least bit holy - before God. Sadly, all this silly stuff is also very harmful and not useful in the least to our designation as God's instruments to share the Good News of God's transforming love at work in our lives; and how through our lives God's transforming love can be at work in the world.
          We are a silly people. So let's claim that title, shall we? Let's be holy in the sight of God, and silly in the eyes of the world. Silly because we are willing to risk loving even the most unlovable people, because that's what Jesus tells us to do, and after all, sometimes the most unlovable people we know are actually us. Jesus gave us three simple rules - and said that following those rules would mean that we are fulfilling every bit of God's Law and the prophets' teachings.
   1. Love God with everything you have - every fiber of your being, heart, soul, mind, and strength.
   2. Love your neighbor as you love yourself - and of course you love yourself because God first loved you.
   3. Love one another the way Jesus loves us. Fully. Completely. Willingly surrendering himself that we might have the forgiveness, healing and fullness of life that God has promised us, now and forever.
           I just love language. Be even more I really love God and I want to live into that designation God has given me of "holy". Holy people, holy together. If the world thinks we're silly - well, hey, perhaps that means we're doing it right!