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| Is it beer? Is it anti-freeze? Guessing is half the fun! |
Saint Patrick's Day is upon us, and in 3 days, York College students will join in the venerable tradition of drinking themselves to the brink of consciousness - and some will drink a bit further. It's an annual ritual that dates back to, well, whenever someone had the bright idea of putting green food-coloring into cheap beer.
Actually, many students have been 'pre-gaming' for a week already, possibly so that their livers will be good and hard by the time the actual day arrives. In fact, many will start with a newer tradition called "Kegs and Eggs," beginning with a hearty breakfast of omelets and oat sodas.
Really, it's just one more pulsating symptom of a collegiate culture that's whole-heartedly committed to a life in pursuit of a particular kind of fun. As more and more young adults become convinced that this is the one and only standard by which to measure the good life, we see campuses devolving into communities of nascent alcoholism, addiction, and escapism. St. Patty's Day offers an excuse get drunk in so spectacular a fashion that friends will be talking about it for weeks, though you yourself will have no memory of it.
What is a Christian to do?
Should good Christian students stand at the fringes, loudly condemning their peers? Maybe they should join in on the pub-crawls as a way to 'show relevance to the culture.' Or (and this is the more frequent response) perhaps the faithful should gather in someone's room for a movie or game night, thanking God that we aren't like those sinners?
What would Jesus do?
In Luke 5, Jesus meets a man named Levi. Levi's a notorious guy in his community. As a tax collector, he's considered a traitor to his people, a collaborator with the enemy, collecting crushing taxes for the occupying army's emperor. He is certainly a despised figure, avoided by the powerful and the poor alike. Oddly, Jesus decides he'd like to befriend Levi. Naturally, Jesus catches some flak for it, but that's okay. Because Levi leaves his lucrative, if unpopular, trade and follows Jesus.
Later, in Luke 19, we meet another treasonous tax-man. When Zacchaeus hears that Jesus is passing through, he decides to have a look. Perhaps Zach had heard about how his low-life colleague Levi had abandoned his post (a move that certainly would have caused waves in the shady tax collection community), or maybe he had heard stories about this controversial and polarizing miracle-worker/heretic. Whatever the reason, Zacchaeus (being extremely short) climbed a tree to get a good look at Jesus as he was coming through. And, before long, Jesus had another tax collecting hooligan for a friend.
You see where this is going... Jesus managed to hang with some pretty unsavory types. He liked them. He went where they lived, he ate their food, he sat on their couches, and he listened to their stories. Jesus loves broken folks, dirty folks, poorly-behaved folks. Why? Because like a doctor making house calls, he's come for the sick.
As a broken, dirty, poorly-behaved dude myself, I'm grateful.
Fast forward 2,000 years to this Thursday. Based on the kind of folks Jesus went out of his way to befriend, where would you see him? Some student friends and I have decided where we're spending our Saint Patrick's Day - How about you?
