I confess I am living in two worlds this week.  It is the season of Christmas and college bowl games.  While not a complete addict of college football, I do find myself drawn this week to both the ridiculous (the insight bowl, the humanitarian bowl- is the karma of the world markedly better after these?) to the sublime (any bowl in which the University of Georgia is present).  I do find these games provide good background while doing household chores- and some really hook me.

    While taking a break from chores the other day, I heard two commentators who were calling a bowl game talking about Florida State University and the fact that about three dozen of their players had not been allowed to make the bowl trip due to academic and discipline problems.  About a dozen had been caught cheating on an online final exam. The commentators said that any investigation should include the professor who had used the same online exam for at least half a decade, and after all, before we go judging these young men, let's remember who we were at that age and would we likely be tempted to do the same.  I found myself wondering: And what about their teammates, their fellow classmates, the professor and the University?  Should they be more 'understanding'?  What should they expect from these with whom they are in relationship?

    Maybe I'm just getting old and crotchety.  Maybe I'm tired, as are many, of all the reasons given for our not taking full responsibility for ourselves and accepting the full consequences of our actions.  Maybe I would have cheated at that age.  And I would not have protested had I been caught.  I will not say I never tried to cheat on a test or plagiarize a paper in my high school or college years.  And, my parents never came to our rescue when we got in trouble.  They belonged to the, 'don't do the crime if you won't do the time' school.  You choose to break the rules, you expect to pay for it.  They were not impressed with any supposed extenuating circumstances.

    And when did honesty for honesty's sake become a lost expectation? When did the expectation of integrity at any age become a subject of debate?  When commentators on a national network, supposedly folks we would want to listen to and respect, suggest anything less...

The truth sets us free.  My experience is that Jesus is a real hard... at times.  He was not impressed with reasons why doing the right thing was too hard, too complicated, or more complex that Jesus realized.  My guess is that had he lived today, he would often be accused of being 'unpastoral': "Let the dead bury the dead...", "don't want to sell all you have?  I'm not changing the price." and a whole host of other sayings which came out of his mouth that we do well not to rationalize.

    In this season of Incarnation, may we see what has been birthed in us: truth, integrity, honor, relational fidelity and the expectation of the same in those with whom we are in relation.

    "Arise, sine: for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. 

    The truth does set us free- it brings a freedom that excuses will never understand.  There is no comparison to the freedom responsibility brings, even when it is being responsible for our failures.  I think that is why Jesus could be so demanding at times- he knew what life awaited choices of integrity and what life was lost by not choosing integrity- and he had no patience for anything that took away life.

Todd Donatelli