Do you remember the Patty Duke show? The theme song runs through my head occasionally. Here are some of the lyrics to remind you:

Meet Cathy, who's lived most everywhere,
From Zanzibar to Barclay Square.
But Patty's only seen the sights
A girl can see from Brooklyn Heights --
What a crazy pair!

But they're cousins,
Identical cousins all the way.
One pair of matching bookends,
Different as night and day.

Why mention them this week? Because according to Luke 1:36, Mary and Elizabeth (John the Baptist’s mother) were relatives  (the King James calls them cousins) – making Jesus and John the Baptist relatives who may even be second cousins.

I don’t think they looked identical to each other – but this week’s Bible reading from Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 shows that though they were related and integral parts of our faith story, they were different as night and day.
John stayed away from, well, just about anything that might be considered fun. Jesus on the other hand, spent time eating and drinking and having fun.

There’s a whole lot more to talk about in this week’s Bible reading, but I like this little part that reinforces the idea that there is room in God’s realm for very different kinds of people with very different ways of doing things.

What are your thoughts?