Friday, May 19, 2023

 

Friday, May 19, 2023


Psalms 110; 111

Deuteronomy 1:1-21

John 15:12-25


Observance: Dunstan, archbishop of Canterbury (d. 988)


“See, the LORD your God has given the land to you; go up, take possession, as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has promised you; do not fear or be dismayed.”


It is amazing that anyone manages to learn anything in high school. Getting the certificate at the end is almost an afterthought; the primary concerns are having to learn how to fit into a system, and how to get along with other people. Everyone has a different high school experience, but everyone also knows how difficult it can be trying to figure out how to “fit in” while also figuring out how to stay true to one’s self.


The journey of the Christian pilgrim through this life has to wrestle with that paradox on a spiritual and an eternal scale. We traverse through this wilderness, through this world that hates us because it hated Jesus, looking to the promised land of perfect peace and joy.


We don’t “fit in” with any systems or tribes that hold to identity markers of hate, spite, vengeance, immorality or licentiousness. When the world directs that evil towards Jesus and His followers, we respond with love, gentleness, patience, generosity, forgiveness and self-discipline.


God made this world, blessed it, and called it good. The evil that would take this world and turn it away from God’s intentions have been destroyed on the cross, and will be destroyed ultimately when Jesus returns. In the meantime, we are the security forces marching across the land, turning hate into love, being the body of Christ, turning the world from a wilderness into a garden.

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