I've been thinking on John 5 for awhile now. You see in light of recent events, I've begun to wonder how being in this world and identified as a Christian all works together. My feeling recently has been that those identifying themselves as Christians, especially loudly within the media, aren't really who I want to be identified with.
I want to be a light of God's love in this world. I want to eat with sinners (you know, people just like me) and tell them God loves them. Show them God loves them. I want to help orphans and widows. I want to love well, as Christ did.
Watching the recent mudslinging in the election, I don't really see a difference between those who profess Christianity and those who don't. Everyone is yelling, demanding, accusing, blaming. Everyone.
And yet in John 5, I see all these verses.
12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you."
18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you."
Understanding that all these verses follow the "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing..." I wonder how much abiding happens before all our opinionating begins.
Just some thoughts...and then I read this. It's not just me and I hope it's contagious.
peace.
2 comments:
thanks, g.
love ya, sister.
b
Amen. I've become so tired of all of that that I have to constantly fight against the temptation to become cynical and withdrawn. I know that also is not what Jesus would have us do. And I love the Shane Claiborne piece. Thanks for sharing.
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