Hang in There--The Only Way to Go (Lk 13:31-35)

          There are basically two ways to approach life when things get rough.  We can either cut and run, or hang in there and be true to our purpose.  There is a story in Luke’s gospel that illustrates these two different approaches.  As the story goes, some Pharisees warned Jesus and wanted him to cut and run because Herod was out to kill him.  But, Jesus would have none of it.  Instead, Jesus turns this warning on its head to show Herod what he was about—healing and reaching out to those in need.  “Go and tell that fox,” Jesus says in reply, 'Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings…' ” (Lk 13:32).

His compassionate love for those in need is what motivated Jesus to come in the first place.  Healing those who are wounded and broken is the will of his heavenly Father, and Jesus is driven to carry out his Father’s will, even at the cost of his own life.  He reveals this passionate aim when he says to his disciples: “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to finish His work” (Jn 4:34).

Jesus’ passionate love for the Father’s will motivates his lament over the stubbornness of Jerusalem.  Jesus is keenly aware of Jerusalem’s need for conversion, and he cries because the only reason conversion will not come is due to the stubbornness of the Israelites.  This sadness of Jesus is borne out of love, not out of judgment. Jesus is profoundly troubled because, if Jerusalem does not convert, eventually Jerusalem will abandon God.

All of this serves to remind us of our own call to conversion and how we might respond.  At times, we too resist and ignore God’s call because we prefer our own interests rather than the will of God.  Too many reasons account for why our vision gets obscured in this way.  We are not alone in our struggle, however.  Jesus understands the reality and the difficulty we face. 

At two very critical moments in his life when things got rough, he too was tempted to pursue his own interests rather than the will of God. This temptation was more intense at the beginning of his mission during his sojourn in the desert, and again at the end of his mission during his agony in the garden. His unwavering response in both cases, however, provides the sure example for us to follow, especially his prayer in the garden:  Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me—yet, not my will but yours be done (Lk 22:42).

This can be our prayer as well.  No matter how rough things get for us, Jesus guarantees the outcome.  He makes this clear to the scholar who asks, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  Jesus tells him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind—and your neighbor as yourself…do this and you will live” (Lk 18:26-28). The proof is in the pudding.  If God is for us, who can be against us?  Nothing and no one can separate us from the love of God because God is never failing in his love for us.  Basking in the love of God is the only way to go, especially when life gets rough.

Be a Copy Cat If You Dare (Eph 4:32-5:8)

Be imitators of God; love others as Christ loved us!  These words of Paul in his letter to the Ephesians give us a powerful image.  That image challenges us to imitate God by imitating Christ.  Is Paul correct?  Can we really imitate God by imitating Christ?

To imitate means to mimic, to be or act like, to copy.  Thus, we can only imitate what we know.  We cannot imitate someone we do not know.  We learn the most about who God is and how He acts primarily from Jesus himself.  Thus, we cannot imitate God unless we know Christ.

Jesus came to show us the Father.  Jesus said to Phillip, “He who sees me sees the Father” (Jn 12:45).  Jesus shows us over and over in his parables and in the way he lived that God’s love is unlimited.  Through Jesus, we learn that God is a healer.  God is open to all people.  God forgives much.  God is slow to anger.  God is patient.   God rarely accuses.  God is generous with his mercy.  God does not hold grudges.  God weeps—yes, weeps—in the face of stubborn injustice.  God inspires people to search for truth, and to leave their old ways behind. 

Surely we can do similar things for others.  In our communities, we can be open to all people.  In our families, we can heal rifts.  In our marriages, we can forgive and we can humbly seek forgiveness.  With our adult children, we can let go of grudges.  With our young children, we can join in those things they think are important instead of criticizing and rejecting their preferences.  In our workplaces, we can work for justice, especially just wages.

By our words and actions, we can be life-giving and life-affirming.  We can inspire our families and friends to search for truth and to abandon old, destructive ways.  We can be light for the world and salt for the earth.  Like Jesus, we can share our own experience of God with others.  We can bring the love of Christ to others.

Paul was right.  With faith and love, we can imitate God by imitating Christ in our daily lives.