In the world and loving it! Day 27 Lent 2015

Day 27 Lent 2015

 "I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one."   John 17.15

Here in John 17 Jesus is praying what scholars call his "High Priestly Prayer."  That is Jesus is acting in the role of priest and praying for all his people--including us!  This is an amazing thing to ponder.  Christ praying for us.  And the prayer that Christ prays is telling.

So many Christians have been duped into thinking that the plan of God is ultimately about the 'great escape' from this world and that the best way we can prepare for this rip roaring grand exodus is to cluster ourselves together in safe havens of holiness.   But that is not the plan.  Fear is not the plan.  Isolation is not the plan.  We are called to be out in the world, to let our light shine and to be doers of good on behalf of the God we love and serve.   
Jesus is not naive to the power of evil and to the temptations that face us all; but he seems to be confident that God is more than capable of protecting us from the assaults of the evil one while we go about witnessing to the love of God in Jesus Christ.   I know sometimes it seems like the bad news is winning, and it would be easier to just give up, to punt, to hunker down and disengage.  Don't.   For God has placed us in the world and we have work today...confident that God will protect us from all evil.   

A prayer:  "Dear Lord, what power is greater than your love?  Help me to remember this as I do my work in the world.  Amen"