Lent
February 22, 2018
Scripture Reading: Mark 8:31-36
Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’
He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?
I listened to the resolve in the voices of the students at Parkland High School essentially saying school shootings stop here no matter what it takes. I think that is the same type message Jesus was giving his disciples in the scripture above. He is saying what you do and decide is your decision, but I have come to initiate a new way and I will.
Our call from the start of Jesus’ ministry is to partner with him in actualizing God’s Kingdom of Love. We must avoid anything that takes us off that track. As we interact with various segments of our communities, we must model Jesus’ respect for all people while finding the ways we can work with diverse groups identifying means of living and working together on which we find common ground and making them realities. We might be surprised to find how much we share in common. We also may need to set aside the most divisive issues that are designed to tear us apart. We might be stunned to learn that those divisive issues go away or diminish greatly by way of our common ground initiatives.
Prayer: Lord, guide us in the work we do in your service with all of your children. Amen.