Consider Me a Believer

May 18, 2009

Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter

One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, listened, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying. After she and her household had been baptized, she offered us an invitation, "If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home," and she prevailed on us. Acts 16:14-15

They will expel you from the synagogues; in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God. They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me. John 16:2-3

Piety

Let us pray: God, you seek to be with us and remain with us. Give us the courage to accept you along with the good and bad which comes to us because we live in right relationship with you and your Son, our Lord and friend, Jesus Christ.

Study

Caveat emptor – Let the buyer beware.

Buckle your seat belts. We are in for a choppy flight.

Danger, Will Robinson!

Change your battery or switch to outlet power immediately.

SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, and May Complicate Pregnancy.

Wear a helmet.

Our litigious society has inflicted upon us warning after warning. Name your favorite warning.

As Jesus begins to wind up his “last lecture,” he provides a warning to the apostles. This message is a reality check that will perpetually remind us that Christianity has two sides. Side one is the everlasting friendship of a God who wants to be with us – in Total Communion -- always. Side two is the reaction of the world to that loving relationship. The world does not know what to do about the first, so perhaps out of jealousy or pride; it lashes out at everyone who enjoys the love of the Lord.

Jesus is not starting some secret cult or society. He is totally honest and upfront with his followers about what to expect. Then, he goes out and shows them by enduring the worst kind of humiliation imaginable.

Action

If we consider ourselves to be “believers,” then we must invite Jesus into our life for more than dinner. We need to invite him into our very being and keep him with us at all times. He wants to remain with us in Total Communion. Are we ready to live with him on the same terms?

If we want to be considered a believer, then we must expect the good and the bad. The good is to host the Lord in Total Communion symbolically and actually like Lydia. The bad is to take up our cross – or someone else’s cross – like Simon the Cyrenian.