“Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will
do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going
to the Father. And whatever you ask in
my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will
do it.” John 14:12-14
Piety
Jesus then said to
those Jews who believed in him, “If
you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you
will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32
Study
There is a friend from
college who lives on the other side of the country. We don’t see each other very often. Many years may pass between our visits to the
coast where the other lives. However,
there are times when I am thinking about how he and his family are doing. And the phone rings…and it is him on the
other end of the line.
Jesus is like that far
away friend. He asks us to stay with
him. He promises us that he will stick
by us no matter what. To stay on course,
He invites us to reconnect daily and weekly in celebration with our
community. When we least expect it, he
will communicate with us so we can stay committed to the way, the truth and the
life.
Action
We all tend to be tied up
in pursuit of the American Dream. Along
the way, we pick up a few boat anchors that slow us down or get us off
course. Is there another dream that
might be more authentic and Gospel-based? Jesus might say that His way is the
true Heavenly Dream that will set us free from the detours we face on the
current path.
Sharing
is one of the first things we learn in kindergarten according to Robert Fulgum
(All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten). However, the spirit of sharing usually fades as we become adults. Our houses become
filled with our own “stuff.” Garages, attics, basements, and closets transform
into cluttered warehouses. When we need something, whether it’s a chainsaw or a
roasting rack, our first thought is to go out and buy it. But why get it new
when our neighbor down the street has one we can borrow?
Today, our neighborhood is
having a community yard sale. This is a
nice way to pass along some of the detritus of suburban living to others who
might need your old clothes, tools, books and appliances more than you do.
Maybe we should take this
one step further. On a web page this
week, there is an article about excess consumption that had a compelling
lead:
Did
you know that the average power drill only gets used 6 to 13 minutes in its
lifetime? Think of all the resources it took to produce that drill and
countless other products like it… and sharing begins to make perfect sense from
an environmental standpoint.
We’re
all familiar with the concept of sharing, but “collaborative consumption” takes
sharing to a new level. It not only counteracts the extensive consumption
that’s caused many of our greatest environmental challenges: it strengthens our
community ties, too. Access (to tools, shelter, and other resources) is
taking the place of ownership in the new economy, and it’s freeing us up
for the things that really enrich our lives: family, friends and experiences.
What can you share (rather
than buy) that will give your neighbors access to the tools they need? If we had more resources for sharing on a
community-wide basis, we could be freed up from acquisition and focused on
building up what is really important. The
early community described in the Acts of the Apostles shared ownership of
everything. As our Easter season reminds
us of the roots of Christian community, consider how we can take steps to
return to that spirit.
There are things we’re
already used to sharing, such as books at the library, but with online networks
it’s easy to match available goods and services with needs. What can you share or donate today to make
more room in your life for the real way, truth and life?
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