This Sunday

Imagine starting any initiative with an IRS agent, a construction worker, and a member of the Proud Boys. That’s exactly what Jesus did when he called Levi, the tax collector; Peter, Andrew, James, and John, the fishermen; and Simon the Zealot. Then imagine who you go to help. Not the people in your neighborhood or your church or even your family or friends but the poor, the homeless, the sick, the hopeless, and those whose morals are questionable. That’s exactly who Jesus and his disciples sought out to help. Jesus healed the sick, delivered those who were oppressed by demons and by other people, challenged the authorities and traditions, and taught that God loved everyone. His disciples carried the mission “to the ends of the earth” and began a movement that challenged conventional thinking whose influence has been passed down from generation to generation.

Imagine that we, as part of Christ’s Body, put aside our differences and focused on what we have in common. That no matter what our differences might be, that we were united in a single purpose. That we understood and were unafraid to share God’s message and the way of living that he designed and that Christ taught us how to live. Imagine that we unbridled ourselves from the messages and strategies of the world and that, yoked to Jesus, we went into the neighborhoods and shared the Good News! What’s keeping you from doing that? What might you try to get unstuck? What’s more important?