Thursday of the First Week of Advent
“Have you been saved? Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and savior?” Has anyone ever come to your door or stopped you in a public place and asked these questions? Usually the best thing is to not engage or argue with a “counter scripture.” Such an approach takes verses out of context. Nonetheless, what we hear from Matthew today puts “being saved” in a different light: “Not everyone who cries out LORD! LORD! will enter the Kingdom but only the one who does the will of my Father” (Mt 7:21).
Yes, our relationship with Christ ought to be personal — but it must never be private. It must never be just “me & Jesus.” Matthew’s words warn against such a superficial faith. Verbal statements are never enough. If a personal relationship with Christ (highly recommended) doesn’t transform us and impact the way we live then it is just empty “words, words, words.” Accepting Jesus as Lord includes surrendering our will to him. So what does it mean to say, Jesus is Lord?
When we seek to forgive those who have harmed us, Jesus is Lord!
When we reach out to the depressed and the frightened, Jesus is Lord!
When we refuse to label others, Jesus is Lord!
When we reject prejudice in all its forms, Jesus is Lord!
When we accept the frailty of others and give them the benefit of the doubt, Jesus is Lord!
When we welcome the outcast and the refugee, Jesus is Lord!
When we refuse to abandon hope in our cynical age, Jesus is Lord!
When we seek to listen with an open heart, Jesus is Lord!
When we reject homophobia and misogyny, Jesus is Lord!
When gossip becomes a thing of the past, Jesus is Lord!
When we are more empathetic and compassionate, Jesus is Lord!
When we seek to live as he would have us live, Jesus is Lord!
What does it mean for you to say, “Jesus is Lord!?”
-Timothy J. Cronin