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| The "Blue Bloods" Reagan Family |
“Why do you go to disasters?” “Why do you visit the sick and
homebound?” “Why does your church give donations to Camp Hope?” “Why do you go
to the neighborhood Happy Hour?”
A month ago my answer to those questions would have been, “I’m
a Christian. That’s what we do.”
It’s not a terrible answer, I suppose.
But then I found, completely by accident, what seems to be a
better answer: Because Jesus wants me to.
“I’m a Christian. That’s what we do.” Those words can have an air of
smugness about them. They could be taken as judgmental or overly pious or holier-than-thou. “I’m a Christian” makes it
sound like I’m better than non-Christians. It gives the impression that I have
it together and others don’t. I’m a kind and loving and generous person and
others aren’t.
“I’m a Christian. That’s what we do” also puts the focus on
ME, which all too often is the wrong place to look. It also runs the risk of people noticing
that I and other Christians aren’t always kind and loving and generous.
Sometimes we can be petty and hateful and stingy.
“Jesus wants me to” doesn’t make it all about me and it
doesn’t say that I’m better than anyone else. It puts the focus where it belongs, on Jesus. In fact, it’s the honest to
goodness reason for why Christians do good things. It’s not because they are
Christians. It’s because Jesus wants them to do good, even when they don't want to.
Jesus told us what the two greatest commandments are. The first
is to love God wholeheartedly. The second is to love your neighbor as yourself.
We love God wholeheartedly when we believe His promises,
receive His forgiveness, and respond with worship and praise. This commandment
is most fulfilled when the people of God are gathered at His invitation around
the gracious words of Scripture and the sacred acts of Baptism and the Lord’s
Supper.
Just like the fictional Reagan family in the TV show “Blue Bloods,” the
gathered children of God demonstrate their devotion to their heavenly Father
when they come together in His home to listen to His wisdom and enjoy the
fellowship of His table.
The second greatest commandment, to love the neighbor as the
self, is most fulfilled when the people of God are scattered into their various
callings and vocations in the home, the workplace, and the community. It's the Reagan family doing their jobs as Police Commissioner, police detective, beat cop, and Assistant District Attorney.
Wherever we carry out our vocations is
where Jesus brings across our paths the people who need our compassion and our service,
whether they be family members, friends and acquaintances, coworkers, or even a complete stranger. We
give those gifts freely for one reason and one reason only: Jesus wants us to.
So now my answer to the question “Why do you go
to disasters, visit the sick and homebound, donate to Camp Hope, and even go
to the neighborhood Happy Hour?” is this: Jesus wants me to, plain and simple.
It’s not about who I am or what I do. It’s all about who Jesus is, what He has
done, and what He wants His followers to do.
