Sons and servants

Genesis 13:2,5-18; Psalm 15 He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord; Matthew 7:6, 12-14

This morning as I continue my journey in the desert I was particularly moved by the hymn for morning prayer:

"With hearts renewed by living faith, we lift our thoughts in grateful prayer

To God our gracious Father, whose plan it was to make us sons, 

Through his own Son's redemptive death, that rescued us from darkness.

Lord, God Savior, Give us strength to mold our hearts in your true likeness,

Sons and servants of our Father."

As the hymn goes, we must also recognize that we must first be formed in the image of the Son only then do we truly understand what it means to be a servant.

Often times we focus on service, on being servants, but we forget that the invitation to be a servant in the gospel of John, is in the order of grace preceded by the invitation to be a friend, "I no longer call you servants but friends." (Jn 15)  

Our service lacks true strength and true charity when we seek to be servants first and friends later.  Our focus must be directed toward friendship in Christ before we can truly understand service.  

We must remember that Jesus goes to his knees to wash the feet of the disciples and then afterwards he invites the disciples to enter into his friendship.  Only then are they told to be servants, " what I just did was give you an example: as I have done, so you must do." (Jn 13)

We must embrace that friendship first then we can truly know what it means to be a servant; only in friendship with Christ do we understand our adoption as sons.  In the intimate embrace of friendship we begin to realize our dignity and value no longer as strangers but as ones part of the family, as ones belonging to the household of God, as sons in the Son, children in the kingdom.

Only understanding our adoption as sons are we empowered to see as the Father sees and do as the Son does.  Here our service begins to take shape and begins to have meaning and purpose.  Here the cross becomes a shining example that lights the way for service that is really charity.

In friendship with Christ, we enter in to the "narrow gate" that leads to life. 

Thus we understand service not so much as doing a variety of projects but as being a presence of divine charity in the world.  Thus, the strength of the cross shapes us and empowers us and becomes a shining lamp for our feet that scatters the darkness.  In Chirst, as sons, we now know what service is:

"Love one another as I have loved you," and "no greater love than lay down one's life for one's friends."  (Jn 15)  Here our motto of servants rings true: to know Him and to make Him known, for as Jesus says in Jn 17 in his priestly prayer to the Father, "I have made your name known to those you gave me out of the world...I entrusted to them the message you entrusted to me...consecrate  them by means of the truth...as you have sent me into the world so I have sent them into the world."

May we sing this hymn throughout the day and may our friendship with Christ empower our service so that the world sees our sonship in the Son and comes to know our gracious heavenly Father: 

"with hearts renewed by living faith, we lift our thoughts in grateful prayer 

To God our gracious Father, Whose plan it was to make us sons 

Through his own Son's redemptive death, that rescued us from darkness.  

Lord, God, Savior, 

Give us strength to mold our hearts in your true likeness, 

Sons and servants of our Father."

scripture to remember

"And now we follow you with our whole heart, we fear you and we pray to you.  Do not let us be put to shame, but deal with us in your kindness and great mercy.  Deliver us by your wonders, and bring glory to your name, O Lord" Daniel 3:41-43

Quote of the day

"Oh that every Christian would know that when he rises from the altar he takes all of heaven with him in his heart when he goes"  St. John Vianney on Holy Communion