Category: Christian Spirituality Blog

Accept Accountability (Genesis 35:22-29)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

So then, each one of us will be held accountable. (Romans 14:12)

While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine, and Israel heard of it.

Now the sons of Jacob were twelve. The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s maid: Dan and Naphtali. The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s maid: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac had resided as aliens. Now the days of Isaac were one hundred eighty years. And Isaac breathed his last; he died and was gathered to his people, old and full of days, and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him. (New International Version Updated Edition)

For me, one of the great tragedies of the human experience is that we share so little of ourselves to and for one another. And that especially goes for those times when we fail, make a poor decision, or feel guilty for not being a better person.

It seems that in those times we gravitate toward covering up whatever misdeeds we have done. Why do we do that? There’s a myriad of answers to that question. There are many folks who simply do want to be held accountable for their wrongdoing – not to mention the shame and embarrassment the action may bring to them. They would like to keep some sort of manufactured pristine image to project for the world, instead of what’s really going on.

I like that the Bible is mostly straightforward about issues concerning accountability (both at the personal, and especially at the corporate level). It’s hard to live in a safe and enjoyable society whenever there is a lack of accountability within the community.

In today’s Old Testament lesson, we get this seemingly isolated verse thrown into the mix of a Scripture story. But it’s an important insertion. It has consequences to its actions, with the sort of ramifications that reverberate throughout time.

Reuben was the firstborn son of Jacob – which carried with it a whole set of responsibilities, as well as privileges. Yet, Reuben did something that left him accountable before both his earthly and heavenly fathers. He “lay with” his father’s concubine (that is, a lesser wife) who was not his own mother.

We aren’t told why Reuben did it. But I think we are meant to read between the lines enough to know why.

What eventually happens is that Reuben loses his family status. At the end of Jacob’s life – as he was doling out blessings to each son – he had this to say about Reuben:

Assemble and hear, O sons of Jacob;
    listen to Israel your father.

Reuben, you are my firstborn,
    my might and the first fruits of my vigor,
    excelling in rank and excelling in power.
Unstable as water, you shall no longer excel
    because you went up onto your father’s bed;
    then you defiled it—you went up onto my couch! (Genesis 49:2-4, NRSVUE)

Unfortunately, this fails to sound like the sort of blessing one would want to hear at the end of his father’s life. But that’s what accountability does; it makes sure that the offense is put squarely on the perpetrator, and not the victim.

For me, one of the maddening things about today’s political climate is that personal wrongdoers, along with the institutional evils surrounding them, have no thought or appetite for being accountable to the very people to whom they are supposed to be serving. It’s as if public service and the value of the nation’s common good isn’t even in the current presidential cabinet vocabulary.

However, accountability will have its day. And it’s not only in government. Business corporations, healthcare organizations, financial systems, educational institutions, and much more are rife with all sorts of clever ways to get around being accountable to others for their unjust activity.

I have personally experienced it myself, multiple times. And right now, today, there are millions of people whom no one knows is going through hell at their job because of this very issue of the powerful using their position at the expense of the powerless.

“Accountability breeds responsibility.” Stephen Covey

Please hear me when I say this, even though it can be a very scary and intimidating thing: Not naming the person or persons or institutions which perpetrate injustice protects those perpetrators from the accountability they need. Investigations into unethical and/or illegal activity cannot happen unless it is identified and named.

Not everyone is a deliberate knucklehead who goes around hurting people. Sometimes they just need a whistleblower to call them on their injustice. And once that happens, behavior and attitudes change. That’s how it’s supposed to work. Yet, we all know that it doesn’t always work like that – which is why it is important to have plenty of support through your own unwanted and fiery experience.

Taking a lesson in accountability from Jacob toward Reuben, he didn’t attack his son, but stuck to the issue which brought his downfall from firstborn status. In other words, it’s always best to attack problems, not people. If not, we ourselves end up becoming the very sort of perpetrators we try to expose.

And, by the way, if you are observing or seeing a pattern of illicit behavior, keep a journal of it; write it down; document what actually happened and what kind of impact it had on you. In today’s society, failing to have appropriate documentation usually means the perpetration is going to go unaccounted for.

One of the reasons there is not a full-fledged soap opera account of Reuben’s act with Bilhah is the nature of Holy Scripture itself. The Bible leaves lots of details out with open stories in order for us as readers to understand with our imaginations what’s going on; and to envision the potential outcomes of particular actions.

What “really happened” is much less important than the lessons we are meant to learn from any biblical story. We may consider large gaps in stories as an annoyance, yet I believe those gaps are quite intentional.

Holy Scripture is meant to not only be an individual reading experience, but is a valuable opportunity for robust moral and theological discussion about contemporary realities as they relate to ancient wisdom traditions.

As readers and interpreters, we must fully engage the story, paying attention to what’s there, and what’s not there. Then, figure out together how we might (or ought) to fill in those gaps of what’s missing.

And for me, I see all sorts of ways in which all of us must be surrounded by and surrendered to accountability. Being accountable to others means that we accept responsibility when it is ours to accept, thus strengthening the bonds of community.

What’s more, accountability fosters courage and humility, as well as stopping the blame game in its tracks.

When it comes to the Church, we have a collective responsibility because of our baptismal covenant to strive for justice, peace, and the common good of all heavenly citizens. That means we will continually work toward observing the dignity and worth of every human we encounter – even the ones we don’t much like.

Blessed God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, help me to be honest with myself and release the excuses that hold me back.

Give me the strength to take responsibility for my actions and the courage to choose growth over comfort.

Renew my mindset so I see challenges as opportunities, not reasons to delay.

Align my thoughts and actions with purpose, discipline, and truth.

Teach me to be consistent in the small things,

and to follow through on what I start, even when it feels difficult.

Help me to trust my ability to grow,

and to move forward with confidence instead of doubt.

Guide me to move forward with clarity, ownership, and intention,

becoming the person I am meant to be, in the power of your Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Oppressors Are On Notice (Nahum 1:1-13)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment
Nahum, by James Tissot, 1888

A prophecy concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;
    the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath.
The Lord takes vengeance on his foes
    and vents his wrath against his enemies.
The Lord is slow to anger but great in power;
    the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.
His way is in the whirlwind and the storm,
    and clouds are the dust of his feet.
He rebukes the sea and dries it up;
    he makes all the rivers run dry.
Bashan and Carmel wither
    and the blossoms of Lebanon fade.
The mountains quake before him
    and the hills melt away.
The earth trembles at his presence,
    the world and all who live in it.
Who can withstand his indignation?
    Who can endure his fierce anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire;
    the rocks are shattered before him.

The Lord is good,
    a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for those who trust in him,
    but with an overwhelming flood
he will make an end of Nineveh;
    he will pursue his foes into the realm of darkness.

Whatever they plot against the Lord
    he will bring to an end;
    trouble will not come a second time.
They will be entangled among thorns
    and drunk from their wine;
    they will be consumed like dry stubble.
From you, Nineveh, has one come forth
    who plots evil against the Lord
    and devises wicked plans.

This is what the Lord says:

“Although they have allies and are numerous,
    they will be destroyed and pass away.
Although I have afflicted you, Judah,
    I will afflict you no more.
Now I will break their yoke from your neck
    and tear your shackles away.” (New International Version)

I’m willing to wager you’ve never heard a sermon on the Old Testament book of Nahum. It’s unfortunate that many Bible-readers have never read the prophecy of Nahum, let alone know that this book even exists in Holy Scripture.

Each individual book of the Bible has its own particular message that is wise for us to understand. Although Nahum’s prophecy is against the long-dead empire of Assyria, it still contains a timeless message for us.

Nineveh

The capital city of Assyria, Nineveh, was a large and influential city in the centuries of 600-900 B.C.E. The Assyrians were a cruel people even by ancient standards. Their army was feared, and rightly so. Army officers were experts at torture, having turned it into an art form with all kinds of different ways of killing and maiming captured people from their conquests.

The prophet Nahum focused on the sure destruction of Nineveh, and the overwhelming judgment and justice of God. And at the same time, Nahum was also attuned to the great and many sins of Israel – their predilection for idolatry and immorality, as well as their purposeful ignoring of social responsibilities.

No matter who we are, or where we are from, the Lord God, the Almighty, shows no favoritism in condemning the guilty, and upholding the innocent. Unlike us, who have a nasty tendency toward practicing cronyism, bigotry, and ethnocentrism, Yahweh extends grace, judgment, and fairness in an even-handed way.

We humans also have a bent toward emphasizing one trait of God over another. There are those who talk only of love when it comes to the Lord; and others who always speak of God’s wrath and judgment.

Yet, in truth, God is the sovereign Lord of both wrath and love, judgment and grace. And, if we are able to hear it, God’s wrath is an expression of God’s love – not willing for oppression and violence to run amok among the powerless.

What’s more, God’s love has a penetrating way of arousing the conscience and bringing deep conviction of guilt for things we have done, and have left undone. So, when we talk of God, let us keep in mind that God is the Lord of both wrath and love, judgment and grace.

Nahum described Yahweh as a powerful God who is the avenging Lord against violence, cruelty, and injustice. If this God can make mountains move, oceans froth, and the earth heave, then no one, including the mighty Assyrian warriors, can stand against Yahweh’s indignation.

It is also true that with the Lord God there is abundant goodness which provides protection for those who seek refuge in Yahweh. Throughout Holy Scripture, including the prophecy of Nahum, divine vengeance and wrath is continually set in the context of divine mercy and grace.

Because God is holy and just, sovereign and powerful, God is Judge of the nations. Mercy only really has meaning when wrath is necessary. If everything were always unicorns and bunny rabbits, there would never be a need for mercy. But we live in a terribly broken world in which oppression and cruelty too often make sinister inroads into our lives.

Although the Lord is slow to anger and God’s fuse is long, divine patience has its limits. Yahweh does not let calloused hearts and selfish minds go on with impunity. Eventually, there will be hell to pay.

God saw all the foolish destruction and misery that Assyria brought to others. And so, Nineveh would see their own terrible destruction. This is why we now talk of Assyria as a long-past ancient empire; they no longer exist in any way, shape, or form. The Lord wiped the Assyrians off of the map.

As for Judah, there would be comfort. Even though it was true that God used the Assyrians to extend judgment upon Israel, there was also merciful relief and gracious rest from Assyria for the people.

With God, relief, rest, and recovery are sure and certain. Violence and oppression shall not last. Mercy always ends up winning the day.

This is most assuredly good news for us who seek the just, the right, and the good in this fallen world. The foolish decisions of contemporary politicians shall not win the day. God will have the final word on all things.

In a time when it seems the other shoe keeps dropping, we can be a hopeful people, because there is a transcendent God in heaven who sees it all, and will have mercy upon the innocent, while judging the guilty.

Therefore, those who engage in grift, corruption, violence, and cruelty, with no concern for the weak and needy, will eventually find themselves on the side of God’s vengeful wrath.

Whereas, those who are powerless against an evil misuse of authority, eventually they will know what it is to experience hope and deliverance from that evil. They shall know safety and perfect peace.

The overarching message of Nahum is that God is sovereign over all the world and all of history. The Lord will judge and love according to God’s own sense of divine wrath and divine grace.

Since God is the ultimate champion of the frustrated and the helpless, God will by no means acquit the guilty. The universe is God’s dominion, and in this dominion, violence, corruption, and oppression will face an awesome judgment which eradicates evil.

No nation, no person, and no government can withstand the God who is over all. Every corrupt person, especially politicians who have their eye only on themselves, should be on notice.

O God, by whom the meek are guided in decision-making, and light rises up in darkness for the godly: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what you would have us to do, so that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in your light we may see light, and in your straight path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Christ’s Parable of the Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Wheat Fields with Stacks, by Vincent Van Gogh, 1888

Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew.

“The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’

“‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed.

“‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked.

“‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn….’”

Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the house. His disciples said, “Please explain to us the story of the weeds in the field.”

Jesus replied, “The Son of Man is the farmer who plants the good seed. The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels.

“Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand! (New Living Translation)

As you have likely noticed, not everyone in this world is supportive of you and what you’re doing.

The good work we do – no matter how competently and expertly done – will be undermined by others. There will be people with selfish and sinister agendas who put roadblocks in our way to frustrate our ongoing work. They don’t like what we are doing and what we’re trying to accomplish.

Unfortunately, that’s just the way it is. So then, one of the big questions for all of us is this: How do we live with others trying to subvert the good work we are doing for the Kingdom of Heaven?

One of the most popular responses is to strike the enemy on their cheek just as hard or harder in the way they slapped you. It is responding to evil in kind.

But if we will ponder for a moment, we shall realize that is makes no sense to repay evil with evil. Why? Because then the Kingdom of Hell has just snagged this one with doing evil in order to defend good work – which ends-up ruining the whole enterprise.

No, instead let’s heed the words of Christ to turn the other cheek and not retaliate; and live the words of the Apostle Paul who reminded us to overcome evil by doing good. (Matthew 5:38-42; Romans 12:14-21)

Yes, all judgment belongs to the Lord, and not us. In today’s Gospel lesson the reasoning Jesus provides for non-retaliation and non-violence is both reasonable and practical.

Field with Stacks of Wheat, by Vincent Van Gogh, 1890

Christ told his disciples that the enemy’s efforts at thwarting our good works are sinister enough to bring about a situation where evil is so close to the good that to eradicate the evil is to therefore also do away with the good.

If you have weeds in your field or your garden, you know that some of those nasty weeds cannot be pulled out of the ground without yanking-up the good plant along with it. Instead, you’ll have to wait until you can harvest the plant, and then you can safely get rid of the offending weed.

Let’s think, then, about our own situations right now in this world. For myself, it seems that every single day I am upset and angered over decisions made by those in political power, because they almost always involve oppressing and/or harming powerless people.

Yet, to immediately stop the offending persons and organizations would involve some wicked methods. Instead, if I want to maintain doing good, I will have my time to unseat them through the vote, or writing my Senators, or directly contacting the offices of the institutions, etc.

Some of our responses may seem tepid in comparison to the evil being perpetrated, yet we can be sure that there is a time coming in which the reality of divine judgment will handle the wicked once and for all. At the proper time, heaven’s angels will do their own good work of removing evil and eradicating it forever.

We need to put our efforts into doing the very best at living in harmony with one another, promoting peace, and being peacemakers – using our greatest and most effective tools of humility, gentleness, grace, and love. These are the proper fertilizers which will keep the plants of righteousness and justice growing and thriving, even though they are surrounded by a bunch of close weeds.

As maddening as it is to see those weeds grow up alongside the plants, nowhere in Holy Scripture are we called or encouraged to become judge, jury, and executioner to the wicked.

Furthermore, Christians are nowhere called to force onto others Jesus as King through a theocratic nation, using authoritarian means. We are called, rather, to put our faith where our fear is and exercise a faith that does good work through love. (Galatians 5:6)

Equipped by the Spirit, we urge oppressors, tyrants, and egotists to turn from their selfishness and amend their evil ways. And we are not called to force the Kingdom of Heaven on others by trying to ensconce a form of Christian nationalism. For Americans, many of our ancestors came to the New World in order to flee their home Christian nationalist countries who persecuted them and did evil to them.

“To identify any particular form of government with Christianity is a dangerous error, for it confounds the permanent with the transitory, the absolute with the contingent.” T.S. Eliot

It takes very little prodding for Christians with political power to move into glorifying violence and ignoring biblical injunctions to love enemies, seek peace, and grant grace.

God puts a high premium of looking after the poor and needy, and rescuing them from oppression and violence. The last thing we ought to be doing is becoming the violent oppressors ourselves!

Giving ourselves as ambassadors of reconciliation, speaking truth to power, and doing the work of peacemaking is a narrow and hard road to hoe. The easy way is typically the road of destruction. (Matthew 7:13-14)

As citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, we are to labor toward the things Jesus himself did: Challenge the arrogant religious types; offer mercy to the lowly and forgotten ones; warn of judgment; encourage faith; forgive generously; and speak words of truth in all places, including the halls of political power.

It is perfectly legitimate to disagree with others, but only if we ourselves are willing to defend their equally legitimate right to be disagreeable.

So, instead of always trying to snuff-out and vanquish our opponents with overt tools of evil, let us do the good work of winning their respect, living in peace with them, and affirming our shared humanity together.

We all have the right to be different; we don’t have the right to do evil and reprise evil with evil. The organizations, institutions, faith communities, corporations, and governments of this world are only as good as the people guarding that goodness through their good work, utilizing good means toward good ends.

Anyone with ears ought to listen and understand.

God of steadfast love and grace: Teach us your way and your truth. Root us in you alone, and help us to grow in grace and love, so that we may fulfill our role and our work in the reign of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Thy Kingdom Come (Matthew 13:10-17)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment
“The Lord of the Parables” by Argentine artist Jorge Cocco Santangelo

His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?”

He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. That is why I use these parables,

For they look, but they don’t really see.
    They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.

This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says,

‘When you hear what I say,
    you will not understand.
When you see what I do,
    you will not comprehend.
For the hearts of these people are hardened,
    and their ears cannot hear,
and they have closed their eyes—
    so their eyes cannot see,
and their ears cannot hear,
    and their hearts cannot understand,
and they cannot turn to me
    and let me heal them.’

“But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it. (New Living Translation)

In the beginning, God spoke, and the world came into being. Jesus spoke in parables, and the Kingdom of God came into the world.

The Kingdom of God is universal in its scope and intent. God’s rule and reign over all creation is meant to encompass everyone and everything. The problem, however, is that not everyone wants to be under this divine rule. Therefore, they refuse to see the reality in front of their faces; and do not listen to the words being spoken within their hearing.

God’s Kingdom is meant for good. It is a benevolent, merciful, and loving kingdom. Yet, if one is not attentive to observing and listening, they will miss out on the good things being said and done. Such persons end up becoming like worldly pigs who trample the valuable pearls in front of them in order to go for the slop.

The gift of the Kingdom is faith in Jesus. Christ’s parables about the Kingdom communicate that God is with us; the good Lord is near to the world through Christ the King.

“Thus what we pray for when we pray ‘thy kingdom come’ is ‘Dear Father, please help us to understand your powerful little gospel with gentle, non-violent faith and then, in the joy of that faith and in the light of the coming great judgment, to change our lives to be obedient to your Son’s commands.’” Frederick Dale Bruner

A Gospel parable is something like a riddle: Some will grasp the truth of it, while others won’t get what’s being conveyed. This is why Christ’s disciples seemed to be confused as to why Jesus would speak in parables, instead of plainly stating with clarity his point and message. So, they asked him about his approach.

Jesus responded that they (his disciples) have been given the secrets, the mysteries, of God’s Kingdom. And the key which unlocks it all is Jesus himself. Those who follow Christ, have Christ. Those who don’t follow, don’t have him. And they’ll never understand a thing until they pick up the key – until they give everything they have to possess that key.

No one really knows about God the Father, except God the Son, who chooses to reveal what’s going on in the universe.

For a lot of people, it is a hard teaching to know that Jesus gives to some, but not to others – that Christ refuses to reveal the mystery to some. None of it makes sense, that is, until we will first allow God to be God, and let Christ be Christ, knowing that God is God, and I am not. I do not free myself, nor do I bring deliverance to anyone else; but Christ does.

The ones who possess freedom are the ones who have been given it, not the ones who figure it all out on their own – because that’s not really possible.

It is a deep privilege to be gifted the grace and understanding of the Kingdom and how it operates. I think this is the reason why I see so many people, especially several current “Christian” politicians, who just don’t get why anyone would talk about living-out the words and ways of Jesus in this nation.

I really and truly believe that to have Jesus is to have everything. Christ is all I need. As hard as it is to lose positions, privileges, and even people, they all pale in comparison to having Jesus.

I may suffer in body, and even in spirit, but my soul is forever given and protected by Jesus, my Lord and my God.

I am so glad that everything in this life is not up to my whimsical understanding of mercy, but hinges completely on the grace of God in Jesus Christ.

The real deal is that Jesus spoke in parables because we people have such a difficult time with listening. We just don’t listen well, at all. One of the biggest reasons why Jesus didn’t speak plainly all the time is that a full frontal speaking of truth into a person’s face was just too much for them.

The telling of a parable is a merciful and gracious way of bringing some much needed Kingdom truth to the world. Yet, we have got to put on our spiritual ears and our spiritual glasses. Because if we don’t really hear, and don’t really see, we will miss what’s going on in the universe.

All of this nothing new. The prophet Isaiah faced the same issues of humanity that Jesus did, and that we do today. Hardness of heart is the major obstacle to proper sight and sound, and thus, proper action.

The Kingdom of God doesn’t take root in hard soil. And so, Christ’s message is simultaneously a communication of both grace and judgment, just like the message of the prophets of old.

We are blessed when we really look and really listen. Many of those saints of old longed to see the Christ as we have been able to observe him. Their faith was a forward-looking experience.

Do we truly discern how privileged we are to have the New Testament Gospels which communicate Christ to us, and the blessed Holy Spirit, who has been given to us by both the Father and the Son?

I am nobody special, and yet, before I chose God, God chose me! I’m here because of God in Jesus Christ. All that I have and all that I am is because of Jesus, the key to my entire life. I couldn’t even gin-up any sort of faith within myself; it all was graciously given to me by God, so that I could have the keys of the Kingdom.

So then, let us have the good sense to be profoundly thankful and grateful people. Even when we suffer, we’ve been given the privilege to suffer for the Christ who first suffered for us.

Perhaps this is all best summed-up by the hymn writer: “O to grace how great a debtor, daily I’m constrained to be.” From “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” by Robert Robinson (1758)

“Thy Kingdom come” occurs one person at a time, one heart at a time, through the amazing grace of God in Christ. If we want to become spiritually aware and enlightened, then the first step – and really only step – is to follow Jesus.

O God of mercy, in Jesus Christ you freed us from sin and death, and by your Holy Spirit you nourish our mortal bodies with life. Plant in us now good soil, so that our lives may flower in righteousness and peace. Amen.