Godly Life

Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us a sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us grace to receive thankfully the fruits of his redeeming work, and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Proper 15 BCP 232)

Sometimes we need examples, sometimes we need experience to teach us lessons. Jesus is a wonderful example of godly life. Jesus lived a wise life. We struggle mightily with living into the wisdom God gives us. If we didn't struggle so much with it, perhaps the world wouldn't be in the major world crises it is now in. But, of course, it is the world's problems, not ours. We are doing fine here in our quiet little beautiful Franklin. Yet, we are not either. We are struggling with many issues too. We cannot be blind to them. It seems like many of us are turning blind eyes to the issues at hand, denying that we can make a difference in the world. 

One of the many things Jesus showed us by example is that once person can make a difference in this world. Yes, Jesus made a big difference, but, you might say, he was divine. We have plenty of other examples in Christian tradition to draw from. Paul, Peter, Augustine, or even the saints we honor this week in the Episcopal Church: Florence Nightingale who changed the world of nursing, Jeremy Taylor who wrote prayers which are in our Book of Common Prayer, Jonathan Myrick Daniels who died protecting a young black girl during the Civil Rights Movement. 

Perhaps we will never be as well-known as any of these saints, but our words and actions do make a difference in this world and our world desperately needs us to live into the godly wisdom we have through Christ. As we go about our lives, at home, at work, in the world, let us seek to live into the example Jesus has set for us and bring God's wisdom to the forefront of our words and actions.