Scripture: Luke 9:26 – “Those who are ashamed of me and of my words, of them the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (NRSV)
Are you proud to be a Christian? I find it hard to feel that way sometimes. Part of it is because of a natural humility that comes with serving a Lord greater than yourself or your self-interest. The above scripture comes from the time when Peter realized that Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus replied by telling the disciples about the hardships that he as the Messiah would face, undergoing great suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection. Then Jesus calls on the disciples to take up their crosses and follow him. He says, “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it.”
Jesus calls upon us to sacrifice our comfort and popularity to truly serve him. To cling to a life that conforms the world’s demands for wealth and power leads to an empty life, but to reject those ways of the world leads to living a life that has true meaning, a meaning continued and reflected in the days to come. We should boast not of how great we are for being Christians, but of how great Christ is for guiding everyone to salvation. As Paul said in his First Letter to the Corinthians, “If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel!” Proclaiming the gospel should not make us personally proud but bring us humility and peace.
But there is another reason why it is difficult to be proud of being a Christian, and that is based on the behavior of other Christians. Whether we like it or not, Christianity has a bad reputation. In the media, Christianity is rarely portrayed as a way of binding a community together, serving the suffering, and insisting on just behavior from the powerful. Instead, Christianity is presented as a way to divide people into believers and non-believers, into being good or bad, being true citizens or interlopers and outsiders. Often, the criteria for being “true Christian” is adherence a denial of science and the full humanity of all people. I must admit that when I hear that a book or film is “Christian”, my instinct is to assume that it is judgmental and narrow-minded. I want to run in the other direction.
And this is a shame, because Christ should unite us into communities of love rather than divide us. We are all sinners but boasting about our beliefs only makes us more sinful as we reject those made in God’s image. Saying you are Christian as a marker of identity without serving God in humility means that you cling to your life rather than lose if for the sake of Jesus.
When Jesus talks about “those who are ashamed of me and of my words,” he does not speak about being ashamed about being a Christian, but ashamed of him and his words. We should hold the faithful to a higher standard of love. If we are truly faithful to the spirit of love and humility, and not self-aggrandizement, we show the faith that brings us out of the cruelty of the world. Honor Jesus’ word in deed, not in speech, and struggle ever more to build that Blessed Community.
Prayer: Jesus, keep us near the cross. Help us turn away from arrogance and truly love our neighbors as you do. Amen.
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