by Victoria Heinecke

Maintaining a different social distance.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.”
John 17:14-16 New International Version

While enjoying coffee with my family, we saw a pair of paramotor gliders flying overhead. They’re not large – imagine a bicycle with a large fan and a parachute, with enough power and room for one person. Although they were relatively small, they stood out against the dark blue sky as they moved independent of the wind currents.

Amused, my first thought was, “now that’s social distancing!”

Soon the two flyers separated. This one continued generally in the direction they were flying. The other began flying in curves, and drifted far away from him.

Does living the Christian life sometimes feel that way? When we’re with fellow believers, it seems as if we live by the same truth of the gospel. We’re generally “flying” in the same direction. When we are outside of the body, however, the world seems to be different.  We encounter people who sometimes share our values, and some who don’t. Some are even hostile to the message of God’s unending love for us.

It’s a lonely place – living the Christian life in an increasingly secular world.

“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.“
John 11:35 New International Version

To be sanctified means “to set apart to a sacred purpose.” As Christians, we are set apart by God to fulfill his will for us, as well as his will for those in our lives. We are set apart by the law and the gospel, which guides our behavior and our interactions in and with the world.

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Mathew 28:20b New International Version

Lonely, sometimes, but never alone.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado