It is an amazing world we live in. For some it appears chaotic, futile, gutless.
But for Christians the view is completely different. Members of the Body of Christ have already found the guts and toes for their lives: "As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me."
But the quality of oneness that Jesus prays for in Sunday's Gospel doesn't necessarily tie Christians down to a singleness of time, of place or even thought. Remaining a truly Christ-centered, Gospel- witnessing, spirit-directed church doesn't mean we must shut out of our lives the world and all its divisive noise. Unity of faithfulness doesn't come at the cost of our connectedness to the world. Jesus rejects this easy way out for his disciples. As he addresses God, Jesus first admits, "I am not asking you to take them out of the world," but then immediately acknowledges that his disciples "do not belong to the world." Obviously the path lies somewhere in between. We are called, it seems, to be in the world. Not of it. But not out of it either.
We need to hear that again. The church as the Body of Christ is called to be in the world, not of it, but not out of it either.
But the quality of oneness that Jesus prays for in Sunday's Gospel doesn't necessarily tie Christians down to a singleness of time, of place or even thought. Remaining a truly Christ-centered, Gospel- witnessing, spirit-directed church doesn't mean we must shut out of our lives the world and all its divisive noise. Unity of faithfulness doesn't come at the cost of our connectedness to the world. Jesus rejects this easy way out for his disciples. As he addresses God, Jesus first admits, "I am not asking you to take them out of the world," but then immediately acknowledges that his disciples "do not belong to the world." Obviously the path lies somewhere in between. We are called, it seems, to be in the world. Not of it. But not out of it either.
We need to hear that again. The church as the Body of Christ is called to be in the world, not of it, but not out of it either.
