Every now and again we get the notion in our society to try and be “humane.”  Sometimes the attempt to perpetrate random acts of kindness lasts awhile; sometimes we get over our sentimentality quite quickly.  Either way the question remains, ”What if?”

It seems to me the church is charged with definitively answering the question for each generation in every culture.  The “What if?” is supposed to be a silly notion to the follower of Jesus, for we are charged (and quite solemnly charged at that) to say “Yes, Lord,” every day, every hour.

Yes is a freedom word.  Yes removes doubt, it empowers and encourages.  It is a difficult word on which to attach an addendum or add a proviso. Yes is a word, given the right kind of authority, that moves mountains of obstacles.

“May I have your shirt”

“Yes…here is my coat also.”

“May I borrow twenty dollars?”

“Yes, here it is.  It is a gift, you need not return it.”

“Will you carry my burden one mile?”

“Yes I will and another mile too.”

“If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow. “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:40-48, NLT)

Jesus has freed us to forward love to those who do not deserve it, those who merit our disdain and even rejection.  Because our own sin-burden is removed by grace through faith, we who belong to Christ are able to give without reservation and live without fear. 

If we only will.  My friends at Main Street will be pursuing this call this upcoming week.