As a Christian, professing that there is a way to live life that is better than all the other ways to live life is a hard job. It’s hard to live that life and hard to talk about that life. As I reflect over the last few weeks, it is apparent to me that we live in a massively broken world. Bombings, buildings collapsing, earth quakes, and other crimes that lead to hurt and pain in others, seems evil and hopeless. Death is all around us. It comes near us and happens around us in unanticipated ways. It wreaks havoc on this world and all that is in it, and, it’s our entire fault.

It is somewhat comical to me that there are Christians alive today, that don’t believe that humans are having an effect on the environment and that we humans don’t have the power to bring about total destruction of our planet. These same Christians also believe what the Bible says – that God, in Genesis gave humans the world, twice, to lord over everything in it (Gen 1:28, 9:3). These same Christians see that time after time the sins of even one person bring calamity to whole nations. It is almost as if Christians today are confused about the true cause of death and destruction here on earth. But is it their job to fix this earth and the people in it? What is our Christian role in this place? Let’s check in with our leader and let him dictate our place on this earth.

First let’s see what he, Jesus, did, and then let’s ask him what we are supposed to do. Jesus brought us hope and grace. He loved when others hated and condemned. He gave us hope that in the future God will bring about a new heaven and new earth, and that anyone who wants to be a part of this newness is welcomed, no matter what their sin. He comforted the sick, helped the hurting, and spoke grace to the sinful that were in despair. He even celebrated and feasted with people at the Passover and he brought the best wine to a wedding. So what does he want from us?

Go where I send you and speak peace he says in Luke 10. If they will not accept your peace, dust off your feet and walk away. It is our job to spread a message of peace and joy. Death isn’t the end. Life isn’t limited to what we can sense with our senses. Pain isn’t the final state of being. We are called to love, when love doesn’t make sense. We are called to have joy and to celebrate. We are called to endure persecution. We are called to be set apart, to be different in such meaningful and attractive ways that people will want to come and know our Lord. We are called to have great celebrations for the good that God’s wisdom and his love bring.

So, in general, how are we doing? Well if you watch the media, “conservatives” seem to be the unhappy, fear-mongering people. They attack others for their sinful beliefs, all while hiding their own. They preach a message of death and destruction. Their celebrations, like marriage receptions, baptisms, and healings are constrained, rigidly defined events lacking the spontaneity and spirit of joy, confined to a tradition based on fear.

If you ask me; we are growing and learning to celebrate more. We are faced with persecution and we are learning to respond with love and to celebrate the joy of salvation and the joy of doing things the way God intended. We have a long way to go and persecution to endure, but we are learning to be joyous, focusing on whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable and praising God for these things.