Shared responsibility

In Ephesians we’re told that we’re a part of the Christian family (Ephesians 2:19-22).  Then in the Gospel Jesus calls His Apostles, including Simon and Jude whose feast we celebrate today (Luke 6:12-16).  And we’re part of this family too. We’re all called with them. We’re called to join our voices with the rest who declare the glory of God in the Psalms.  We’re all part of the big family of creation, and we’re part of the smaller Christian family called by Jesus.

We’ve been called.  This is our dwelling place.  This is our home, and we’re part of creation.  In fact, we are creation.  And this Christian family is created by our connection and our faith. We are participants. We are citizens.  We are part of this family, members of the household.  We aren’t strangers.  We belong here.  I like this image of a household, a family.  We’re all in this together and all share responsibility in the household. We’re not strangers; this is our dwelling place, where we live.  But we also can’t depend on someone else to do everything for us; we have to take responsibility for our part of the smooth running of the household.  We’re not guests, not travelers, we live here.  This is our home and our responsibility.

Like the disciples, we are called to follow.  Like the rest of creation, we’re called to declare the glory of God.  And through our faith and praise and our connection with each other, we create a dwelling place of the spirit.  And it’s our responsibility to keep that household running smoothly.