FRIDAY, February 20

I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.

— John 17:15-19

The reading for Evening Prayer today continues Jesus’ prayer after the Last Supper. He is preparing his disciples for his death and resurrection, and he asks God to protect them after he returns to the Father. Their faith in Jesus is a dangerous thing. In their willingness to continue his ministry, they might face imprisonment, torture or death.

So why do they continue to follow Jesus?

Why did so many believers in the early church choose the road that often led to their own death? Why did they bring their friends, their family and even their children into a movement that risked retaliation from the murderous oppression of the Roman Empire?

Why do we continue to believe, after more than 2,000 years?

Why did I choose to follow God in a secular society where it’s considered “ignorant” or “backward” to be religious? Why did I risk ridicule and humiliation by being a churchgoer while working in Hollywood and being surrounded by non-believers? Why didn’t I choose the easy route of shunning religion in order to fit in with the “cool” people?

I believe we are called to continue Jesus’ work for the same reason the early believers did: we have encountered Jesus, and we have seen the truth. We have experienced the vast, infinite love of God in our own lives, and we are willing to make sacrifices to live as God wills us to live.

Reflect: What are some reasons that you follow Christ? What are some sacrifices you have made to be a follower of Christ? Are there sacrifices ahead?

This Lenten Meditation can be found at Episcopal Relief and Development