“Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Colossians 3:17)

The idea that faith should be separated from living out the rest of our lives has become conventional wisdom in recent years.  The phrase, “separation of church and state” gets applied to other venues such as the workplace and the public square.  We are told that that our faith should be private and personal, not to be shared (“imposed”) on others. 

This perspective is 180 degrees contrary to God’s intention as evidenced in the words of Scripture and Jesus.  St. Paul’s exhortation applies to everything we do.  Later he says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as if you are working for the Lord.” (Colossians 3:23)

This is a 24/7 exhortation meant for Monday as well as Sunday, the workplace as well as church or wherever we may be.  There are no boundary lines to Christ living in us, and we in him.  Once we invite him in, he is present in everything we do – working for our employer, taking our children to soccer practice, helping with the dishes, assisting a sick friend with yard work, testifying at a City Council hearing, helping our children with their homework, listening to a work colleague share a personal problem – “whatever you do in word or deed.”

God created us to work and take care of the garden of his creation and the civilization flowing therefrom. (Genesis: 2:15) Our work “is how we make ourselves useful to one another and thus to God,” according to author Lester DeKoster. It is a divine assignment.

From the time God became one of us in Jesus and the subsequent outpouring of his Holy Spirit, his intention has been to dwell not in temples or buildings, but in us individually and personally. Today, I experience his presence in many ways – the sacraments of my church, my prayer time (we meet for coffee every morning), and in many of the people he places in my life.

There are times when I have neglected his presence, or separated my words and deeds form his presence and put him in a box.  Unfortunately, his presence may not then be available to the people in my life who would otherwise be blessed by him.  God created us with the freedom to accept or reject his invitation to dwell in us, but his desire for his creation and for his created, is that we not separate his presence from our lives and work.

Do we imprison God, only to be released on Sunday, or do we let him be manifested in every aspect of our life?

As we celebrate Easter year after year we are reminded that Jesus’ death and resurrection has brought us eternal life.  Since we may hear these words frequently, their familiarity may become more like a cliché.  What can bring us back to their real meaning is to experience the death of a family member or close friend.      

Eternal life was not a cliché to my friend, Louie Grams, who believed and embraced it up until his last breath two weeks ago.  Although suffering with various physical ailments for most of his life, he died in a supremely peaceful state, surrounded by his wife and five adult children.  His wake and funeral were filled with beautiful music, moving personal testimonies, and a joyous funeral mass.

Love and service to God were hallmarks of Louie’s entire life.  In addition to being a leader in the People of Praise Christian Community, he joined two other men in establishing Christians in Commerce, an ecumenical Christian outreach to the business community.  Louie introduced me to Christians in Commerce and its Challenge Weekend retreat in 1985.

While I had previously experienced a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, I still struggled with bringing that faith to bear on my work.  Louie and Christians in Commerce showed me how I was to bring Christ’s presence into all that I did in conducting my work and relating to everyone.  Over these last forty years, Christians in Commerce, d/b/a WorkLight, has impacted thousands of lives in the workplace and how business gets done. 

I called Louie two weeks ago after he received his diagnosis of advanced pancreatic cancer.  While it wasn’t a long conversation, I think we both knew we were saying our earthly goodbyes to each other.  That’s the way it is with two brothers in Christ.  I will look forward to his bear hug embrace when we meet again paradise. 

Rest well, my good friend.  For God loved you so much that he gave you his only Son, that as you believed in him, you did not perish, but will live forever. (John 3:16)

“Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23-24)

Offering a sacrifice in the temple in Jerusalem was an especially important act for practicing Jews at the time of Jesus.  Psalm 4:4 instructs, “Offer fitting sacrifice and trust in the Lord.”  Sacrifices could be oxen, sheep, goats, turtledoves, or pigeons.  People could bring their own or arrange for a purchase in the temple courts.  Either way, it was a significant act that took planning and time.  For those who lived some distance from Jerusalem, it may have happened only once a year. 

Jesus was saying that reconciliation with a brother who had something against you was so important, that you should interrupt the process of sacrifice or offering and go first to seek reconciliation with the brother.   

In our time, we should not let hurts we impart on others fester.  We should deal with them immediately.  Applied to our present day it would be like saying that before we go to mass or church services, we should make it a point first to seek reconciliation with a brother or sister we may have offended.  While the Catholic Church begins its mass with a prayer of contrition for sins “in my thoughts, and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do,” Jesus is telling us to seek reconciliation even before we come to church.

I believe Jesus intended this word particularly for members of our own family and other Christian brothers and sisters.  How often have we let a harsh or errant word fly off to a spouse, close family member, or Christian brother or sister?  I can certainly think of times when I did this and did not act on it immediately as Jesus urges.  Just as Jesus places a high priority on forgiving others for offenses against us, he similarly places a high priority on our seeking forgiveness for our own wrongdoing.

Is there someone who has something against you with whom you need to reconcile?

“And it so happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but there eyes were prevented from seeing him.” (Luke 24:15)

Jesus’ followers saw him die, and they saw the tomb where he was laid. The trauma of his tortuous death was indelibly imprinted on their minds and would not be easily removed.

Now he was appearing before them, but they did not recognize him.  Mary Magdalene did not recognize him until he said her name.  The disciples on the road to Emmaus did not recognize him though he walked with them until nearly dark explaining the scriptures.  Only when he broke bread with them as they shared dinner were their eyes opened. (Luke 34:13-35)

Overcoming our paradigm of death and its irreversible nature is no small matter.  It was true for the disciples and it is true for us.  Yet, that is exactly the hope that God offers on Easter morning in the person of his son, Jesus. With his resurrection he showed us that life does not end with our physical death.  Who we are has less to do with our physical nature than with our soul and spirit, which are a created by God and mysteriously joined with our physical nature at conception. 

Jesus bequeathed to both the disciples and us something to take the place of his physical presence – the Holy Spirit, which he described as giving us the power to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth.  The Holy Spirit enables the words of Jesus to become a reality in our lives — he is in us and we in him just as the Father is in him and he is in the Father. He says the result is that, “Anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.  He will do even greater things than these…so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.” (John 14:12-13)

With the power of the Holy Spirit, we can experience Jesus’ personal presence in our daily lives.  For me, this first happened on an October evening many years ago when I met him in a new and personal way.  I see him every day in the bright smile of our daughter born with Down syndrome whose many hugs reflect her natural inclination to love.   

I see him in the love of my wife and all our children and grandchildren as they respond to his love for them. I see him in the inmates of the local jail who accept the humility of their present circumstances and seek the sacrament of reconciliation.  I see him in college students we know who postpone career decisions to serve him in Christian outreaches to impoverished areas and on College campuses.  And, I experience him in prayer and the sacraments of the church.

Where do you see the risen Jesus?