Sent Forth by God

“The LORD turned to him and said, ‘Go with the strength you have
and save Israel from the power of Midian.
It is I who send you.’”

Judges 6:14

Gideon is one of the most prominent judges in the Old Testament. The Lord asked Gideon to go and save the Israelites from the Midianites, but Gideon was not sure if he could do it. God encouraged him and assured him that He was with him. Later, Gideon asked God for some signs. God was patient with him and gave him those signs. “It is I who send you.”

As Christians we are called to do many things that many people today will laugh at and will think we are crazy or even stupid for doing. To be Christian is to be countercultural. The culture of this world is a culture of death, a culture that promotes selfishness and egocentrism. Every man for himself. But as Christians, we know that life is not that. Life is no selfish or egocentric. To be alive is to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. St. Irenaeus tells us, “The glory of God is man fully alive.” Man is fully alive when he is living life as God intended it to be — living with heaven in mind, living knowing that death and evil has been conquered, living knowing that we are not alone.

God calls and sends you today. You are part of the Body of Christ, the Communion of Saints. It is Christ who lives in you. Wherever you go today, may you remember that. It is Christ who the other should see when they encounter you. You have been sent forth to be salt and light of the world to a world that has lost its taste and a world that is darkened by sin and evil. May we be beacons of light and hope to others. “It is I who send you. Be not afraid.”