It’s the time of year for getting out and about and going for a stroll. The birds are chirping, the sun is shining and views across the Irish Sea are fabulous.
I suppose there are two types of walk. Short or long. Just recently, I said to my family we were going out for a short walk. It turned out to be 5 miles longer than they had anticipated. The sacrifice of energy and comfort was made easier by an ice cream at the end of it.
The Christian life is like a long walk. It’s not a sprint. More like a marathon. Being a Christian means walking the path of sacrifice as well as the path of joy. We’re called to take up our cross and follow Jesus. There is abundant life and real joy in following Jesus. But there is also sacrifice. Choosing to live a holy life, living differently to the world around us, being less accepted in some social circles, suffering persecution, giving of ourselves sacrificially, and above all, denying ourselves in order to follow him.
In our special prayer for this week, the Collect, it prays that “we may seek the good of others and walk the joyful road of sacrifice and praise.” I pray today you know the Christian life to be joyful and full of peace, amongst the sacrifice.
Christ is risen. He is risen indeed, hallelujah!
Let’s pray…
Risen Christ, for whom no door is locked, no entrance barred: open the doors of our hearts, that we may seek the good of others and walk the joyful road of sacrifice and peace, to the praise of God the Father. Amen.
