Excerpt from John 15:18-20, 26-27

"You have been with me from the very beginning." (Good News Bible)

Reflection by William C. Green

Jesus is like a distant ideal. He's inspiring from afar but I can't see him as a role model because I'm not as good as he is

Jesus understood all this. He thought of himself as the "Son of Man," not just the Son of God, because he identified with us. He represents our humanity by facing what we face, struggling as we do, and doubting that he could handle it all.

Sure, he is the Son of God, too, representing the Almighty and divinely empowered to overcome hardship. But even that highest power is intended for us, Jesus says, through the gift of his spirit—something we learn by hanging in with our own faith, weak though it seems, remembering the importance of prayer, and drawing on the support of others whose faith and doubts we share.

We actually can be like Jesus but only because he sees himself like us—even saying we ourselves can know the power of God. While he goes way beyond what we can accomplish he tells us, not to be perfect, as we imagine that, but to be faithful—remembering that "nothing is impossible with God" and that "faith as small as a mustard seed can move a mountain."

We're never alone, left to our own strength. The spirit of Jesus, the Son of Man, means that God is beside us to guide us no matter what we face, no matter what our sins, no matter how overwhelming the odds.

Prayer

Going with you, God, may we know the power and confidence you make ours. Amen.

About the Author William C. Green is Vice-President for Strategy and Development, Moral Courage Project, NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, and the author of 52 Ways to Ignite Your Congregation: Generous Giving.