Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.
John 14:12
In church, after we feast in Communion, sharing the Body of our Lord, we pray together: “ Almighty and everliving God, we most heartily thank thee for that thou dost feed us, in these holy mysteries, with the spiritual food of the most precious Body and Blood of thy Son our Savior Jesus Christ." The prayer continues, "...O heavenly Father, so to assist us with thy grace, that we may continue in that holy fellowship, and do all such good works as thou hast prepared for us to walk in.”
I've been thinking about the “good works as thou hast prepared for us to walk in.” What are those good works, and what do those good works look like? It began to fall into place for me when I realized that living into our calling – as heralds for the kingdom of God – we the people of God are equipped (by the Holy Spirit) to fulfill the restorative work that Christ showed us in his earthly ministry.
Let me unpack that a bit(!) When asked by the disciples of John the Baptist about his purpose, Jesus responded: “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them…” (Matthew 11: 4-5). The people of God are called to continue this restorative work of Christ in the world. Before he died, Jesus told his disciples: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12)
Here's the point: Christ’s work of ushering in the kingdom of God and showing the love of God did not stop with his earthly ministry. His restorative work in the world continues through the people of God. That's precisely why we pray for God to “assist us with thy grace, that we may continue in that holy fellowship, and do all such good works as thou hast prepared for us to walk in…”
The works of Jesus gives us a clear picture of the work we are called to do!
In Christ,
Zacher
