Road Warriors

Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

"Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”

"Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”  John 18:33-36

I love watching team sports. One team, the home team, has familiarity with their stadium, and their fans follow and cheer them on trying to inspire them to win the game.  The other team, the road team, has to deal with the discomfort of playing in an unfamiliar environment where the home team fans yell and scream hoping to distract them in their quest to win.  Experience has proven that the best teams always seem to win at home, and more importantly, they have an innate ability to go on the road and win consistently. They at times change the dynamics of the other team’s home environment with their presence and to some degree play the game as if it is their home.  Those teams sometimes earn the nickname ‘Road Warriors’ because they seem to play as well on the road as they do at home.

As servants of God, we are all called to be ‘Road Warriors.’  We know that while we were born of this world, this is not our home. We are challenged to live our lives as if we are in God’s house; our true home.  Jesus in his discussion with Pilate underlines a point that we are always to remember; the kingdom of God is not here on Earth.  We are personal representatives of Christ, and we are to be examples of that humbly but unashamedly.  It is not our concern whether others are uncomfortable because we say grace at meals or pray for others in our workplace.  As faithful servants, we must show our love for Christ freely and without fear.  After all, our home is as Jesus says, “From another place.”

Giving our life to Christ is the most fulfilling choice we can make.  While there may be times we struggle with sin or love some things of the world, our goal is to show God’s light so as to win others over.  That’s understanding where our home truly is. How can you joyfully represent Jesus Christ to others?  What situations can you be bolder in sharing your faith?  My prayer is that we remember to represent God as members of His team and become ‘Road Warriors.’  Amen.