Would you run from the Lion?

Romans 12:1-2

"I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.  Do not conform yourselves to the age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect."

I was able to work in a road ride yesterday.  I called up a good friend of mine and we went 25 miles through the back roads.  It was so different to be on the road and off the trainer.  We rode through the country so we saw Americana at its best.  The weather was warm but a nice breeze was present throughout the ride.  For me, I was anxious to see how my work on the trainer translated to rubber on the road.  I was excited to learn that my work had been beneficial and I was able to move over the hills at a decent pace.  My greatest surprise of the afternoon was the reminder of what it felt like to go greater than 45 mph on the bike on the descent of a hill.  That event just cannot be simulated on a trainer.  Just awesome.

On the ride I thought a lot about the experience of training for the Villainous Viper and the chance I have had to write in this blog.  Believe it or not, it has actually been working out the way I have hoped.  The time on the bike is getting me into physical shape and my time in reflection and writing on the blog has boosted my spiritual outlook.  I see God more readily at work in my life and I am thankful for His presence.

I have been reading a book, Four Witnesses: The Early Church in Her Own Words, and it concerns the contributions of four of the fathers of the Christian church.  I type on this blog with little refrain from my personal opinion and with great pride in my Christian beliefs.  But this book and the stories therein illustrate that the church's earliest founders did not have those luxuries.  Shortly after the descending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost upon the disciples of Jesus Christ, the ministry of the church began.  However, the climate of the world was not as accepting of this new faith as it may seem to us now.  Teachings of the church took place underground and in secret from the pagan civilization within which it was growing.  Sport was made of capturing Christians and excuting them in ways pleasurable to the crowds that watched the gruesome event.  One of the fathers discussed in the book, Ignatius of Antioch, was transported for months after his capture to the Roman Coliseum.  He arrived just in time to be the season finale for the sports arena.  Moments after his arrival he was released into the coliseum where he knelt and prayed.  He never acknowledged the lion and never tried to run as it approached and began to devour him.  Our priest this morning quoted C.S.Lewis as saying that, "if you want an easy and popular religion than do not become a Christian".  I believe his meaning in the use of this quote was that God makes demands on us to do the right thing and to abide by him for his rewards in heaven are far greater than any consequences suffered on earth.  Obviously Saint Ignatius thought this to be true.

How lucky are we to live in a time where Christianity is readily accepted and in a country where we can express our views on the religion.  These luxuries are not without there downfalls though.  Perhaps the verse from Romans reminds us that though the times may change and we may experience advances in technology, communication, education, and man's knowledge about all things, we still live in a world where God's will reigns.  The world may change but the expectations on the faithful do not.  Therefore, when we continue our reading in Romans to chapter 13 verse 8 we will find that the commandment of a Christian remains the same no matter what time we live in: "Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law".