Lk 11.14-23
Barney’s adventures, Barney’s songs, Barney’s dances, Barney’s imaginations, are shown everyday in my house. My son can’t get enough of this skipping, singing, moralizing purple T-rex. In one of the episodes we learn about the Cowboy Way: Always do something nice for somebody everyday, speak softly animals and whatever we do, whether working or playing, always do our best.
And the children in the shows always look so positive, so motivated, so happy. It almost makes me believe that the human heart has not fallen, that there’s nothing wrong with the world, that life is a rosy bed of fun, food and festivities. Barney and his friends almost make me forget that the world is fundamentally at war.
“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armour in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils. He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters.”
(Luke 11.21-23).
Jesus has gate-crashed Satan’s party and messed his place up. It wasn’t easy and Jesus was beaten up badly, even killed and left hanging. But the bad guy’s walls are penetrated. It’s blown to bits. The main defenses are lost.
It is the job of the church to complete the victory. It is our task to take Satan out. Out of the house he’s occupied illegally, out of the hearts he still holds ransom, out of the air which still has his stench. And we do this each time we love and give like Jesus has told us to.
Reflection: How, where and with whom can you plant the victory flag of Jesus each and every day? What strongholds has the church lost in recent times? What new battles have we won? And how often, and why, do we sometimes act like we don’t know whose side we’re on?
(Meditations by Alwyn, I hope Barney and his fans aren’t offended *smile*)