Be like Jesus

Heavenly Father,

whose blessed Son was revealed

that he might destroy the works of the devil,

and make us children of God, and heirs of eternal life;

grant that we, who have this hope,

may purify ourselves, as he is pure,

so that when he shall appear again,

in power and great glory,

we may be made like him,

in his eternal and glorious kingdom,

through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

This collect is all about family identity, and family life. It begins with a reminder of why Jesus came to earth – to destroy the works of the devil. We might think here of the temptations described in Matthew 4, or Jesus’ work on the cross, defeating sin and death. We should also think more generally of Jesus as the one who perfectly fulfilled God’s law and will, a second Adam, who succeeded where Adam failed. Through the whole of his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus destroyed the works of the devil (1 Corinthians 15:22).

And so, as the new Adam, Jesus forms a new humanity, a new family. We become sons or children of God, and heirs of eternal life; we are now part of the family Jesus has created. As John 1:12 reminds us, all who receive Jesus receive this promise. As adopted children we have a new family identity, and that means we should live as part of the family. And everybody should be able to see our family likeness.

Which is why, in the collect, we move naturally from our family identity to what family life looks like. We are to be like Jesus. He is pure, so we are to purify ourselves. But what is purity? Purity is about our hearts (1 Timothy 1:5) and our actions (Philippians 1:10). It is about avoiding sin and resisting temptation, because as children of God, that is who we are, and therefore that is how we should live.

Of course, we are all works in progress, and the collect recognises that; as in Philippians 1:10, the desire is that, when Christ returns, we will be ready to meet him, recognising that the final transformation to be like him comes when he appears. We are not expecting to be sinless this side of Christ’s return, but as members of God’s family, we should be striving together to sin less.

Our family identity is as those who, believing in Jesus, have become children of God and heirs of eternal life. Our family life is to live as members of this family, seeking to be pure. As we pray this prayer, and are encouraged by the great truths in it, we are also challenged to take purity seriously in all areas of our lives. Surely this will cause us to reflect on what God asks of us as his children, and that will take us to the ten commandments, to Jesus’ teaching on them in Matthew 5 to 7, and to the many, many other places in the New Testament where right living is discussed.

Brothers and sisters, let us encourage one another to pray this prayer fervently for ourselves and for one another, that our true family likeness might emerge.

So pray this with me:

Heavenly Father,

whose blessed Son was revealed

that he might destroy the works of the devil,

and make us children of God, and heirs of eternal life;

grant that we, who have this hope,

may purify ourselves, as he is pure,

so that when he shall appear again,

in power and great glory,

we may be made like him,

in his eternal and glorious kingdom,

through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.