Remember the soap opera called “Another World”? For almost 40 years of Mac and Rachel, Felicia, Cass and Frankie, people said they really did feel they were in “another world” as they entered the twists and turns of the characters’ lives. The series originally opened with announcer Bill Wolff intoning its epigram, "We do not live in this world alone, but in a thousand other worlds,
We’d all like to inhabit “another world” at times. A world where there are no problems or dram, just a peaceful, happy life. Jesus “gets” this when he says that he gave us God’s Word, and the world hated us. Why? Because we “do not belong to the world any more than (Jesus) belong(s) to the world.”
But even though we might find this world difficult and unpleasant, Jesus says, as God sent him into this same world, Jesus now sends us into that world. Yet, how can we be both in the world, and not in it? Jesus lives in “another world” where weakness is strength, and power is weakness. In Jesus’ world, Evil will be defeated by mercy, and loving another person is the highest accomplishment we can achieve—not fame or wealth. So, if we’re trying to imitate Jesus, then we’re already living in His world.
As Christians, we believe in a totally different set of values than the world at large. Anyone can set up their own code of values, but their “worlds” of followers and fame are fleeting. And do their worlds lead to selfless love, greater joy, more care and love for the poor and helpless among us?
We’ll let God be the judge. Let’s just stay busy working in “the vineyards of the Lord.” As Jesus said, “By their fruits you will know them.”