In Jesus Name

Gospel MK 9:38-40

John said to Jesus,
“Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name,
and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.”
Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him.
There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name
who can at the same time speak ill of me.
For whoever is not against us is for us.”

A short gospel reading today.  But a very empowering one.  When we act in the name of Jesus, it's all good (even when it might not seem that way).  So what does acting in the name of Jesus mean?  On the surface, it means doing what he did in much the same way.  We can see very clearly in the gospels that Jesus cared about meeting our deepest needs.  He fed the hungry.  He cast out demons.  He helped the lame to walk and the blind to see.  He attracted the disciples by meeting their deepest needs:  he satisfied their spiritual hunger, he gave them authority over the church, he taught them how to love God and others.  But the day-to-day decisions that we face are often murky.  The answer to "What would Jesus do?" isn't always obvious.  What then?  In Jesus name, I can confidently take the next step and then another one and another one.  Yes, missteps will be made along the way but I can trust Jesus to eventually lead me to His will.