In John 15:15, Jesus told his disciples that they were no longer servants, but friends because he chose them.
Some of the best and some of the worst moments of my life have to do with being chosen.
I remember vividly being left out of sporting teams because I wasn’t a good player. I was always the last to be chosen – if I was chosen at all – I would sit on the bench as a substitute and I was rarely allowed to play.
It was an ego-bruising thing to not be chosen, to be left out, to be considered the least valuable person, but what a different feeling to be among the chosen when one day the soccer coach chose me to play on his team – not because I was good – mainly because he was good because he knew that it meant a lot to me to be chosen...to be a player.
What a wonderful experience it is to be chosen! To know that we are important to someone, that we are valued, that we are desirable. Being chosen is important stuff. Jesus the Christ, the Chosen One of God, has chosen us – and chosen us not simply to be servants, but to be his friends.
That is incredible to us. We, you and I, are of value, of worth, to Jesus – to the son of the living God. Hear this day and every day, my friends, that we are chosen! Chosen by the Christ, the Chosen One himself! He wants us on his team – not for what we can or cannot do, not for our abilities or lack thereof, but because he loves us and wants to show his love to us and – through us – to others.
