Mtr Paula Barker Datsko

Dear friends,

In each of the lessons today, people are being called by God and they’re responding with faith. In each case, words of judgment and tribulation inform the context out of which faithful responses emerge. 

Eli coaches the child Samuel to be able to listen and then report God’s words, which foretell the destruction of Eli’s family. They are condemned for their unrestrained, self-serving behavior while being representatives of religion in the community. Eli accepts the judgment of God with an extraordinary statement of faithfulness: “It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him.”

In the Gospel, Jesus announces to his followers dangerous times that include wars, natural disasters, famines and plagues, false teachers, and persecutions. In the midst of this suffering and confusion, only Jesus is trustworthy. His wisdom will guide the faithful.

The lesson from Acts tells how an early community of Christians lived. They testified to their faith by word and example in such compelling ways that many others believed and were baptized. They attended to the apostles’ teachings in fellowship together, prayed, broke bread, and shared all that they had. With awe at signs and wonders, and with gladness and generous hearts, they praised God, who opened the hearts of many and changed the course of their lives.

We, too, live in times of tribulation – as have people throughout all of salvation history. In the midst of whatever each of us must endure, we are, by God’s grace, held in faithfulness – however faltering that faith may be from one moment to the next. We are blessed to be part of the St. Philip’s community, where we are invited to learn together, pray, break bread, and share what we have for the good of all. We experience awe and gladness and generous hearts as we praise God. Yet what is this all for? Why does God generate and sustain faith communities like ours? To provide comfort and joy, yes. But also to challenge us to grow as disciples who participate in God’s work of redemption.

Tribulations continuously roil the whole created world in its brokenness. Against the fear and suffering that pervade the natural experience of all creatures, God’s Word in scripture tells of God’s overarching desire to bring about reconciliation: of humans with one another as groups and as persons, of humans with all creation, and of humans and all creation with God. This is God’s mission, into which people of faith are called. What might be your personal piece in that mission? How might your words and example spark in another the kind of wondering through which God’s grace can work to open a heart? Ponder. Pray. Jesus’ wisdom will show the way.
 
Faithfully,
Paula Barker Datsko+