September 20, 2021 – Acts 20:1–16

^“With things back to normal, Paul called the disciples together and encouraged them to keep up the good work in Ephesus. Then, saying his good-byes, he left for Macedonia. Traveling through the country, passing from one gathering to another, he gave constant encouragement, lifting their spirits and charging them with fresh hope.^2-4 Then he came to Greece and stayed on for three months. Just as he was about to sail for Syria, the Jews cooked up a plot against him. So he went the other way, by land back through Macedonia, and gave them the slip. His companions for the journey were Sopater, son of Pyrrhus, from Berea; Aristarchus and Secundus, both Thessalonians; Gaius from Derbe; Timothy; and the two from western Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus.They went on ahead and waited for us in Troas. Meanwhile, we stayed in Philippi for Passover Week, and then set sail. Within five days we were again in Troas and stayed a week.We met on Sunday to worship and celebrate the Master’s Supper. Paul addressed the congregation. Our plan was to leave first thing in the morning, but Paul talked on, way past midnight. We were meeting in a well-lighted upper room. A young man named Eutychus was sitting in an open window. As Paul went on and on, Eutychus fell sound asleep and toppled out the third-story window. When they picked him up, he was dead.Paul went down, stretched himself on him, and hugged him hard. “No more crying,” he said. “There’s life in him yet.” Then Paul got up and served the Master’s Supper. And went on telling stories of the faith until dawn! On that note, they left—Paul going one way, the congregation another, leading the boy off alive, and full of life themselves.In the meantime, the rest of us had gone on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we planned to pick up Paul. Paul wanted to walk there, and so had made these arrangements earlier. Things went according to plan: We met him in Assos, took him on board, and sailed to Mitylene. The next day we put in opposite Chios, Samos a day later, and then Miletus. Paul had decided to bypass Ephesus so that he wouldn’t be held up in Asia province. He was in a hurry to get to Jerusalem in time for the Feast of Pentecost, if at all possible.” Acts 20:1-16

Paul gives the disciples words of encouragement. We all could use some words of encouragement every day — every week. As such, could you use some encouragement? Do you need encouragement so that you will not back down but instead standing up for your faith? Jesus scattered the butterflies out of the stomachs of his nervous disciples – or at least he tried to encourage them — and so did Paul. We need to remember that the disciples and the Apostles were common men (and women) given a compelling task — tell how the kingdom of G-d had come in the person of Jesus Christ. It was not a popular message to the Jews — and something foreign to the Gentiles. And yet these

Disciples/Apostles were regular people trying to raise families and work in everyday jobs long before they were saints found in our windows of stain glass. They were not cut from theological cloth (Paul had training as a Pharisee) but they were very devoted and were very afraid, and yet they did extraordinary things.

Remember, we too are regular people seeking to raise families, work in jobs, and followers of Jesus. When we work for the kingdom of G-d, we do not do it alone — we can only do it in the strength of the Holy Spirit working in us – and the cloud of witnesses who have paved the way.

Let Us Pray,

Lord Jesus, we are part of the great cloud of witnesses seeking to follow you and to do your will. Give us the strength to follow, and the will to persevere, just like Paul. Amen.

Pastor Dave

September 19, 2021 – Pentecost +17B

“They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him. Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.” Mark 9:30-37

“The chief proof of a man’s real greatness lies in his perception of his own smallness.” Sherlock Holmes

Can you imagine people arguing in the church? Can you imagine? People outside the church who witness or hear about the dissention within the Christian church usually point to such dissention as proof of our hypocrisy: “See, they are so holy and righteous – yet all they do is fight with one another.”

But, I am sorry to tell you this, I am sorry to burst your bubble, but we do argue in the church. We are not as holy and righteous as some outside the church will label us. Instead we are just as human as the next person, and as such, we suffer from envy, selfish ambition, disorder and even wickedness, as James so eloquently puts it. Does this disappoint you? Well, let me ask you this—look around you: does this look like the Kingdom of G-d? As I look around, I do not see the Kingdom—at least as it is described in the scriptures. And I do not always see the kind of kingdom building we are all supposed to be a part of. However, we are on the right path. Our ministries point to this fact. But, like the disciples, we still argue—we still are afraid to ask enough questions. We still think more of ourselves than we should. And, we still develop pecking orders in the church – and this clearly goes against the teaching of Jesus.

The disciples are arguing about who is the greatest. As such I imagine them arguing about issues like who has been a disciple the longest; who has the best ancestry behind them; who has been invited to witness more miracles; who has been handpicked for the most important events. And, there did seem to be a pecking order within the ranks of the disciples: there were the big four (Peter, Andrew, James and John); and there were the even bigger three (Peter, James and John). Now, do the scriptures tell us this is what they were arguing about? No! But most likely it is the same stuff we argue about in the church today – who’s ancestry goes back further; who has a longer history as per their membership; who gets hand picked more for special committees.

No, Jesus knows what they are doing—Jesus understands how their human need of a pecking order will impact the ministry they will do—or will not do because they are spending more time arguing than doing ministry. That is what pecking orders do – they limit ministry.

Sometimes we get too hung up on ourselves—worrying about what others think—not only about ourselves, but about our churches as well. We need to be “who we were born to be”—around our Christian brothers and sisters—as well as around those outsiders who come into our midst. We are flawed people. Our identity should not come from race, gender, or sexual orientation—our identity comes from being baptized children of G-d. But, that also means that we are not clones of one another. Christ makes no distinctions among believers—and neither should we.

Pastor Dave