When Penny and I make it to the final hour of our seven hour car ride to where we like to spend our vacation, the GPS always wants us to take a detour. It wants us to meander through various country roads instead of staying on the highway.
And every time, we get to that point in our destination, we always have to make a decision. Which road do we take? The quicker way which will involve lots of winding country roads or the slower way that we prefer and isn’t as direct but keeps us on the highway?
More recently, we have chosen to take the slower way home because it’s just easier to drive on the highway instead of those country roads. That’s all fine and good, but for the next four exits on the highway, the GPS keeps wanting us to take the country roads. There’s nothing more annoying than that GPS navigation voice constantly interrupting our conversation to tell us to take a different road.
I wonder if Philip who was traveling on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza had the same dilemma in our Acts scripture reading. We are told that the Spirit was telling Philip to make a detour. And the detour was to lead him to a traveler who was heading back to his home.
And unlike me, Philip did what the Spirit navigation voice was telling him to do and he took the detour. If I was Philip, I might have said, “But Spirit, can’t you see that the drive will be a little easier if I just keep going this way?”
Philip listened and did what the Spirit told him to do and he was led to this traveler on the road who happened to be reading the Hebrew Scriptures and trying to understand its meaning. This man who was from Ethiopia was returning from his trip to Jerusalem where he had worshipped at the Temple.
When Philip approached this traveler, he could see that he was reading the Hebrew Scriptures and so he asked him if he understood what he was reading, to which the man replied, “I could use some help.” And that little conversation led Philip to share the good news of Jesus with this man, and when they came across some water along that road, he wanted Philip to baptize him into the Christian faith.
This scripture reading from Acts invites us to think about the roads that we travel and how the Holy Spirit prompts us along the way to take detours as needed. As I’ve shared. I’m not a big fan of detours. Here’s point A. There’s point B. Let’s not take any detours.
Sometimes, for reasons beyond our control, we need to include a point C and a point D in our travels. There are going to be detours along the way.
A little over a year ago, our church was moving at a fast past from Point A to Point B. Think about all that we were doing together and accomplishing during that time. We were speeding down the highway going about 70 miles an hour. Ok, actually a little faster. Maybe we were pushing 75. And we were having so much fun as a church.
Just look at all that we were doing. Here’s just a little sample of that Pre-Pandemic journey:
· The year started with our January Athens First Saturday ministry to the community. Look at everything we did on that one Saturday morning! We made cards for children who are in the hospital. We made blankets for people in need in our community. We arranged flowers to give to patients in the hospital. And we led a worship service at Lindley Inn. We covered a lot of ground in that one morning alone!
· And here’s a photo of a church member, Michelle Shively who gave her testimony at our Thirst covered dish here at the church. Some of our college students came to support her.
· I love this photo from one of our worship services in January. This was taken during Baptism of the Lord Sunday where we remembered our baptism and were invited to come forward to the baptismal font to renew our baptism.
· A week later, we began a six-week Pastor’s Bible Study where about twenty of us met in our 3rd floor lounge to study the Book of Genesis.
· During that same month, we hosted the Ohio University Singers who sang for us in worship that Sunday morning.
· When we got to February, there was no slowing down for us on that highway. Here’s a picture of one of our Sunday mornings where Kappa Phi led the worship services and we celebrated a baptism as well.
· The following week, our Boy Scout Troupe led the worship services and here is a picture of them following worship that day.
· And here’s another picture of Kappa Phi serving us one of their famous Chili and hot potato meals. I miss those days!
· Here’s a photo of another Athens First Saturday morning where we painted blocks for Passion Works, made cards to give to children, made blankets and arranged flowers to give to people in our community, and led a worship service again at Lindley Inn.
· And the final photo that I want to show you is a picture of Kristin Kerwin and me that was taken on Sunday March 8th. Kristin Kerwin was the worship leader that day and we both noticed that we color coordinated our outfits for that day of worship! It was our Season of Lent look. This photo is extra significant to me because that day, March 8, 2020 would end up being the last Sunday before we would need to close the church building because of COVID19. Look at how Kristin and I were smiling in this photo. Little did we know, that in just a few days, our church would need to take a detour from our fast paced ministries and activities.
And this is why I think that our Acts scripture reading is so important for us today as we are nearing the conclusion of this long pandemic road. When Philip listened to the Spirit’s calling to slow down during his trip to Gaza, he ended up helping this traveler from Ethiopia to receive the good news of Jesus.
Even though we have been traveling on this pandemic road for over a year now, we have have continued to share the good news of our faith. Church has felt really different over these past fourteen months. And yet, we have learned to sacrifice, to adjust as needed, to be creative, and to rethink how we do church.
This pandemic road has led us to begin offering a high quality online worship option. Not only has this helped our congregation to continue to worship, but we have also been able to to connect with new people in our community.
We have offered several online Zoom bible studies and small groups and like our online worship services, we have been able to connect with new people as well as church members who have moved away but could join us from their computer. This past winter, I was able to co-teach my pastor’s online bible study with Josh King, the son-in-law of Ken and Debbie Edwards who lives in Chicago. Josh is getting his PHD in New Testament studies so he was able to share his academic thoughts with us about the Gospel of Matthew. This new connection would most not likely have happened without this pandemic detour.
[Josh King]
This pandemic detour has also led to more people signing up for our church’s online giving option. Online giving is something our finance team has wanted to promote over these past few years, and because of this pandemic road, it has given people an easier way to offer their gifts to the church. It’s one of the reasons that we have been able to stay financially strong over these past several months.
Since we haven’t been able to have children come forward for a children’s sermon, our church toys have come to the rescue. Normally, they would have been stored and all alone in one of the children’s Sunday School rooms downstairs, but they have taken on a more prominent role in our church. They have taught us how God can use resources that would otherwise be hidden away in a storage bin.
For each Sunday, and while wearing their little masks, they have not missed a Sunday worship service here in our sanctuary.
Here are some pictures of them serving around the church like helping with Monday Lunch, playing the bells, working back at the sound booth, cleaning the church, serving as ushers, and participating in our pre-recorded Christmas Eve candlelight/glowstick service.
And of course, they also had these t-shirts made for us this past fall. Church Toys to the Rescue!
The story of Philip sharing his faith with the traveler from Ethiopia reminds us of how God is with us on all the roads we take. We have learned over these past several months, that wherever the Spirit leads us, there will always be opportunities to share our faith with others and live out our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of our community and world.
This pandemic road has taught us a lot about what it means to be the church. And I’m looking forward to taking some new roads with you that are just ahead, especially, especially, the post-pandemic road.
The Post-Pandemic Road
Spirit of the living God, where are you calling us to go? What are you calling us to do? Who are you calling us to meet? Open our hearts and minds to go in the direction you want us to go and to meet the people you want us to meet. We confess that our inclination is to stay on the familiar road with the people we already know. Thank you for new places, new relationships, and new experiences that you have in mind for us. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment