Ten Minutes for Teachers
May
13, 2007
Vol. 9, Issue 2
Worship
Texts: John 14:23-29; Ps. 67; Rev. 21:10, 22:-22:5
Worship
Theme: Pie in the Sky, By ‘n By
Other
Texts: Acts 16:9-15
Hymns
for this Week:
This Sunday will include a selection of hymns gathered from
our Baptist’s brothers and sisters hymnals – including Heaven Came Down, Leaning on the Everlasting Arms and Just As I Am. With their earthy, near-to-us flavor, these
hymns remind us of the proximity and goodness of God’s glory and grace.
Pentecost
Sunday:
While we are still in the season of Easter, Pentecost is
quickly approaching (May 27th).
As we hope to capture this historic day in the life of the church (the
church’s “birth” day), we are making plans for a special reading of our sermon
text that morning (Acts 2). Children in
Sunday school will be invited to carry streamers of orange, red and yellow to
signify the Holy Spirit descending upon God’s people – illuminating us and
reviving us.
Devotion:
Last week, when we left off in the Book
of Acts, we had the good pleasure of hearing about Peter’s willingness to
go to Cornelius’ house and eat with him.
This week, we get almost the same story – only replace Peter with the
word Paul and Cornelius with the word Lydia.
Again, this is a story of risk on both sides. It begins with Paul and his company taking
off to a foreign land – trusting God will lead them and provide for them. Now remember that there were no frequent
flyer miles back then … no Marriot Reward Points. There were no websites or AAA books to plan
your vacation. When you went on a trip,
you faced the serious risk of being stranded, isolated, lost in translation or
worse.
The closest I have ever come to a Book of Acts moment was a month spent in Romania
on a mission trip. Now Romania
(when I was there) had many advantages over the world Paul and the other early
Christians traveled: trains and
automobiles, electricity and McDonalds.
But, then again, there was much to Romania
that I imagine was not too far removed from 1st Century Greece
and Asia Minor.
For instance, the gentlemen who picked me up from the airport made sure
to pray – pulling off to the side of the road – before making our sixty mile
venture to the southern portion of the country.
He later explained to me driving was so perilous – large industrial
trucks mixed with horse-drawn carriages mixed with Fiat’s and Mercedes Benz’ mixed
with no known traffic laws – that he always prayed before and after any trip.
Beyond the similarities in transportation, Romania
also made the world of the early church come alive because so much of the
church’s work in Romania
occurred not in grand sanctuaries but in homes.
I bounced around from place to place, breaking bread and sharing a meal
with people night after night – never quite sure where the next day would take
me, but – consequently – all the more thankful for the roof over my head each
night.
Great risks lead to great rewards. The Book
of Acts makes that point over and over again. Those who are willing to embrace a great deal
of vulnerability by placing their trust in God and others find themselves
embraced by a great deal of warmth.
But the risk does not just lie with those who travel. The other side of the story is Lydia
and her group of believers who met Paul’s own courage with her own act of
vulnerability. Sometimes the biggest
risk we can take is to let someone into our house for a dinner.
It’s up to the Spirit to decide if we go or if we
welcome. But, either way, God invites us
to be open to others, whether we are in a foreign land or whether foreigners
are in our land.
Something
to Chew On:
Hospitality: The Rule
of St. Benedict – as listed in Seasons of
the Spirit: Ages 15-18, pg. 74
St. Benedict was an Italian monk who lived in the fourth century. He founded the monastic order known as the
Benedictines, which continues to follow an order of life that emphasizes the
practice of hospitality along with the daily rhythm of life spent in worship,
work, and prayer. Here are three
excerpts from ‘The Rule of St. Benedict’ concerning reception of guests.
- Let
all guests who arrive be received like Christ, for He is going to say, ‘I
came as a guest, and you received Me.” (Matthew 25:35)
- In the
salutation of all guests, whether arriving or departing, let all humility
be shown.
- In the
reception of the poor and of pilgrims the greatest care and solicitude
should be shown, because it is especially in them that Christ is received.
Prayer
for the day:
”Gracious God, Welcoming Christ, Empowering Spirit: stir the waters by which we tather. In the ways you receive us, teach us how to
receive others. In the grace with which
you create for us a home, make us bold to practice hospitality. Amen.” - Seasons
of the Spirit: Ages 15-18. Pg. 69.
