Witnesses to God's Love - June 14

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 80; PM Psalm 77, [79]; 1 Samuel 1:1-20; Acts 1:1-14; Luke 20:9-19

I’m still a little startled from an event a few weeks ago.  It was 5:30 a.m. and I was meeting a few friends from a run.  We were leaving from the Trak Shak in Homewood which is one of the most prosperous areas in the state of Alabama.  While the sun was not fully up, it was already light out.  Usually, at this time in the morning, we don’t see many others except for runners and cyclists eager to get a workout before the day really begins. 

This morning, two men got out of a car that was coming off of a side street.  One of the men got in a black pickup truck and started driving. The truck approached us, windows down, and the man leaned out and yelled as loud as he could, “I’m drunk.  And the South will rise again!” It’s not the words I expected to hear. 

I’ve been processing those words for several days.  Why did a man feel comfortable publicly yelling a not-so-veiled racist comment towards me and my friends?  Is this a more common sentiment than I realized?  Maybe it was the alcohol, giving him permission to express what he felt needed to be shared. Did he think we might agree? It caught me off guard and I think the reason I was so taken aback, is a belief that this ridiculousness was no longer a shared vision of our community, at least not in the place where I lived. I want to believe that at least in communities where education is strongly valued and seems to be thriving on so many different levels, that this kind of sentiment would not be vocalized or tolerated. 

The story of Acts is about the spreading of the Spirit and the growth of the Church.  Today, we begin reading through Acts which we will read through for several weeks.  I find it interesting that as the disciples are being empowered by Jesus to go forth and share their ministry, they ask Jesus an interesting question: ‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?’  Jesus reminds them that it is not for them to know and instead tells them that it is their job to be witnesses to God’s work throughout the world. 

It’s easy to want the world to be absent of racism, to be the kingdom that we know God is beckoning us towards.  I do hope (and believe) that God’s love is more and more known in this world every day.  But there might be some wisdom in remembering Jesus’ words that the kingdom has yet to be restored.  Instead, our work is to be witnesses to what the kingdom can be. 

Until the kingdom is here, we have work to do.  And we have been empowered by the one who redeems the world.  This means we are going to face things that are unpleasant, broken, sinful, and evil.  But we are witnesses to that which has the power to restore all things to God in Christ and each other.  So let us live in hope, even when some ugly words start our day.   

John+

Questions for Self-Reflection:  Where have you been taken aback lately?  Where have you found your own belief about the way of the world not matching up with your experience of the world? How does this shape your faith?

Daily Challenge: What is one thing you can do today to be a witness to God’s love?  Just do it!