Today’s Author: Anne Christ
From Gilberto Ruiz, in his Working Preacher commentary on last Sunday’s text: “The John the Baptist we find in John’s Gospel shows how what we do reveals to others what we believe. Have we reflected on our individual identities enough to have a sense of the talents we have, and those we do not have, to carry on the work of God in our own particular contexts? Are we aware of the sort of God we reveal to the world by our words and actions?”
Before I was a parent, I spent a few years running an after-school program at our local Boys and Girls Club – very much a secular organization. When I interviewed for the position of Program Director, all my interviewers knew of me was the work experience on my resume. All my previous time spent working with kids had been in Sunday school or bible camp, so I understood that there would be some extra questioning from my interviewers about whether or not I’d be able to ‘separate church and state,’ as it were.
I remember feeling a little rankled, since evangelizing and quoting scripture is not really my brand. I think I responded with the truth – something about how I just wanted every kid to have a safe space to play after school.
Some Christian denominations would have their adherents believe that the only way to salvation is to bring others to the Lord, and that my understated Lutheran way of being is kind of the easy way out. For me, ‘carrying on the work of God in my own particular context’ of the Boys and Girls Club meant preparing a daily after school snack, playing endless rounds of Lightning under the basketball hoop, planning cool science experiments and leading workshops on conflict resolution. God comes to us and makes us his own. My work with those kids, the time I’ve spent with my own kids, and the work I do now is just a reflection of a welcoming, loving God who calls us all his own.
Let us pray… God, help us daily to reflect your will in our words and actions. Use us to reveal yourself in our generosity, our patience and our love for one another. -Amen
Mid-week devotions are authored by members of our community. If you are interested in creating a trio of reflections to be shared on an upcoming Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, contact Pastor Peter.