So…
What has God given you to use for his glory?
Challenging question don’t you think. Most of us are perfectly happy with the idea that God has blessed us and given us stuff.
On the other hand, that God may want it back, or want for us to use it on God’s behalf is a bit touchy.
We live in times where everybody is either mad or scared that someone is going to take their stuff, and potentially use it badly, to do stuff they don’t agree with. That’s the political reality. But it can also challenge and change the way we read and hear scripture and God’s call to us, so we need to be really vigilant in listening to what God is saying through the Word.
It turns out that reading this passage without considering the context in Jerusalem right after Pentecost, or what God has blessed you with to use for God’s glory, is to miss the wonder and joy of this passage.
They had just experienced Jesus’ resurrection and the amazing gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. They were literally on fire and ready to make a difference. And so, they did!
So, I have a story for you!
It turns out that at Rachel’s school in Namibia, a donor from Britain made sure that all the boys on the boys’ soccer team got uniforms. What a cool gift! That is fantastic.
But what if I also told you that there have been no donations for the girl’s netball team.
Well, you could say, “hmm, that’s unfortunate”. Or, “ahh, that is not my thing”. Or you could say, “there are kids here in the US that need uniforms, I want to do something about that first”.
Or you could say, “Huh, I wonder how much uniforms cost, because I might be willing to make some sacrifices in order to see that a child, even one far away, even from a different country, even a different race, even a different economic group, gets a uniform.”
You see, I was over at the Otisville Convenience store by the gas station when this woman approached me and said, “You are Reverend Farley aren’t you!” My first reaction was to run! But I fessed up.
She said, “Orrin and Kelly and Evangline came to our church to tell us about Rachel in Namibia, and we were wondering how much school uniforms cost.”
So, I texted Rachel in Namibia and said, “How much are uniforms?” And she told me the story above. Imagine Rachel, the collegiate volleyball player being cool with the idea that the girls don’t have uniforms? Makes you want to do something!
Now, think about those apostles and followers of Jesus meeting in small groups and hearing that folks right there at the table, widows, orphans, servants, slaves, children, seniors, didn’t have enough to eat, were sleeping on the streets without shelter or blankets, that some of them didn’t even have the basic necessities of life.
They wept, they prayed, and then they got busy. Doing exactly what we do, and even more. They took what God had given them as resources, and began using them to make a difference.
They even took money out of the bank to do it, since in Jesus’ day - like our own, some wealth was kept in owning land and property, so they cashed out some of what they had, to do what they knew God wanted them to do.
And they did it unafraid, excited, full of hope, because everyone in the community of faith was doing what they could.
So, what has God given you to use for his glory?
Maybe a family, a car, a house, an income, children, teenagers, some talents, skills, and abilities. Maybe you have time during the day to help feed hungry folks, or time on the train to and from NYC like Elizabeth, to make cool projects, email a person who needs a pick me up note, or write a little testimony about how God has touched your life.
Maybe you are blessed to have started your “giving” early in life, and are tithing, or working on it as God leads you. Maybe your kitchen table like Janet’s could host a bible study.
Or maybe you love teenagers and can’t wait to corrupt some teens in Youth Group once your 2-year-old is a bit bigger. I got to tell you, there is no more fun than bringing a two-year-old to a youth group meeting and watching the older kids play with and care for that little one.
Maybe you are a great photographer, or a graphics artist. Did you see this week’s tie dye “O” on our Facebook page! We are #tiedyechurch! Many thanks to Sue West and her daughter for that!
What as God blessed you with?
Deep faith, a love for struggling people, amazing organizational skills, that in the context of this community of faith could help us do what God has called us to do to make a difference?
“In a powerful way the apostles told everyone that the Lord Jesus was now alive. God greatly blessed his followers!”
May it be so today, as we, God’s faithful people, Make a difference, in Jesus Name!
Amen.
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