Interruptions
Oct 19, 20091 Sam 9:1-10:13 details the story of Saul, Israel’s first king. The story starts in an unusual way. The donkeys belonging to Saul’s father, Kish, escape and he sends Saul and a servant to go off to find them. They search high and low and yet come up empty. Finally, as a last resort they decide to inquire of the prophet Samuel in a nearby town.
Just the day before, the LORD came to Samuel and said, “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him leader over my people Israel…” (1 Samuel 9:16).
It all happens as the LORD said. Saul comes to Samuel and Samuel anoints him as king over Israel. And how did it all begin? Lost donkeys. An interruption that was “wasting” Saul’s time.
Doesn’t it sometimes feel like that for us? The thing which we don’t want to do, that which seems to be distracting us, ends up being a step towards our life goal, the fulfillment of a dream, or the realization of another piece of God’s purpose coming together in your life.
So, how do we deal with interruptions? How do we respond to those things which are unplanned and unforeseen?
Throughout the gospels we see that this was constantly happening in the life of Christ. A woman came up to him on his way to raising a dead little girl to life and he stopped and healed her. Two blind men call out, interrupting his journey, and Jesus stops to heal them. People bring their babies to be blessed by him, interrupting what he’s doing, and he stops all to bless them. This happens again and again in the life of Christ.
So what kept him grounded, able to answer definitively “yes” or “no” to these opportunities that came his way? One word: Prayer.
Mark 1:35 says, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”
Jesus prayed and sought direction from the Lord. He was guided in those quiet moments and able to discern where God would have him go.
In the next verses, when the disciples came to rush him off into the activity of those who were seeking him, his answer was, no, its time for us to move on to the nearby villages. How did Jesus know that this interruption was not for him? From the time he had spent with God.
“It has been the interruptions to my everyday life that have most revealed to me the divine mystery of which I am a part. All of these interruptions presented themselves as opportunities; invited me to look in a new way at my identity before God. Each interruption took something away from me; each interruption offered something new.”
- Henri Nouwen
As we approach today, may God be our guide through the expected and the unexpected happenings. In prayer may we hear where and when and how to go about living now, seizing each moment as what it is – a gift from God.
-Pastor Tara VinCross
Praise!
Aug 07, 2009Check out the wonderful things that God did through Philadelphia Youth Challenge this summer. Watch the summer in review video here.
This was a dream that was realized through the prayers, love and faith of the entire church body.
Together we say,
Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples!
Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wondrous works!
—Psalm 105:1-2
Choice
Jul 06, 2009I love the story of Rosa Parks. As I was studying and preparing to preach last week on the subject of Freedom, I read Rosa Park’s story again, looked at pictures and reflected on the time when she stood, or rather, sat for justice. She had experienced discrimination for over 40 years, and yet at that crucial point in our nation’s history, she chose to take that experience and refuse to put up with it any longer. On December 1, 1955, she chose to fight a racist system and change the course of history.
Holocaust survivor Victor Frankl says, “If we don’t consciously decide what sort of person we want to be and become, our environment and our experience determine our identity and our destiny for us.”
We also have a choice. As the word of God says,
“Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.” (Isaiah 55:6)
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)
“This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” (Deuteronomy 30:19, 20)
We have the choice today. We can choose to seek God, choose life and live for the kingdom now. We can choose to let go, to forgive, to speak up against injustice, to share our hope in Jesus, to stop our busy activity to let someone know they’re not alone. We can choose to invest in what matters.
What kind of person will you become? What kind of person will I become?
As you choose to live today,
May God bless you and protect you.
May God’s presence shine on you and be gracious to you.
May God’s presence turn toward you and grant you peace.
Amen.
- Pastor Tara VinCross
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