Shipwrecks, Snowmageddon and the Spiritual Life
By the Sea, a horizon of invisibility.
For some months now we in the Sunday Morning Bible Study group have been deliberating over The Acts of the Apostles. It is 28 chapters long, begins with the ascension of Christ, moves to the initial events that shaped the Apostles and Elders and deacons and then culminates with the thirteenth apostle, Paul, on a glide path to Rome where he was to be heard before the Emperor. Except we never see that trial. The book ends with Paul teaching in his apartment in Rome. Something catastrophic happened to deny us closure to his life and that was likely the Neronian persecuation around 60 AD.
I got to thinking that with the 27th chapter and the journey at sea and an eventual ship wreck and then the lack of closure in Acts, that this pretty much sums up our lives. We plan. We look ahead, as we must. But inevitably someone else pens the final words to the narrative of our lives. Things don’t always turn out as we plan them. There are lots of loose ends and fragmented chapters. Knowing how to live in that kind of narrative is crucial. One might say that living without closure –or how about this, living in an impermanent world–might mean giving up ideas about permanence or control. Sometimes you ride the storm out, as we did with “snowmageddon” this week-end. Some times things are just not in our control. So we head out with our shovels and we do our best to trek on. That’s the spirit and it is also the nature of the closing chapter of Acts.
I’m glad we studied Acts. We can thank Deacon Lillie Ransom for having suggested it. A great idea it was! Now we proceed to take a break from bible study per se. For three weeks, Deacon Terryn Nelson will lead a discussion around sermons. We have chosen three sermons for you to read. One is by the Christian novelist, Frederick Buechner wherein he talks about a “stewardship of pain.” Another is by the chaplain of Harvard University, Peter Gomes, who speaks to the nature of Epiphany, a word most of us Baptists are clueless about. Never fear, Gomes will clue you in. Finally, there will be a sermon by yours truly entitled, Fast Food of the Gods. So I hope you’ll enjoy the break and connect with Terryn. When that is finished, we’ll move on to study Galatians, for our study of Acts has now made us quite prepared to take on the epistles.
Loose threads in your life? tie them up as you can or wear them as a prayer shaw, its fringe frayed around your shoulders. Lacking closure? Try closing your evenings with a simple prayer like the Kyrie: Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy. Amen. That “amen” goes deep as any period at the end of a poem. Grace & Peace,
Pastor Bledsoe
I have enjoyed studying Acts immensely. I have learned so much about the experiences of the early church or The Way, their name prior to being called Christians. It gave me more insight into Paul, the self-appointed apostle! Who knew!
I look forward to studying Galatians and continuing with the other epistles.
Unfinished business in our lives. Yes, as a society we do deal with being socialized to have goals – short-term, long-term, 5-year plan, 10-year plan, etc. There are milestones that I thought I would accomplish but didn’t due to life experiences, fear and my own decision-making. Yes, there are decisions that we make that can derail the rest of our lives and we found out what we’re made of depending on how we respond. Many never get back on track. The truth of that has resonated with me deeply these days. It is very sad. But the one who is willing to seek God and to know God has a much better chance of finding their way. I find myself pursuing God to find my way forward toward peace, and contentment. To take what I have ended up with in my life and going forward. Now I know what Pastor Bledsoe means when he talks about our lives being a prayer, or a sacrifice that we pray will be a sweet incense to God.