Chalice from Antioch, the 6th Century( public domain photo )
Acts 11:26 “and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a large number of people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.
This is from Tuesday’s readings of this week. Today’s reading continues in Antioch but at a later date. The people there that had choices and it is important to note the evolution of Christianity through these readings. The Church had growing pains, much like Christians today. Every generation has to reinvent themselves and either accept or reject.
The first trip to Antioch was to bring the Good News of the Gospel to Jewish believers. This second trip was to fulfill Christ’s message to others from Sunday’s Gospel John 10:16“I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd”.
We see the message of Christ being spread to the gentile church. Acts 11:46-49 “ Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, but since you reject it and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth.’”The Gentiles were delighted when they heard this and glorified the word of the Lord. All who were destined for eternal life came to believe, the word of the Lord continued to spread through the whole region.”
God will never give up on any of His people. We are sheep from whatever fold in every respect. Just like he guided our ancestors in the past and us in the present. He will, also, guide the future which is our children.
I love how one piece of scripture flows into another and how the things around us flow into the scripture we just read. There is never a coincidence when it comes to God.
My wife, Anna, and I just saw the movie, “The Zoo Keepers Wife”. I am not sure if it won any awards but it should have. Without spoiling the whole story line. It is about a couple in Warsaw Poland during World War II who saved a total of over 300 Jewish people from the Warsaw Ghetto . They risked their lives and the lives of their children to do something good. Their true story was only partially told in the movie. There was an untold network of other people who helped and harbored these members of the Jewish community. They worked together to allow them to escape and successfully get away after being smuggled out of the ghetto. It was a story of many people working together to do what Jesus talks about in our Gospel for today.
John 14: 12-14 says “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it”
What are the great works today that Jesus is talking about? I believe they are all around us. I was always taught that if Jesus says “Amen, Amen” that it is time to pay attention and read the passage again. It seems to me, the great works we do today, are done as a community. So the next time you do something for the homeless, the immigrant, a neighbor or do something to support life, great works are being done because as a community we believe and ask. We can only ask that our deeds be accomplished to glorify Christ. We are the sheep that the Lord shepherds. Glory be to the Lord !
Prayer: Our choice for today is to join together to believe and pray for anyone who needs our prayers the most. Great deeds are being done at this very moment.
God Bless you,
Bob Burford
Readings: Acts 13:44-52; Psalm 98:1,2-3AB, 3CD-4; John 14:7-14
