First Among Many

One of the jobs of the deacon is to bring the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus, to the people.

But sometimes the people don't want to hear it.

Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and others of those from Cilicia and Asia, stood up and argued with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke. Then they secretly instigated some men to say, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God." - Acts 6:9-11

Stephen, one of the first of seven men called to be servants of God in the early church, was given the assignment to serve the widows and poor who needed food.  He probably had no idea he would find himself accused of blasphemy.

When we accept a call to use whatever talents God has given us to do His work, the last thing that comes to mind is that we will be persecuted for it, if it comes to mind at all.  But there are other ways our calling can put us in dangerous situations.

www.episcopalrelief.org

This morning, I received an urgent plea for help.  Episcopal Relief and Development has responded to the need for food, medical supplies and humanitarian assistance in West Africa (Ebola Crisis), Liberia (Refugees form Iraq and Syria) and Gaza.

Laity and clergy are working together to collect and deliver aid to these communities, through organizations on the ground and across the globe.  While we may feel moved to help, we may not feel we are called to go to these war and disease ravaged communities to work along side those who do.

I will admit that I have a hard time picturing myself leaving my family to be like Stephen, out on the front lines in real danger.  I prefer to do my work back here, where it appears safer, where I am closer to home and less at risk.

But just before the Ebola outbreak one of the men in my church who is from Sierra Leone invited me to come with him in November to his homeland to meet with his family and friends, to see what we could do to get something positive started, something that would create jobs and feed the hungry.

A close friend, another deacon, just returned from a community she supports in Tanganyika as part of another Episcopal Church program, The Carpenter's Kids, where she brought school supplies and games to children and shared her love and the love of God with them.

We are all called to do something, and that something we do varies in degrees of charity and danger.  For those who go to be among the people, wherever that may be, the danger is not what they fear.  They fear losing one more child to hunger, disease, poverty, war.

As we celebrating the 75th anniversary of Episcopal Relief and Development, why not commit to put an end to the need for disaster relief and begin to be able t o devote all our time, talents and treasures to aid in the development of lives, creating a better future?

I suspect that like Stephen, all of us will at some point find ourselves in difficult situations in defense of our faith, our commitment, our beliefs, our calling, our livelihood.  If we think that is possible and we believe there is a need to help each other through difficult times, we can be the first among many to do something to change the future.

Find a program you can support and offer something, anything, no matter how small.  If we all do it and get others to do it, who knows what we can accomplish.

More to come...