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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion Thursday, January 29, 2004 Do You See What I See? |
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Frontline Devotion for
Thursday, January 29, 2004, by Anne B. Crawford
Scripture Text:
Acts 11:1-30
More than half of today’s reading is a repeat of the story in Acts 10 of Peter’s
vision that leads to the the conversion of Cornelius, a non-Jew, to
Christianity. In Peter’s vision, sent from God, a sheet came down from heaven;
on it were all types of four-footed creatures, reptiles, and birds. God commands
Peter to “kill and eat.” To a Jew, this mix of non-kosher animals, was
considered “unclean” and Peter tells the Lord that given his understanding of
what God expects of him (as a Jew) he can’t kill and eat these animals. In the
vision, God responds by telling Peter “What God has made clean, you must not
call profane.” Peter doesn’t understand the vision, until he is asked to go
see Cornelius, a gentile. He ends up witnessing to Cornelius and other
gentiles, who receive the Holy Spirit and are baptized. Without the vision from
God, Peter would not have been in the least prepared to ‘think outside the box’
and even consider preaching about Jesus to non-Jews.
A year and a half ago our church began a visioning process to discern God’s
vision for our congregation. I remember reading the background material on the
visioning process by Thomas Bandy who noted that visions come to individuals and
that they are “profoundly threatening. Core values and bedrock beliefs help
define who you are, but authentic vision will change who you are...and carry
you, your values and beliefs, in unexpected and perhaps unsettling directions.”
We are now in the process of trying to discern what God’s vision for our
congregation is calling us to do. It is both a scary (i.e., unsettling) and
exciting time as we explore new directions for ministry.
Peter and Paul and the other early apostles had no books or plans to consult on
how to establish and grow as Christians. They were much more dependent on the
leading of the Holy Spirit and God’s visions. As a result, they were often
carried in unexpected and unsettling directions, and their lives were certainly
changed. I actually find it encouraging to realize that church leaders of all
time, including the apostles, needed God’s ‘help’ (i.e., visions) to expand
their understanding of what God expected of them in order to grow and serve Him
more effectively.
Are you open to God’s visions and ready for potentially unsettling changes and
unexpected directions in your life? Can you say with enthusiasm that you are
ready and eager for God’s vision to expand or change your understanding of what
He expects of you? My personal answer is that I am often unsure whether I am
ready or eager for God’s vision to change my life. My hope is that when God’s
vision comes, unsure or not, I am able to respond as Peter did and use that
vision to transform my life to conform to what God’s vision calls me to do and
be.
Prayer: God, your visions have always called us to see you and others in new
ways and to change accordingly. Continue to work in us to prepare our hearts
and minds to be open to your guiding visions. Give us courage and insight to
respond to the visions you send. Amen.
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All are welcome to join and share in our Devotional Ministry on the "Frontlines" of the world. Frontline Devotions are sent via email daily. Sign up by clicking on the box to the left. Pastor Dave welcomes feedback. Contact him at pastordave@goodshepherdonline.org. |
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