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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion March 30, 2008 Here for a Reason |
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Frontline Devotion for Sunday, March 30, 2008 by Fritz Foltz
Hebrews 11: 1-8
Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that
the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from
things that are not visible….The Examples of Abel, Enoch, and Noah
The Faith of Abraham
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to
receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going.
Recently while surfing on my television I came upon a documentary on prostitution. Curious, I stayed for a while. At one point a middle aged prostitute was celebrating the success of a phone call solicitation. She was joyous, because she said the “John” was a gentle guy so it would be easy money.
Afterwards the show found her shaken and crying, because the meeting went badly. Although I never learned exactly what happened, it was obviously not good. Hours later she was still trembling and muttering she badly needs some drugs.
As she was suffering she commented, “I’m here for a reason; I know I am here for a reason, but I don’t know what that is”. I have heard that often from all kinds of people. I am never clear all it means. It surely expresses some despair as well as the hope that the speaker counts for something.
I am not sure the words express much of a faith. At least they do not speak of any concrete mission or person that they have come to trust. Rather they expose a deeply felt need to find meaning and some yearning to contribute something to life.
Often when I have heard others speak the same words, I have responded by showing how important a role they play in my life. I try to assure them that they do have a mission even though they do not give themselves much credit. I am not sure I can say that of the prostitute. At least, I have no evidence from the documentary that her life contributes something worthy to this world.
None the less, I think she exposes an important role for the Church. We are called to make visible the hidden, thoughtfully explaining the meaning we have found in the Risen Lord and accurately laying out the purpose we have found in Christ’s mission. Hearing the yearning of the prostitute also make clear that we have to be sensitive and caring as we do it.
Let us pray: Make clear to each of us, Father, our reason for being here. And help us to enable others to find their mission as well. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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