“I have just the book for you!” My good friend Steve, who is also a pastor, and I were talking about some issues of the day and he excitedly told me all about this insightful book that he thought would really inspire me as well. He sent me the link so I could get it for myself. I looked at the image of the book online, kept the tab open on my browser, and then did nothing. I sat on it.
Months later, we were chatting about the same thing, and he asked if I had read the book he recommended. I looked sheepish, “No, not yet.”
When I finally got around to ordering the book and reading it, I called him up right away and told him he was 100% right: I had loved it, found it extremely helpful in understanding differences in how people approach difficult situations, and was talking about it to everyone.
Why did I ignore the testimony from a dear and trusted friend? Why did I miss out for months on the insight he knew would help me?
How many times have we gotten a recommendation from someone we love and trust and ignored it?
How many times have we gotten a reminder of what it means to follow Jesus and ignored it? Every time we read a passage from the Bible, hear the Word preached, or hear a personal testimony of faith from a friend, we are reminded of the meaningful life and work to which Jesus calls us. Today’s scripture in Acts 4 reminds us what the call to follow Christ looks like, in having “one heart and mind” to be one community working together for the good of all who are in it, and the gospel in John 3 tells us that you can hear about the greatness of God without really grasping the truth in it.
So often we hear testimony of a vibrant life with the eternal one – a.k.a. God – from scripture, from our pastor or priest, or a friend, and we do nothing. We wait for a future time when we can absorb it. We leave a proverbial tab open, knowing we will likely never get around to viewing it, let alone being inspired by it.
So invite you today to pause, to be present, to read these words of scripture, to allow yourself to be moved by them, to find God in them, and to live into them more deeply and fully.
Rev. Martha Slocombe
My faith is rooted in the belief that each of us is a beloved child of God, and that there is nothing that any of us can do to change that. I grew up in a church community where my faith was encouraged and doubts were accepted, where I could find my friends, and where God was in our midst. While churches and people of all denominations are facing new challenges, the same God calls and inspires us to listen and discern together to follow in God’s path. As an educator and ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), I have served in a variety of school and ministry settings. In my role at Creighton, I have the privilege to walk alongside and support students from a variety of Christian backgrounds in their personal and communal faith development through weekly worship, social gatherings, and leadership coaching.
As someone who loves to read, scripture is full of literary gold: the drama, the stories, the juxtapositions, the metaphors, the allegories, and the surprising power reversals. The richness and depth of the written word inspire us to dig in to the text to learn more about this amazing God, surprising Spirit, and paradoxical Jesus we encounter within it.
