The short accounts of the state of the early Christian church in Acts today reveal two completely different processes. In the first, the Church is severely persecuted in Jerusalem and the early followers are scattered throughout the countryside. Second, in Samaria, crowds of people are drawn together to hear the preaching of the word and there is great joy in the city. This non-linear record of the history of the Christian church seems very much the case even today. Events are rarely straightforward of arranged in a straight or sequential line despite our need for clarity and prediction. That linear reasoning is a Western way of thinking that does not always serve us well. I was fortunate to have been part of an ecumenical team that visited the Russian Orthodox Church in major Russian cities as well as Kyiv and Yalta in Ukraine in the early 1990s. I was struck by how the devotees adhered to a non-linear belief that all things are happening all the time. At all times, Jesus in entering triumphantly into Jerusalem. At all times, Jesus is dying on the cross. Their faith considers God at work in times of chaos and in times of crisis as well as times of peace and tranquility. They are not alone. Scientists and engineers are inclined to think that most systems are nonlinear. But just because they appear chaotic and unpredictable, they are not random. They are just more dynamic than simple linear systems.
This more dynamic way of thinking serves me well during the current times of great confusion and chaos in the world, which is just one of many such times over the last 2,025 years of the church. As recorded in Acts, we can consider that God is working to gather the faithful together, to protect the Church, heal the sick, and to preach the good news of resurrection even while there is severe persecution in many areas of the world. We know what God has done throughout history to deliver his people with tremendous deeds of mercy. And we trust in the words of Jesus that we too will be delivered even from the chaos of death. Until that ultimate promise is realized, we live in uncertain times, hopefully with the certainty of our faith. We do not know what will happen next or even how much we might suffer. I pray today that we can rejoice in the certainty of our God who rules by his might forever even if we do not exactly how this is working.
Gladyce Janky
I joined the School of Pharmacy and Health Profession as a chaplain in 2015, subsequently working in the Law and Graduate Schools and Heider College of Business. I continued working with distance graduate students after moving to Sun City, AZ, in 2021. I transitioned to my current life phase in July 2023, when I retired. I am a graduate of the CSP program with two master’s degrees and hold certificates in the History of the Ignatian Tradition and Spiritual Direction and Directed Retreats.
Writing reflections helps me break open the transformative power of scripture. The message is alive and relevant to me when I put myself into the story. Jesus is not just “back there.” He is here accompanying me. I share what I write with others to invite them to listen to how God is inviting them to greater spiritual freedom.
