Today's Scripture Reading (March 2, 2024): Acts 6
A few weeks ago, a friend was sitting in a hotel having a meeting. My
friend lives in an area that is celebrity-obsessed. I don't know whether the
people who live near my friend are wired differently than me, or maybe I hang
out at the wrong places. He was at this hotel, where famous people were known
to frequent, having coffee with a friend and he noticed a couple of semi-famous
people sitting in the room having a cappuccino. But then, he began to notice that
the paparazzi were gathering outside. Maybe that is what I don't get. People I
hang out with seem to be more polite somehow. If you are famous, we see you; we
just don't want to admit that we see you. So, we make head gestures to our
friends and then tell them not to look, which absolutely never works because we
still look.
My friend lives in an area where people seem to flock to places where
they might see someone a little famous. There, the paparazzi gather like
vultures over the carcass of a dead animal. I never see that. I never see the
paparazzi when I go to McDonald's, but I am told they exist. But maybe rather
than McDonald's, I need to frequent the Hotel MacDonald.
So, a few photographers were gathering as my friend was finishing his
meeting, and he was about to get ready to leave when he noticed that the
population of photographers outside was multiplying by the minute. Then, the
staff came into the room with a flourish, closed all the blinds, and security
stepped outside with the Paparazzi. My friend decided maybe it was a little too
early to leave. He got a refill on his coffee and then sat back to watch the play's
next act.
And then it happened. More security guards, more hotel staff, and a
beautifully dressed young blonde stepped out of the elevator. She moved past
his table toward the door. Every one still sitting in the lobby pretended not
to notice or to be too cool to notice, all while taking a good look. Then the
door opened, and the photographers outside started flashing their bulbs. My
friend said it was like there was an extra bright sun just outside the door.
And he could not believe it. My friend couldn't wait to get home and tell his
family that today he was so close to ... and there was the problem. My friend
had seen her; he could describe her and knew exactly what she was wearing, but
he had let his subscription to People Magazine lapse; he had no idea who she
was. And it is tough to brag about being close to someone famous when you don't
know who they are.
And that is part of our problem; we need the Holy Spirit, but we often don't
know who he is. God's Spirit is shrouded in mystery. The Trinity is hard to
understand in the first place, but we at least have a concise idea of who God and
Jesus are, but the Holy Spirit, not so much. In some sections of Christianity,
he is largely ignored. Sometimes, he is like the woman who walked through the
hotel; we pay attention because we think we should know who he is, but our
understanding is generally largely superficial. We really don't understand him.
And sometimes, he is simply a presence who makes us feel uncomfortable.
Seven men filled with the Spirit were chosen to care for the widows in
need. They could be trusted to do as the Spirit guided them and take care of
the church. But this was not the only time the church needed such men. We still
require people of the Spirit to lead God's church. If we are to do as God wants
us to do, we will still depend on people like Stephen and his friends. It is
the reality of any church that claims to be the Disciples of Jesus Christ.
Tomorrow's Scripture
Reading: Acts 7
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