So He Got Up and Set Out

So He Got Up and Set Out

April 18, 2013

Thursday of the Third Week of Easter

The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, “Get up and head south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route.”  So he got up and set out.  Acts 8:26-27a

"I am the bread of life.  Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die.  I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world.”  John 6:48-51

Piety

A Prayer of Oscar Romero

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.
The Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,
it is even beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction
of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work.

Nothing we do is complete,
which is a way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us.

No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the Church’s mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted,
knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything,
and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something,
and to do it very well.

It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way,
an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results,
but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders;
ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future that is not our own. Amen.

Study

Philip is yet another example for us of obedience to God's will, and not his own independence.  He did not stay in his comfort zone but obeyed the voice of God and set out on a mission upon which he was destined to convert and baptize the Ethiopian. 

Knowing the Jesus is the bread of life and relying upon Him for direction allows us to turn our backs on selfish pursuits and take up His cause. 

Action

We are not stagnant creatures.  We grow and change.  But sometimes, we find ourselves looking for happiness in all the wrong places. The Prodigal Son eventually comes to his senses and returns home. We can come home as well.  Our Father has left the light on!  He is waiting up for us.

We will not get there (a life of holiness) with a magic wand, a Tardis, or by joining the Pepsi generation.  We will not get there through Amazon.com, eBay or iPhones. We have to go through a natural progress…much like the change we saw in Nicodemus in John's Gospel.

How are you accepting changes in your life to become a fisher of men?  This weekend, you will have the opportunity to support the candidates on the Men's 126th Cursillo in Arlington with your prayers and other tangible signs so that they may become stronger in their walk with the Lord.

PS:  The Lighthouse Keeper will get up and set out this weekend to be on the team for the Men's 126th Cursillo this weekend.  Reflections will be sent in advance.  Just save until needed then follow these instructions: Open.  Reflect.  Pray.  Study.  Act.