It takes a team
After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them, he said farewell and departed for Macedonia. 2 When he had gone through those regions and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece. 3 There he spent three months, and when a plot was made against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. 4 Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus. 5 These went on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas, 6 but we sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days we came to them at Troas, where we stayed for seven days.
7 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. 9 And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. 10 But Paul went down and bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” 11 And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. 12 And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted.
Greater Periwinkle | Bulgaria | April 2024
I was standing in the back of the church with one of the elders as we showed a video clip from the movie Sandlot. We were making the point about delivering us from evil based on the scene where the ferocious dog chases the kids through the neighborhood after they had retrieved their baseball from the fenced-in backyard where he was (not too securely) tied. He got loose and chased them. And they ran! But the moment that really caught their attention is when the fence went down between the kids on the ballfield and the dog. They yelled in unison, “O &%(#&!” The kids in the confirmation program that night turned around in unison and looked at us! We just shrugged our shoulders. I was thankful for that partner in the confirmation ministry at that moment!
A group of parents had come to me months before asking to talk about the confirmation program at the church I was serving. They wanted to improve it. I had been teaching confirmation all along, and really didn’t have much of an idea of what might be done differently. But I was all in for their help. We met and they offered some really creative ideas to engage the youth. We used video clips, dramatic sketches, active/hands-on learning activities along side of Luther’s Small Catechism, and the Bible to engage and teach the faith to the youth of our congregation. An astute observer may notice that I listed those resources in increasing order of importance. The end result was better because of the ideas the people brought to the table and their willingness to participate in making it happen.
People who join us in the mission of God, bringing ideas about engaging people in God’s mission, and with those ideas a willingness to put their shoulders to the wheel in the efforts can move the mission forward in powerful ways.
Luke lists some more of such people in this passage: Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus. These are some unusual names. We likely recognize Timothy and perhaps Tychicus and Aristarchus, but can barely pronounce the others’ names. But these men were important enough to Paul and God’s mission that Luke recognized that and listed their names as fellow servants in God’s mission.
You may remember key people who helped you in your Christian walk. I remember Dr. Holland, the pastor in my youth and Mrs. Young, my 1st grade teacher. Of course Jerry and Pastor Lange in college had a great impact on me. As did Dr. Aho and Dr. Scaer at the seminary. I remember Pastors Wagner, Groteluschen, and Callies. My vicarage supervisor, Pastor Wil Sohns had a huge impact on Diane and me. Dr. Kent Hunter engaged me in my first foreign mission trip (to Russia!). Steve Wagner, Jerry Kieschnick, Ken Hennings, Mike Newman, Norb Oesch all helped me hone my leadership skills. There are certainly others I could mention, but don’t want to go on and on.
They say it takes a village to raise a child. Well it takes a team – the body of Christ – to propel God’s mission. You may think of someone who has helped you along the path of faith active in love. Thank God for them. Do it now.
David Bahn - Reflections 