Almighty God, you have broken the tyranny of sin and sent into our hearts the Spirit of your Son. Give us grace to dedicate our freedom to your service, that all people may know the glorious liberty of the children of God; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. (Book of Alternative Services, 374.)

 

This morning - August 22, 2024 - the first lesson for Morning Prayer is taken from the book of Job (Job 1.1-22) The second lesson is the story of the Ethiopian eunuch from the book of Acts (Acts 8.26-40) In both stories we see person who control fabulous amounts of wealth and who, surprisingly perhaps, are good and faithful people. The Bible often has harsh words for wealthy people, but in these particular instances there does not seem to be any question of ill-gotten gains. 

Yet, in the case of Job, his prosperity leads to the question of the authenticity of his faith. Is Job's faith, his unwavering trust in God, simply a consequence of his material well-being - the fact that he is well-off? Or does it have deeper roots? What will happen if Job's material belongings and worldly well-being is suddenly cut off? Will his faith remain?

We live, today, in the part of the world where I live, in a time of great abundance. Sure, we worry about the rising cost of groceries and gas, housing and heating, but in the grand historical scheme of things we are pretty well-off. We may not have thousands of camels, like Job, but we have a lot of stuff. Cars and computers, phones and four-wheelers, not to mention electricity, running water, roads, hospitals, and schools.

What about faith? Trust in God, and in one another? Deep abiding joy that we can count on independently of circumstances? Do we have that? Recent studies indicate trends of increasing anxiety, especially among the younger generations. One reason given for this is that the path to a successful life is less clear than it has been in the past. Lisa Strohschein, a sociologist at the University of Alberta, also notes that many milestones of life that previous generations took for granted are being delayed or dispened with entirely by late Millenials and Gen-Z. "They're not homeowners, they're not in relationships, they're not getting married. They're living in the basement of their parents' home. There's all kinds of things that have frustrated their efforts to get ahead." (https://www.ualberta.ca/en/folio/2020/01/millennials-and-gen-z-are-more-anxious-than-previous-generations-heres-why.html)

The Ethiopian eunuch was in charge of the Queen's treasury, but it was not his money. As a eunuch, he would not have been married, or had children, and he was not made welcome at many events, especially religious events. It's a bit of a stretch, but one could think of him as a lonely guy living in his Mom (Queen Candace's) basement and cruising around in her car (chariot). He happens to be reading this really depressing passage of Scripture about a voiceless victim, and it has to be causing anxiety because, as he points out to Philip, he doesn't understand it because he has no one to guide him.

How many kids today are caught in that trap of victimization? The messaging is so often bleak, and instead of Spirit-filled guidance they recieve a rehearsal about how bad things have gotten. They know that the lamb was led to slaughter. They know that the victims of this world, the innocent ones, often don't have a voice. But do they know that Jesus loves them? Do you know this? Do they know about the resurrection - the life that springs forth to conquer death? The treasure of heaven, the power of prayer? Are they being led to the regenerating, rejuvenating waters of baptism and being set free to rejoice in the power of the Spirit?

If they are, then praise God for the wonderful work that has begun. And if they are not, let us pray that God guides us forth to be the mentors and the Spirit-filled guides for which this weary world so desperately hungers, bringing forth not more stuff but true spiritual fruit; fruit that will last.

Powered by Tiny