Listen

About that time, while the number of disciples continued to increase, a complaint arose. Greek-speaking disciples accused the Aramaic-speaking disciples because their widows were being overlooked in the daily food service. The Twelve called a meeting of all the disciples and said, “It isn’t right for us to set aside proclamation of God’s word in order to serve tables.”

Acts 6:1-2

Think

This passage from Acts may seem a little jarring at first. At least it did for me. Why did the twelve disciples not help take care of the widows? Do they consider themselves to be above helping those in need even though it is what Jesus would have done? It just doesn’t sit right. But if we look a little deeper into the passage we find that the disciples were beginning the process of delegating the work of the church.

Essentially, this was one big group project that the disciples knew they could not do on their own without the church’s help. They knew that their ministerial gifts were different and that there could be others in the BIG community that were gifted for this ministry to widows. What is beautiful about God’s BIG community is its inclusion of all unique ministerial gifts. One person cannot do or be it all for the church. For the Body of Christ to work, we need a diverse group of people working together.

Meg Rooney

Pray

God, you have created me in your image with special gifts to serve you and my community.

Please remind me that I do not have to do it all on my own and I can trust you to help me along the way.

Amen.

Go

Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us.

Frederick Buechner in Wishful Thinking (1973)