"Is Help on the Way?"
Author:
September 17, 2020
Driving up the interstate late in the evening, my phone lit up and I realized I needed to send a text. So I pulled off at the next exit, drove onto the shoulder, put the transmission in Park, and bent over my bright phone to send a note. My emergency flashers were blinking even though the spot was rather isolated and not much traffic on that exit ramp.
I was startled to hear (feel?) a vehicle pull up and stop next to my car. Looking up, I expected to see either an ISP patrol car or sheriff's deputy but instead saw a man in a very nice looking pickup truck. The man, who happened to be African-American, rolled the passenger's side window down and simply asked, "Is help on the way?"
It took me a few seconds to understand what he was saying - especially since I had expected to be told to move along. I nodded at the man and said, "Oh, I'm just sending a text. Thanks. I'm good!"
The man drove off and I sat there in the dark pondering the fact that on a week when so much in the world seemed to be coming apart, with so many voices raised in anger and accusation, there are still people who stop to ask a stranger, "Is help on the way?" It was a peek into the goodness that God has put in so many hearts.
Jesus told a story (he always seemed to be telling stories) to help us understand what it means to love our neighbor. The story he told (Luke 10) was about a man going down the treacherous, twisting and turning road from the city of Jericho in the Rift Valley to Jerusalem up in the Judean highlands.
"Is help on the way?" I thought of that as I considered the polarization and political tension between friends, neighbors, family members and pew buddies: "Is help on the way?" I thought of that as the number of deaths in our country due to COVID-19 approached and passed the 200,000 mark: "Is help on the way?" I thought of that as firefighters in our western states courageously fought one forest fire after another: "Is help on the way?" Will we get through this and heal, as a nation? Will we look out for one another, mask and socially distance, until a safe vaccine arrives? Will we change our ways, in terms of the environment, and give the earth a chance to heal?
This Sunday, at 8:30 a.m., we'll gather in the Sanctuary for a brief worship service and send off as scores of us go out into the community for FAITH IN ACTION. A brief worship service, recorded this week, will be posted online and via YouTube. For those who join us, there will be a special, brief message, a time of prayer, and some wonderful music.
If you are going out to serve, you may be the answer to someone's question: "Is help on the way?" And, if you can't join us in this morning of service, pray for those who go out and join us for worship at 10 a.m. (or whenever you get around to worshipping with us).
Someone you know is asking, "Is help on the way?" You may the answer to the question they are asking!
In Christ,
Pastor Mark
Sign up for one of our INSPIRED small groups. A great chance for you to join others for conversation, a Bible study designed to help you fall in love with the Bible, and make/renew friendships.
TWO SERVICES on September 27th, with our Classic Service at 8:30 and our Modern (non-traditional) service at 11.
Our Food Ministry Team is serving box suppers at the church on Wednesday nights from 5-6. Encourage those you know in the community swing by and pick up a box supper for their family.
Did Jesus and the disciples have coffee and glazed donuts at the Sea of Galilee? Not that we know of, but we want to begin offering coffee on Sunday mornings. We'll do this in a safe way that takes into consideration COVID-19, but we believe Auburn is ready for Sunday morning coffee again! We're looking for men who would like to be a part of the Coffee Team as we seek to offer extravagant hospitality to first-timers and regulars alike. Contact Tammy or call the church office to join this caffeinated, contingent of Christian men who want to help us say "We're glad you're here!"
Begin praying for the exciting, congregation-wide ADAPT journey coming to Auburn First. An opportunity for you to pray, explore where we are and who we are as a congregation, and look ahead at a promising future as a servant people on a mission to change the world one life at a time.
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