This past Sunday, our sister Faith shared a PowerPoint presentation on the subject of autism. And through this presentation, Bronx Bethany was able to see God's interest in the subject.
The clear word from God was that we are not merely to be knowledgeable, but that we must ask God what He wants us to do. Often at Bronx Bethany we speak of gaining information for the purpose of transformation. But is responding "practically and compassionately" just a nice tag line in our church bulletin? Can we really be practical and compassionate in this postmodern age?
Pastor Sam, in his pastoral prayer, gave expression to our challenges. We cannot ever pretend that we understand the day-to-day experiences of parents with autistic children. And we might even be uncomfortable in trying to "help", because we don't know what to do. But it seems that God is asking us to do. Not just pray, but do.
Faith spoke of the reality of inconvenience in serving. And perhaps that is the crux of the matter. Perhaps God is moving our hearts to be okay with inconvenience, to be okay with losing money and time in serving others. Pastor Sam underlined this theme by reminding us of the story of the Good Samaritan, who abandoned his own agenda in order to serve a Jewish man. (A man who, in a normal circumstance, would not even have greeted the Samaritan on the road.) The Samaritan lost money and time, and he embraced the inconvenience without looking for anything in return.
Lord, help us to open our hearts to those who You've asked us to serve. Not for the sake of a response from them, but merely because it's what You want us to do. Give us Your grace to embrace inconvenience.
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