Devotionals

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Meditation for June 30, 2005
Rev. Angela Palacious

The Church’s Role

Several prayers in the West Indian Book of Common Prayer make reference to the image and work of God’s Church. The following excerpts draw our attention to key considerations: “Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord”; “Grant that your Word may be truly preached and truly heard, your Sacraments faithfully administered and faithfully received. By your Spirit, fashion our lives according to the example of your Son, and grant that we may show the power of your love to all among whom we live”.

John the Baptizer taught and lived the holy life before the Lord came as our Saviour. It is the work of the Church to prepare the world to receive Jesus as their Lord when he comes the second time. Our message is one of the need for repentance (to be sorry for the wrong we do or the good we fail to do), forgiveness (God wiping our record clean) and salvation (Jesus’ dying in our place to save us from sin), and submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ (allowing the Holy Spirit to control our lives).

Just as Isaiah spoke to Jerusalem in chapter 40:1-11, it is the role of the Church to speak comfort to those who are suffering, to speak justice to those who are struggling, to speak good tidings to the people of the Bahamas and beyond that God is coming soon. Similarly, the psalmist in Psalm 85:7-13 refers to the peace, mercy, righteousness and truth that accompany God’s salvation.

The apostle Paul was invited by the people of Antioch in Pisidia to bring a word of exhortation, and so we must be the encouragers, challengers, and radical orators of our generation, quietly or publicly, simply or eloquently, warning our people to turn their hearts to God and change their ungodly ways: “that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days…by the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:74-5, 78-79 NRSV).

When we try to think it all out, it is too much for the rational mind to comprehend. We come back to the question: “Is anything too hard for God?” (Gen 18:14 NRSV) and to the statement: “For nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1: 37 NIV) .In the end, all we can do is respond as the centurion did when he says to Our Lord: “Lord I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed” (Mt. 8:8 NIV).

Ask the Lord to speak a word in your life: to strengthen your faith, to increase your joy, to heal your heart, to stabilize your finances, to calm your spirit or whatever else you believe lines up with the will of God. Then become a messenger, fulfilling your role in the Church as one who has the responsibility of being an ambassador for Christ.

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