Today's meditation
The Night Watch
Romans 15:14-24: I make it my ambition to proclaim the good news, not where Christ has already been named, so that I do not build on someone else's foundation, but as it is written, "Those who have never been told of him shall see, and those who have never heard of him shall understan
In a beautiful novel called Night Watch, the title refers not to a job description but to a specific person. The “mysterious man” Night Watch feeds two people in need and welcomes them, gifts supposed to be outside his job duties.
Often people find help in other human beings, help that comes from God under another ‘name.’ The name—like Night Watch—may be friend, meal provider, protector, or any number of other job descriptions which may not seem divine in the moment. We aren’t to force upon people the recognition of God, but to help them because God asks us to. Paul wrote to the Romans, saying he felt called “to proclaim the good news, not where Christ has already been named.” The people around us need help, and they may not be comfortable with thinking of that help as coming from God. Each of us has the opportunity to detour around religion to help neighbors who feel betrayed or wounded by their experiences with religion in the past. When human beings are lost and hungry, they need God, regardless of what they call the source of help offered.
We may prefer referring to the help we receive as the “Night Watch.”
Psalms 40, 54; Joshua 9:22-10:15; Matthew 27:1-10
Copyright 2024 by Carol Mead. For noncommercial use and sharing only. For more information on this ministry, and on a free subscription to these meditations, please contact the author by email (thenewmead@yahoo.com)d."
Often people find help in other human beings, help that comes from God under another ‘name.’ The name—like Night Watch—may be friend, meal provider, protector, or any number of other job descriptions which may not seem divine in the moment. We aren’t to force upon people the recognition of God, but to help them because God asks us to. Paul wrote to the Romans, saying he felt called “to proclaim the good news, not where Christ has already been named.” The people around us need help, and they may not be comfortable with thinking of that help as coming from God. Each of us has the opportunity to detour around religion to help neighbors who feel betrayed or wounded by their experiences with religion in the past. When human beings are lost and hungry, they need God, regardless of what they call the source of help offered.
We may prefer referring to the help we receive as the “Night Watch.”
Psalms 40, 54; Joshua 9:22-10:15; Matthew 27:1-10
Copyright 2024 by Carol Mead. For noncommercial use and sharing only. For more information on this ministry, and on a free subscription to these meditations, please contact the author by email (thenewmead@yahoo.com)d."