Delegating and stepping up
by Carolyn Ehrlich
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Therefore, brothers and sisters, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom whom we will appoint to do this duty [caring for widows] (Acts 6:3).
Read Acts 6:1–15
There are two things in today’s Scripture that I want to highlight for our meditation today. First, the 12 apostles recognised that they could and should not be trying to do everything. Rather, their work was praying and preaching the word of God. Second, they chose men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, to perform ministering work in the community.
The work of caring for others in our community is important. But it takes a whole community. The apostles found that they could not do everything that everyone needed, and so some of the most vulnerable people in their community were being neglected. How do we, God’s people, view ministering work in our communities today? Do we get involved? Do we outsource the caring roles of church communities to someone else? What caring work should we, the church, be involved in? Do we select people of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, to perform ministering work? Do we simply pass this role over to our pastors – who in the footsteps of the apostles might need to devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word (verse 4)? If our pastors are devoting themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word, do we expect them to be doing other things instead?
And at what cost? We are so often worried about what it costs us to do God’s work. We are frequently more interested in what it costs in terms of reputation than we are about financial cost – although that worries us too. The cost to Stephen was great – rivalry, slander, arrest, false accusation and martyrdom – the cost of speaking up and out.
The big question that arises for me from today’s reading is ‘God, what are you asking me to step into?’ There are many, many different things that God could be asking me and you to do when we consider how caring for widows in the early church aligns with caring for those people who are vulnerable and needy in our world today. There are also many different things that God could be asking me and you to do that would free up our pastors to devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word.
Heavenly Father, there is much work to be done. Raise up in me the desire to do your work. In our communities, raise up people of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom to do your work of caring for all those who are vulnerable and in need. Give us hearts to serve you by providing care to those who need it. Lead us to help where you would have us serve. Use us to create the space for those you have called to serve as pastors in your church to devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of your word. And, Lord, bless all those you have called and who are doing your work in this world. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Carolyn Ehrlich lives in retirement with her husband Wayne in Ipswich, Queensland. Prior to retirement, Carolyn worked as a researcher in the fields of disability and rehabilitation. Today, Carolyn is kept busy with hobbies, supporting the Ipswich Lutheran Parish in various leadership roles and supporting her family.
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