God and the Gravy Boat (#180 of 365+)

“Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ Philip asked. ‘How can I,’ he said, ‘unless someone explains it to
me?’ So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him” (Acts 8:30-31)

I almost fell off my chair laughing when I read Joni’s story this morning. When she was very young, too little to know how to read, she and her three older sisters were wearing their Easter dresses and sitting in the same pew at church. On that very special Sunday she heard a new hymn she’d never heard before. Her sisters sang along with the chorus: “Up from the grave he arose; with a mighty triumph o'er his foes.” But Joni heard, “Up from the gravy he arose”… It brought all sorts of strange images to her mind. She thought to herself: Why would Jesus be buried in gravy?

I didn’t start attending church consistently until my teen years but I can relate to being new to the faith and not understanding everything. I can even relate to not knowing that I didn’t understand everything. I remember the day I discovered an essential element of theology: Jesus Christ was the product of Mary and the Holy Spirit, but he’s also God in the flesh. My mind finally understood this long after I’d heard and embraced the gospel. I was definitely a saved soul, I’d received the Holy Spirit, I’d been baptized and I’d sat through hundreds of Sunday morning Bible classes. I had even taught a few lessons on my own. Yet somehow this essential piece of doctrine had eluded my grasp. It’s so important to be mindful that young or new believers, no matter how knowledgeable they might seem, still need someone to come alongside them to help them understand.

Right before I began reading this morning’s lesson the Lord brought someone to mind who I witnessed to a couple of years ago. At that time she seemed hungry for God’s love but she wanted to continue living the same lifestyle and is still doing so today. I think God was telling me to continue helping her connect the dots.

Lord, thank you for continuing to reveal yourself to me more and more every day. It would take eternity for me to completely know the depth of your love! Help me to be a good steward of the knowledge you’ve given me so far. May I remain humble enough to learn when I’m in error and bold enough to share and defend the truth when I’m right. Thank you for all your wonderful gifts and, most of all, for your incredible grace towards sinners. Amen.