By Pastor Don Schatz

Scattered Blessing

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“That day a severe persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria….Now those who were scattered went from place to place, proclaiming the word.“
  Acts 8:1,4.  New Revised Standard Version

A couple of things help make glacial ice appear blue.  The dense, bubble-free structure of glacial ice allows it to absorb the other colors of the light spectrum.  Blue light is reflected and scattered, making it the predominant color we see.  The crystalline pattern of the ice helps to scatter blue light.  The longer the path light travels in ice, the more blue it appears.  If you like the unique character of the blue light scattered by glacial ice, which I do, enjoy!

The word, scatter, and its cognates, is often found in Scripture.  It is usually not good news.  It is often judgment for sin.  The disciples, at the death of Jesus, were described as sheep without a shepherd.  Leaderless, sheep scatter.  That scattering is not good news.

But not in today’s Scripture.  The scattering of the infant church was due to something bad, even evil.  There is no denying that.  Saul (later renamed Paul) brutally persecuted the early Christians.  This resulted in their scattering out from Jerusalem.  What happened?  The destruction of Christianity before it really got started?  Nope.  “Those who were scattered went from place to place, proclaiming the Word.”

The Scriptures tell us that God works in mysterious ways, even working good out of bad.  Sometimes, the mysterious way God does that is through us!  The believers scattered.  Their scattering saved them.  In a way, it saved the Church.  Because they took the Gospel of Jesus with them.  They didn’t do so just to engage in graduate-level study and debate.  They proclaimed the Word of the Gospel.  They shared Jesus!

The Church today is scattered around the planet.  And it is still sharing and proclaiming Jesus.  Are you feeling scattered today?  Look what God promises to do in you, through you.  For others.  There are so many people around you who are scattered and cannot find or know the Way.  And look where God has you?  Scatter the seed of the Gospel today.

Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado