First Presbyterian Church of Roanoke Rapids, NC
16 East Fifth Street, Roanoke Rapids, NC   27870
252-537-4018,  252-537-9041(Fax),  office@fpcrr.com

In Touch -- August 2006

8 Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, 2 as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3 and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources. 4 When a great crowd gathered and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable: 5 “A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell on the path and was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. 6 Some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered for lack of moisture. 7 Some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. 8 Some fell into good soil, and when it grew, it produced a hundredfold.” As he said this, he called out, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!”

I often find myself surprised by the gospels. The twelve disciples appear so often in scripture that we easily identify Jesus with these twelve men who followed Jesus and the eleven that carried on the gospel ministry following the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. Judas is familiar to us, of course, because of his infamous betrayal of Jesus. What caught my attention in a recent reading of the passage from Luke 8: 1-8 quoted above was that there were many others who followed Jesus. Not only were there many others, but a number of these were women! Further, these women were not all members of the elite and powerful in society. Jesus healed Mary Magdalene. Scripture describes her as being possessed by seven demons. She would have likely been on the fringes of society. She would have been avoided and isolated by Jews and gentiles alike. Both Judas Iscariot and Mary Magdalene have been the subjects of a great deal of speculation. Any number of extra-canonical writings exist, some quite imaginative, that try to fill in the sparse information that the four canonical gospels supply us. The same is true of the apostle Paul, of course. Joanna the wife of Herod’s steward, Chuza, may have had an acquaintance with the royal household, but she was likely to have used the back halls and servant entrances to the king’s palace. We know little of Susanna and the others except that some at least, were healed of their evil spirits and illnesses.

It is surprising where Jesus spent his time! Evidently, he spent a lot of time with all sorts of everyday people who were plagued by a whole gamut of problems. The fact that they had physical, emotional, or spiritual problems did not seem to bother Jesus. Nor did it seem to bother those who were afflicted that Jesus was not making them rich. In fact, scripture tells us that they supported the ministry of Jesus and the disciples out of their own resources. The men and women who followed Jesus seem to be kind and generous. Avarice and greed were far from the hearts of those who followed Christ. They followed Jesus because he called them and he had touched their lives.


May God bless!

David McDonald

Pastor
 

Condolences to Gary & Kelly Swanson, who son Chris was killed in Iraq.

He Knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with a bag of potato chips and a six-pack of root beer and started his journey.

When he has gone about three blocks, he met an old women. She was sitting in the park, just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened up his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry, so he offered her some chips. She gratefully accepted and smiled at him. Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer. Again, she smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.

As twilight approached, the boy realized how tired he was and got up to leave; but before he had gone more than a few steps. He turned around, ran back to the old women, and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever.

When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, “What did you do today that made you so happy?” He replied, “I had lunch with God.” But before his mother could respond, he added, “You know what? She’s got the most beautiful smile I’ve ever see!”

Meanwhile, the old women, also radiant with joy, returned home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, “Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?” She replied “I ate potato chips with God.” However, before her son could respond, she added, “You know, he’s much younger that I expected.”

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, a honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!

Have lunch with God...bring chips

There are many people who have touched our lives in special ways, Remember to let them know how important they are!