My favourite verse here is verse 7. After a description of the choosing of the men among the disciples who were “full of the spirit and wisdom” to serve at table, we are told immediately, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, that the word of God continued to spread and that many came to believe in the good news of Jesus Christ. It is interesting that it was not capability, but character which effected the choice of those to serve, but even more interesting for me is the idea that, having chosen and given out roles with integrity and wisdom, this had an impact on the spreading of the gospel. How often do we talk about gifts and talents, veiled language of capability and validity? We place certain roles (Preacher, Music Leader/Choir Master, Flower Rota Co-ordinator, it could be anything depending on what Church you are in) above others and honour certain types of people particularly because of what they can do, not necessarily who they are. Our Churches run the risk of being just like the rest of the world, but with prejudices legitimised by super-spiritual language. None of us are more special than any other. It is character that marks us out as having any kind of suitability, not anything else. There are more than enough skills to go round, is there enough integrity?
Categories