To Live in Truth Together
“…when their hour comes you may remember that I told you.”  (John 16: 4)

Jesus’s mission unfolds as passion, death, resurrection, and ascension.  His hour had come.  The way brings suffering and glory.  But he does not travel alone.  Through the love of God, Jesus perseveres.  Abba, our God, sends the Spirit of Truth to comfort and guide us.  We too draw on God’s love to testify to the truth with our companions.

Jesus foretells difficult times to come for his followers.  At its core, truth abides in love, but the road is rocky.  In truth we are creatures who may try our best but never have all the answers.  We are vulnerable and cannot make it alone.  In truth I see my faults, but they are not all of me.  With my frailty in view, I cling to God.  Together, we speak up against lies and corruption.  In truth we face ridicule and often failure.  Glory is not a distant land.  God’s face shines in the hurly burly.  Love finds us again and again.

It was Sabbath.  The women gather outside the city walls.  The circle of chores comes to an end for a few hours.  This time together is a taste of freedom.  Into their intimacy comes Paul, Luke, and their companions.  They too retreat from the clatter of the city.  Paul speaks to the women.  Lydia, a merchant, listens intently.  Perhaps she inherited the luxury trade in purple cloth from her husband.  A successful woman in a man’s world, Lydia knows there is more to life than making money.  She already was a follower of God.  Lydia invites the travelers into her house.  She and her household are baptized. 

Luke was at Paul’s side during this journey: “We set sail…”   He will be with him until Rome.  Sometimes the Spirit warns them to change their plans and take another route.  They listen.  When we seek to hear God’s word, we will change.  We might sing a new song.  In gratitude we will open our lives.  Even strangers are not turned away.