Trusting What Is Set In Motion

I had the chance to attend an annual luncheon for the local group Teen Empowerment (TE) last week. Every year, the luncheon is a hope-filled, inspiring event that highlights the incredible work that this organization is doing here in Rochester with young people from some of the zip codes that have been abandoned, left behind, marginalized and neglected. And it is powerful work!

As part of that luncheon, TE honors certain people who have been champions for young people, peacemakers in action or folks who have really made a difference in the community. One of the honorees was Robert Ricks – a local poet, playwright, author and community change maker (especially with young people). Robert worked with TE many years ago (that’s where I first met him) and brought his substantial talents to bear on the organization – helping to shape and inspire many young people along the way. As part of the tribute to him, people who were teens when Robert worked with the organization all recited spoken word pieces that he had inspired, and each spoke to the lasting impact he had on their lives.

It was truly moving.

We never really know what our actions will set in motion as we’re doing them. I mean, sometimes we have an inkling, but generally most of us are just offering ourselves to a bigger cause without really knowing where it will lead. Maybe it’s through our work or volunteer work. Maybe it’s what we do at church. Maybe it’s for friends or grandchildren. Sometimes we actually get to see the impact, but generally there’s a lot of trust involved. We try to set more good in motion in the world – the fruits of which we may never witness.

I have always loved the quote, “We all plant trees under whose shade we will never sit…”

In the first reading from Acts 16, Paul and company are on the go bringing the message of Jesus all over the place. They end up in Philippi and encounter a woman named Lydia – a local, successful businesswoman who sells fine, purple cloth. She hears their message, decides to have her household baptized and immediately invites them to come stay with her.

I don’t imagine that on that day Lydia thought, “I’m going to make a difference!” But she let herself respond fully and offered what she could – her hospitality. This made all the difference not only to Paul but to the church itself, and it drew her deeper into seeing the impact that she might have.

Paul and company took her up on her offer, and Lydia became a pivotal member of the early church in Philippi – founding the first house church there, helping to lead the community, supporting the work of the church through her financial means, and even offering support to the early church leaders when they were persecuted. She’s been called “equal to the apostles.” 

Due to patriarchy and erasure, we’ve not heard much about Lydia (and so many other women) to our collective detriment. Not only is she an example of the real and powerful leadership of women (as equals) in the early church, she is an example to all of us of a faith response that made a difference. In fact it’s probably not a stretch to say that what she did made the work of the church possible in Philippi and made Paul’s continued work possible.

In the gospel from John 15 today, Jesus is preparing his disciples for some challenging times. He tells them things “so that [they] may not fall away” when the hardship comes. Jesus knows that they will be persecuted. He knows that their bonds will be tested. And so he is trying to help them BEFORE the trouble comes.

Some of the young people spoke to this in their remarks about Robert Ricks. You see Robert had not led a perfect life. In fact from the age of 13 to about 30, he caused a lot of harm and lost his way. Yet when he came back to himself and his community and assumed his rightful place in it, his life became a testimony – not unlike Jesus’ – that the storms will shake us but we must persist. And thank God he did because all of the people who spoke about him only met him AFTER he’d gone through some serious struggles.

I’d ask you to pause here just for a reflective moment and notice what is coming up for you.

I know that when I was writing, I thought of the Pauls in my life who inspired me with their words and actions and made me think, “I want to do what they’re doing!” People who lit a fire inside me and changed my life in some way. People whose cause or project I wanted to be involved with.

I thought about the Lydias who took me seriously and embraced what I was doing. Their response gave me confidence in myself and then they offered me support to take the next steps – even providing comfort and belief in me when others may have turned away.

I reflected on the Jesus figures who prepared me for the hard times and encouraged me to not lose heart during the rough patches.

And I thought about all the people along the way who may never have known that I was watching and how they inspired me with simple, everyday acts of kindness, generosity, sacrifice and joy.

As we move through our week, maybe these readings will remind us to respond as fully as we can to what is in front of us, draw upon the inspiration of others, work to not let the difficult times discourage us and trust that what we do in this world may, in fact, be what someone else notices and draws strength from.