She Looked Like a Little Garden Gnome

At our Free Store conversation on Thursday morning George Dunn led us in a discussion of Acts 1:14-20.  George said that we were going to start at Acts 1:14 and go from there.  He said, "Like golfing with me we will take the first shot and go from there even if the second shot is fifty yards farther to the pin" which made us laugh.

George started the conversation by telling us that this passage outlines how the early church chose a replacement for Judas.  He said that basically they found a text in the Psalms that they interpreted to mean that Judas should be replaced.  Then they selected two men (women being ruled out of leadership from the start) based on the criteria that the person had to be a witness to the resurrection.  At this the group prayed and then cast lots to see which man would be selected.  George said this was much like a church that he used to attend that would vote on a pastoral candidate after narrowing the choice down to a few men (women still being excluded from leadership).  He said this was simply a reflection of the democratic processes of the larger culture.  He went on to say, "The people I hang out with think Jesus is a republican" which made us laugh.

At this point someone said that casting lots seemed like a strange way to make a major decision.  George said, "When I was younger we didn't cast lots we rolled the die baby" which made us laugh.  He also said that we often pray and leave major decisions to chance because that way we can say, "It's not my fault.  It's God's fault."

As the conversation proceeded George said that although the early church chose Matthias as a replacement for Judas that there is another figure in the book of Acts that played a much more prominent and important role.  He said, "I don't see Matthias having done anything significant."  George went on to say that Saul of Tarsus, aka the Apostle Paul, was the real replacement for Judas but that his authority didn't come from the church but from a higher power because God chose him.  He said that Paul was a zealous opponent and a religious terrorist of sorts but that didn't seem to be a problem for God even though had it gone to a vote the church would definitely have passed him up.  At this David said, "That's like with Jesus they were looking for a worldly king and not a spiritual leader."

As the conversation moved to its conclusion George said that true authority comes from God through humble service.  He said, "There was probably never an uglier lady than Mother Teresa.  She looked like a little garden gnome.  Yet because of her service she spoke with authority and even world leaders respected her."  At this someone told us about a friend that says, "I just like to bake bread.  I take it to shut ins and to my neighbors."  George said, "Don't let anyone press you into a mold or decide how you should serve."  Another friend said, "You can have an exernal or an internal locus of control.  If you don't live your own life you will be living someone elses life and doing the will of another."   At this Donald said, " I go to church every Sunday.  I listen to the pastor.  I tell people don't come just to eat but to hear the word of God."