In today’s lesson from the Gospel of Luke, Jesus cautions his followers to be alert for false prophets. He warns them not to be led astray by those who claim to be him or who try to tell them when the end is coming. Instead, Jesus tells them, they are to remain faithful, even though they may face difficult times. The time in which Jesus and his followers lived was a much quieter time than our modern world. In our world, we are surrounded by noise and all kinds of voices. Not just people talking around us, but voices of television and radio. The printed words of newspapers and magazines. The visual words and images the Internet. What a challenge it is to stay faithful to Jesus’ message, his teachings.
I was reminded of this challenge one day this week as I listened to an interview with Bishop Gene Robinson on National Public Radio. Bishop Robinson is the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire. His election as the first openly gay man to serve as bishop caused much controversy and division in the Episcopal Church and in the Anglican Communion. Bishop Robinson announced last week that he intends to retire in January 2013.
In the interview, the reporter spent most of the time talking with Bishop Robinson about the controversy. Then, at the end of the interview, she asked him what he hoped to do after his retirement. He mentioned a few possibilities. Then he said, “I hope that I can continue to do what I have always done: share with people the good news of a God who loves all of God’s children.” ‘Wow,’ I thought to myself, ‘here he is in the midst of all this stress and pressure, but foremost in his mind is the fundamental Baptismal promise to proclaim the Good News of God in Christ.’ I say “Amen“ to that.
Peace,
Deacon Sue
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