Today's Scripture Reflection
Guest Author: The Rt. Rev. Edward Little, Bishop
And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.
1 Thessalonians 2:13

St. Paul ministered in the northern Greek city of Thessalonica only briefly, a matter of a few weeks (Acts 17:1-9). He won a handful of converts from among the Jewish and Gentile communities, but opposition soon became violent and Paul had to flee the city.

Years later, Paul wrote a letter to the Christian church in Thessalonica and reflected back on his experience with them. His reflection is filled with thanksgiving: this small community of believers had been transformed by the word of God. Something had happened when they said Yes to Jesus Christ, and their lives were changed forever.

The experience of these far-off Christians, a small and often despised minority within an indifferent and increasingly hostile environment, is not so far removed from our own. Something happens to us when we say Yes to Jesus Christ.

Conversion, of course, comes in many shapes and sizes. Sudden and dramatic – or slow and almost imperceptible – people come to Christ in an infinite variety of ways. But what we have in common is this: when Jesus becomes real to us, when his word takes root in our lives, when gradually we yield ourselves to him, we are transformed as surely as the Christians in Thessalonica were transformed.

Perhaps, during the painfully imposed silence and isolation that the coronavirus restrictions have created, we can look back with Paul and ponder our own conversion. How did the word of God first come to you? As a child? As a teenager, filled with questions? As an adult, looking for sense in a senseless world? And what was (and is) the impact of the word of God on your life? How has Jesus transformed your relationships, your priorities, your fears and your hopes? When you proclaim, “Jesus is Lord,” what does that mean in your daily life?

All Saints Church, like our Thessalonian forebears, is a unique Christian community. The invitation to offer supplemental episcopal oversight has come as a great gift to me, because it put me at the center of a parish where Jesus is known, loved, and followed. I have seen Jesus in your eyes, heard his voice reflected in your voice, felt his touch in the caring and compassion that flows seamlessly from your ministry.

Even during the isolation, the online life of All Saints Church is vibrant and Christ-centered. May the Lord lead us in these days to give thanks with our brother Paul for the wondrous ways that he has drawn us to himself and planted his word in our hearts.

God bless you!
Bishop Ed
An Image To Inspire
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AS Cross
Cross at the apex of All Saints Church main entrance
"Let Us Pray"
Book of Common Prayer, p 291
O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look
favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred
mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry
out in tranquillity the plan of salvation; let the whole world
see and know that things which were cast down are being
raised up, and things which had grown old are being made
new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection
by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
Something More to Chew On
Hymn: O Word of God Incarnate
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