Ministry in the Interruptions
“One day, while he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting nearby (they had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem); and the power of the Lord was with him to heal. Just then some men came, carrying a paralyzed man on a bed. They were trying to bring him in and lay him before Jesus; but finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the middle of the crowd in front of Jesus.”
Luke 5:17-19
There have been many times when people called or stopped by and apologized for interrupting my work. I learned in my first years of ministry that some of the most important ministry moments happen during the interruptions. While we make the best plans we can, we organize our work most efficiently and then we must do our best to work in the circumstances in which we find ourselves. Sometimes when a day is planned with precision to get the most out of the time I have available, there are interruptions – a surprise visitor, an unexpected request for help or a call that takes much longer than expected. In most cases, those are the times when my most important ministry happens.
When Jesus sat down to engage in His teaching ministry, He probably did not plan on being interrupted by a man on a cot being lowered through the roof, but on that day, that healing moment was the most important thing that happened in the life of the paralyzed man. And it was an important ministry moment for Jesus. He did not turn the man away. Jesus praised the man’s faith and healed him. There are many other instances of Jesus loving people and doing important ministry when He was interrupted.
As you go through your day, be watchful and look for your ministry moments in the interruptions.
A Prayer for Guidance
Direct us, O Lord, in all our doings with your most gracious favor, and further us with your continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in you, we may glorify your holy Name, and finally, by your mercy, obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
“The Book of Common Prayer,” page 832
