Acts 9:32-35 Here and There Among All the Believers

 

Father Henry Whitehead, curate of St Luke's Parish, Soho, London, 1854 

Observation: This short healing story from Acts 9 stands out in two big ways for me. First, Peter is very precise in his language of healing. He says to Aeneas, a paralyzed man, "Jesus Christ heals you." Peter never claims credit for the things he does in Jesus' name. In fact, the whole point is to bring honor to the Lord.

The second thing I notice is that Peter meets Aeneas by going "here and there among all the believers." He's on patrol, so to speak. His job as shepherd of the flock is to be walking around, visiting with people and listening to their problems. 

Application: Aeneas's healing story reminds me of a book I read several years ago called "The Ghost Map," a nonfiction account of the cholera outbreak of Soho, London in 1854, an early test case for the germ theory of contagion that was later proven correct. Doctor John Snow has, rightly, been given credit for pinpointing a certain well in Soho that was making people sick due to unsanitary conditions. But the other part of the story is where Dr. Snow got much of his raw data: from an Anglican priest named Henry Whitehead, who knew who was getting sick, where, when, and which well they drank from, because he was doing the same job pastors have done for centuries. He was going "here and there among all the believers." He walked the streets, talked to people at home, at work, and all around his parish--which meant not just those who faithfully worshipped at his church, but everyone who lived and worked nearby. He was responsible for their spiritual welfare, but because he cared for the whole person, he provided a vital piece of the puzzle for a public health mystery that had plagued Europe for centuries and caused untold deaths. God put Father Whitehead in the right place at the right time. 

Pastors do a lot of things. In fact, each new generation seems to pile on a new job title: administrator, therapist, cruise director, community organizer, entrepreneur, broadcaster, the list goes on and on. But Peter's story in Acts 9, and the story of Snow and Whitehead, remind me of a role that can't be neglected: shepherd. It's important to be in one another's lives at times other than Sunday. To visit, and check in, both physically and digitally, not just in times of crisis but on regular days too. We could all stand to follow Peter's example. You never know what tasks God will assign you until you go "here and there among all the believers."

Prayer: God, send me out on patrol today. Help me connect with the people in my "parish" here in Northern Michigan, both members of our church and those in our neighborhood. I'm ready to work. Amen.