Earlier this year we went on a trip to Phoenix, and
took an excursion to Page to see Antelope Canyon. Page is in northern Arizona,
and passable roads to Page are infrequent. As luck would have it, the road we
needed to take was not open, so we took a detour. This added an hour and a half
to our journey.
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| Antelope Canyon, Page AZ |
Impatient by nature, we were not very happy. After
all, we had a schedule to keep!
Today’s lesson is Acts 24:10-21.
Paul had collected money from the Corinthians to
give to the impoverished Jews in Jerusalem. He had delivered the gift in
Jerusalem, and was arrested on trumped up charges. The true reason for his
arrest was because he was a follower of “The Way”. That is, he was arrested for
being a Christian.
Paul was sent from Jerusalem to Caesarea to face
the authorities. That was the first detour Paul had to make. Standing trial,
Paul used his citizenship privileges and appealed to Rome. To Rome he was sent,
his second detour.
Our detour, annoying at the time, turned out to be very beneficial.
We ended up at the canyon later in the day, when the sun was higher in the sky,
providing some very dramatic scenes. We would have missed these if we were “on
time.” Who would have thought?
Paul’s detours were likewise beneficial. In
Caesarea, he provided a witness of Jesus to Felix, Festus and Agrippa,
governors and king of the region. In Rome, he also provided a witness to many
members of the Roman power structure, probably including the Emperor and perhaps
some Senators.
Imagine for a second that you were in Corinth and
gave money to Paul for the impoverished Jews. Your gift helped the poor, which
is great. But, perhaps, more importantly, the gift eventually led to Paul being
sent to Rome where he gave testimony, fulfilling prophecy.
Small gifts can accomplish great things.
Who would have thought?
