The road to Gaza

"Sometimes your life comes into focus one frame at a time."

                                                                                        From the movie The Majestic

Acts 8 has always fascinated me. That part that tells of the turn of events immediately following the death of Stephen, with a young Saul standing and watching to the side, holding the coats of those busy throwing stones.

After that tragic event the young church scatters all over the Roman Empire and one of the late Stephen’s companions, Philip ends up in a Samaritan city. The Samaritans, despised by the Jews and low down on the social ladder, are very receptive to Philip’s message. To such an extent that the church leaders in Jerusalem come down to witness this success story for themselves. Such good news amidst such desperate times is a blessing in itself and it is obvious that Philip is just the man for the job. I would have left him right there.

God doesn’t. He calls him to hitchhike in the desert.

This chapter, within this context, has so many layers, that I can look at it forever. But for the situation that Matilda and I find ourselves in right now it is the way Stephen is called or guided that strikes me.

He is at the pinnacle of success, obviously with a schedule filled to the brim, activities from dawn to dusk and he is the darling of the high brass. Well, something like that. But even if we take the ego-thing that we can easily project into the scene out of the picture, he is at a good place. Those who have been neglected for very long are receiving and responding positively to the gospel. Ironically, something good has come out of Stephen’s death, Philip has arrived where he is needed and he is – according to our calculations - where he should be.

“Philip, get up and go to that road leading from Jerusalem to Gaza”, says the Lord. And almost as an afterthought: “Oh yes, it is a deserted road.” (Acts 8:26)

“Wait a second, wait a second! Rewind please. Are there some pages missing from the book we’re reading? I mean, the one minute it is ‘Well done, Philip!’ Turn the page. ‘Go and stand in the middle of nowhere.’ This is ridiculous! It just doesn’t make sense. And were the poor man at least been told what to expect and given the full picture from start to finish and where all this is leading to, it would have helped. Now he has to go blind on snippets of information. It is just not acceptable!”

Our reservations and frustrations are duly noted. However, the assignment is not revoked.

And Philip goes. He goes and he stands next to that desolate piece of road.

“What are you waiting for, Philip?”

“I don’t know. All I know is that I have to be here and wait.”

“How will you recognize the thing that you are supposed to be waiting for?”

“I don’t know. I’ll know when I know.”

Far in the distance, like a mirage rising from the heat, a solitary wagon is approaching.

“Go and walk with it, Philip.”

Philip goes and he walks next to the wagon.

“Oh, for crying out loud! Is this what it’s all about? A single mutilated man from Ethiopia reading a book? (No offense, sir) This is an absolute waste of talent and resources. That man jogging along in the dirt has a way with people and crowds. A single input by him in such a populated setting has the potential to reach a multitude. What is a conversation with this man on his way back to oblivion or wherever going to deliver? Maybe a single convert. In the future it will be nothing more than a by-line in the grand account of things, if that at all. Apply him elsewhere. ‘Hey, Philip, go and apply yourself somewhere else!’”

He doesn’t. He has that conversation and a single convert. And later he shows up in Azotus, wherever that is.

“The man’s a fool!”

~ v ~

Slowly but surely The Restory is warming up. There is a growing interest in the retreats and we are privileged to see the results flowing from that. We have more than enough to attend to and invest our money in.

“Go to your road leading to Gaza, that irrational impractical place. Apply for the Living School (See the post The Living School). Do just that, for now.”

We do that. We answer the call. We apply. And we stand there in the silence, at that foolish place without money, and we wait.

And out of the distance the reply came on Friday. We have both been accepted. Out of all the applications received from all over the world, Matilda and I are part of the 215 individuals selected for the 2016 – 2018 Living School program.

“Approach that wagon and stay near it. Apply for the scholarships that are available.”

We are in the process of doing that. And we compare air fares and we calculate and we look at ways in which we can be more productive and increase our current income.

Like people crossing a stream we jump from stone to stone to get to Albuquerque New Mexico, or Azotus, or Caesarea. At this stage we are not certain as to our exact destination. We have just gotten onto the wagon. Whatever the outcome, we trust that we will learn something about the way God calls us and guides us. And about faith and trust.

There is another angle in applying this passage as well, of course. We can see ourselves as a man and a woman from Africa, reading the book of life and who will be greatly assisted, even changed by someone helping us to interpret it. For such a long period we have travelled a desolate road with little guidance, that it was nothing short of a miracle to find someone of great wisdom and love like Richard Rohr to get onto the wagon with us. And from a continent way in the background we may be, but there are indeed people there waiting to hear the new old message. We owe it to them.

It doesn’t actually matter which angle we choose to look at it.  We’re bound to end up on the road to Gaza some time or the other.

George