February 27 – “The Voice”

Yesterday at Seaside we had an unexpected visitor join our worship experience.  Now having visitors is never an unexpected occurrence usually.  Why, just Sunday we had a couple from Arkansas who were making Galveston a little two week side trip after spending two weeks in Costa Rica.  But as exotic as that sounds, it’s not really that unusual.  But yesterday?  Well, unexpected fits it well.

I was just getting into the meat of the Scripture passage.  Paul and Barnabas and Titus were on their way to Jerusalem for the first ever Jerusalem Council to debate the first issue that was threatening the unity of the fledgling church – whether or not Gentiles had to become Jews before they could become Christians.  And just as I turned to the map to get a handle on their route from Antioch in Syria down the coast toward Jerusalem, I asked the question, “So where are Phoenicia and Samaria?”  And that’s when the interruption occurred. 

Now, I’ve been interrupted in a sermon before.  Adults stop me to ask questions or respond to my questions virtually every week.  Teenagers have moved back and forth to the donuts stash.  One little youngster even ran at a full sprint so close to me that I had to raise my leg for him to dash underneath.  But I have to say that this one was a first.  I asked the question, “So where are Phoenicia and Samaria?”  And I received an answer.  An eerily familiar voice from nowhere replied, “Here is what I found on the web on ‘where is Syria.’”  I turned toward the sound, and Amber, the lady sitting nearest the source immediately issued a disclaimer, “That wasn’t me.”  But by then I had a pretty good idea idea of who that interloper really was.  Already well into the interruption by now, I made my was over toward the sound source … my briefcase.  Sure enough, I was right.  Never before yesterday have I ever been interrupted in a sermon by … Google Siri on my phone.  At least she was trying to help.  Sadly, none of her options were really appropriate for showing where Phoenicia and Samaria were located in the first century.  But if anybody wanted to know what was happening in Syria, we were all set.  Thank you, Siri.

1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 says, “Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt.  Test everything. Hold on to the good.  Avoid every kind of evil.”

Father, thank you for fun interruptions that keep us all on our toes.  Amen.