Happy Shopping

New Testament Challenge – Day 10

Acts 16-28

Thousands of shoppers awoke before the sun today to begin their annual shopping extravaganza for Christmas. They (and maybe some of you) will go from store to store parking lot to parking lot in search of the perfect present at the perfect “Black Friday” price. Along the way you will be greeted by store managers and fellow shoppers some of whom will be past the threshold of exhaustion. They may even have very little patience for even the simplest of questions or shortest of cash register lines. How will you react under this pressure?

Today’s readings reflect the journey of Saint Paul form town to town, synagogue to synagogue, crowd to crowd in search of the open mind and eager seeker of the truth, so he could declare to them the Risen Lord and Messiah Jesus Christ. Today’s readings also reflect how along the way he encountered fellow journeyers and leaders some of whom had very little patience for the message he was sharing. Kind sounds like Black Friday shopping doesn’t it?

Over the next few weeks you will have an opportunity, as did Saint Paul, to encounter many crowd and many merchants who may be seeking the truth. The only problem is they may also be past the point of exhaustion with little patience, so the way you treat them and talk to them will be the difference between loving them and loving yourself.

This year remember the journey of Saint Paul during his ministry and make an effort to speak lovingly to other shoppers and merchants and be a living icon of Jesus Christ. You never know whom you may meet in the parking lot. Maybe you’ll be in the just the right place at just the right time to share the Good News of hope for a better tomorrow and belief in Jesus Christ.

Happy Shopping!