Rerouted

“. . . they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; so, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas.” – Acts 16:7-8If you’ve ever used a GPS mapping program, whether on a Garmin or just Google maps on your iPhone, then you probably know what it’s like to be re-routed.  You set out to travel from point “A” to point “B,” and you select a route that looks promising. Then, somewhere along the way, the little electronic voice tells you there’s been a change.  Perhaps there’s been a car accident, and the highway has been closed. Or, perhaps it’s just rush hour, and the route that seemed best now has traffic moving along at a snail’s pace.  Maybe you just missed your exit.  The software recalculates a way to your destination, and the little voice tells you that you’ve been rerouted.Just so, in life’s journey, a path that initially looks promising may turn out to be a blind alley, and a route that appears to be a blind alley may turn out to be a highway to your destination.I’ve been thinking about the way this happened to my father’s father Gottlieb Hembruch.  I’m preparing for a summer trip, following the footsteps of my father from his childhood in what is now Poland, toward west Germany. Those of you who were at the Maundy Thursday service already heard the story of how my father’s family had to hastily leave their home in September 1939, as war broke out, and they found themselves and their farm in between German and Russian forces. It was as if Kansas had declared war on Illinois, and the Missouri farmers between had to escape northward to avoid the tanks and artillery.But this was not the first time that war had changed the course of my grandfather’s life.  In 1914, at age 23, when it was feared that ethnic Germans could not be trusted, he was drafted into the Imperial Russian Navy and shipped away for maneuvers on the Sea of Japan. Later, back in Europe, he was taken prisoner by the Imperial German Army (or maybe he defected, as German relatives got him released from prison).  By 1920, he was settling down into marriage, and family, and farm life. Much later, as World War II was winding down, the family again was forced to flee westward, where my grandfather found both respite and employment in the civil labor pool of the occupying American armed forces.  As the 1940s came to an end, the Americans began to trim their labor pool, and Gottlieb was discharged from service through a reduction-in-force process.  So, my grandfather knew what it was like to be rerouted in dramatic ways, at age 23, age 48, age 53, and then again as he approached what we might think of as early-retirement years. At age 60, he emigrated to Ohio with his wife and two youngest sons.  Already fluent in German, Polish, and Russian, now he would have to learn a fourth language, and take a relatively menial job working in a local laundry.While such a victim of war-related wandering might be forgiven for religious doubt, it’s clear that trials and tribulations only drove my grandfather closer to God.  Looking through his Bible and carefully written personal notes, to the end of his life he was trying to discern the hand of God at work in his tumultuous and zig-zagging journey.In the sixteenth chapter of Acts, we read an account of the Apostle Paul’s second missionary journey, and see evidence how he, too, sought to discern the hand of God directing him.  On the occasion of a major rerouting, Paul and his companions wanted to go into the region of Bithynia.  But, says Scripture, “the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.” Instead they went to the seaside community of Troas.  While there, Paul heard the call to a new ministry location.Why did God prevent Paul from going to Bithynia? John Calvin, in his commentary on the passage, struggled with this question.  He felt the passage pointed to the free power and calling of God, who is not indebted to abide by human standards or wishes.^[1]  The simple answer is that we don’t really know, anymore than we know why some people get to their goals quickly and easily, and others experience many twists and turns in the journey.  But sometimes, with the benefit of hindsight, we can see the blessings of rerouting.Commentators have pointed out that the Macedonian Call marks a major turning point in the Christian Story.  Because Paul went to Troas rather than Bithynia, the Christian Faith passed from Asia into Europe.  Because the first missionaries entered Europe and presented Good News to Lydia, Christianity expanded westward, and not just eastward.  That westward movement means that all of us who trace our roots to Europe owe a debt of gratitude to Paul for obeying God’s call to take a detour.While Paul’s actions changed history in a dramatic and unusual fashion, the essence of his story is not as rare as it may seem at first glance.  Many of us have been traveling a path through life in a certain direction.  One day we are met by an obstacle.  We try to find a way around it, over it, underneath it, or through it.  But this obstacle is one that, for one reason or another, we cannot seem to overcome. Finally, we find ourselves moving in a new direction along a path not of our choosing.Some of you may have planned to retire, but some change in your cash flow means you are still working.  Some of you may have planned a certain kind of family life, but a broken relationship destroyed your dream.  Some of you may have planned a new venture of one kind or another, but family illness or death made it unwise or even impossible to move in that direction.How do we live in such circumstances?  What do we do when we want to go down one path but must travel another?  How do we deal with the disappointment of being rerouted?Among other things, we do what my grandfather did; we do what St. Paul did.  We remember that even when the situation is so bad that we cannot understand it, God can. We remember that even when we cannot overcome the obstacle in our path, God is in control in ways that will be fully revealed at the end of time.If you are someone who is in one of those uncomfortable, disappointing, confusing places on life’s journey, I invite you to do the same.  Remember that everywhere you are or ever will be, God is there too.  Listen to God in prayer; learn from the counsel of trusted people in your life.  Look for the rerouted path that will get you to the destination God has in store for you. By God’s grace, you may find that the change in life’s path brings an unexpected blessing to you, and makes your life a blessing to others.[1]John Calvin, “Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles,” chapter 16 verse 6.