In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Last week I watched a video that was truly captivating. This two-minute video was apparently part of a series of videos filmed and narrated by a modern-day reporter who supposedly travels back in time to file major historic events as they occurred. These videos covered the moment the Titanic hit the iceberg; what it was like on the streets of Hiroshima an hour before it was bombed; or what it was like at the moment JFK’s life was taken on the streets of Dallas; or what it was like in Pompeii or at Pearl Harbor or on the beaches of Normandy when each of those events occurred.
Today’s Bible reading speaks of another historic event that is seldom thought of or spoke about, but an event that changed the course of history forever. This event focuses around the calling or selecting of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. This event was not extraordinary by any means and in fact, it was really quite ordinary. Hardly anybody knew about it back then. Even more than that, the Apostles themselves were so ordinary that most people can’t even name them all. We know very little about them and who they were or what happened to them?
So, seeing how un-celebrated their selection was but knowing the impact their calling had on the world, I want to reflect on some ordinary people—historic people—who have similarly touched our lives deeply during the “ordinary” month of June throughout history—a month that will end in just two days.
So, the other day I searched for historic events that occurred in the month of June and was amazed by the results this search produced. These are a few of the more notable events I found.
- On June 1, 1619, the darkest chapter of our country’s history began with the first slave ships arriving to these shores, but that terrible chapter gave birth to civil rights and Rose Parks and Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy, whose spirits still speak to us today. In the 1600’s, this terrible chapter in history was seen as ordinary.
- On June 4, 1896 at 2:00 a.m., the first Ford rolled off the assembly line and we all know the impact that had on the world.
- On June 10, 1935, Alcoholics Anonymous was founded and saved the lives of countless people.
- On June 15, 1215, the Magna Carta was signed and the idea of democracy was set into motion.
- June 27, 1880 saw the birth of Helen Keller—one of the most remarkable women of all time.
- In our church calendar, the month of June is filled with the feasts of so many incredible saints from throughout the centuries. So, there we are. In the ordinary month of June, slavery arrived, civil rights followed, assembly line cars were first produced, the Magna Carta was signed, Helen Keller showed the world that challenges can be overcome and saints have been honored.
All these events and people, unknown at the time, played a small part on the world’s stage; yet, look at the impact they had on our lives. Likewise, Jesus called His unknown disciples. We don’t know where. We don’t know when. We do know their names, but not much else. He gave them all purpose. He gave them all a mission and look how these twelve unknown men influenced the world and changed the world.
So, what is the take home today. We, like the Apostles, have been given a mission through our Baptism. Our Baptism reminds us of the fact that we are “Children of God” and we are called to live our lives in a way that reflects this because it brings honor to God and can make this world as God created it to be and intended it to be.
So, let’s leave here asking ourselves:
- What can we do this week to make our corner if the world a better place?
- What will future generations say of us?’
- How will we have helped make their lives a little better whether they know our names or not?
Let’s help make our world as God created it to be and intended it to be.
Amen.