A Lifetime of Being Faithful

A Series on Women in the Bible

 (Use the link below to read the verses.)

Luke 1:5-25; 1:39-45

[God worked in and through the lives of countless women in the Bible. These women played significant, if not critical roles in the Lord’s plan of Redemption. In this series, we will look at the faithfulness of some of these God fearing women.]

 

 

Father Greg Romanski

Greg Romanski and I grew up about a block apart from each other in Orchard Hills, a subdivision of St. Louis, Michigan. I have many fond memories of Greg as we were the best of friends for many years.

 

That is, until his junior year of high school when he moved to a Catholic school that was about thirty-five miles away. It was his first step to becoming a priest. After that, we visited each other a few times, but otherwise, it has been about fifty years. I had planned to visit him this summer, until I read that he had passed away.

 

By all accounts, Greg had served the Lord faithfully for decades. Although he had his shortcoming, and he wasn’t rich or famous; he did touch the lives of countless people, and loved God. You can’t ask for more than that.

 

The same seems to be true of Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. Her story unfolds like this.

 

⁶ Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. ⁷ They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.   NLT

 

On one occasion when Zachariah was serving as a priest, the angel Gabriel appeared to him and promised that he, and his wife Elizabeth, would have a child. As unbelievable as this promise was, it came true.

 

²⁴ After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. ²⁵ “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”         NIV

 

Luke 1 weaves together the stories of Mary, who gave birth to Jesus, and Elizabeth who gave birth to John. Both of them were pregnant when the following interaction took place.

 

⁴¹ When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴² In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear…

⁴⁵ Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”       NIV

 

Like Elizabeth, we too will be blessed if we believe that the Lord will fulfill his promises to us. The promise to always love us; to always be with us; to always be faithful to His word. Therefore, let us live a lifetime of being faithful; like my friend Greg.

 

Copyright 2021 Joseph B Williams

 

 

Father Greg and his brother Jim

Rev. Gregory Romanski, a Catholic priest for 43 years, died on Good Friday, April 10, 2020 in Austin at the age of 71. He was born on February 10, 1949 in Alma, Michigan to Alex J. and Helen L. Romanski. Rev. Romanski attended Villanova University and Washington Theology University.
                                                                             
Rev. Romanski was ordained for the Paulist Fathers on May 14, 1977 and served in parishes in New York City and Greensboro, North Carolina before coming to Austin in 1989. He was affectionately known as Father Greg by his parishioners. 

 

 

 

LOSER!!!

   A Series on Women in the Bible
 (Use the link below to read the verses.)
Genesis 17:1-22

[God worked in and through the lives of countless women in the Bible. These women played significant, if not critical roles in the Lord’s plan of Redemption. In this series, we will look at the faithfulness of some of these God fearing women.]

  

Loser! What image does that word bring to your mind? 

The team that lost a game in overtime? Or the one that got beaten so badly it was embarrassing? A homeless person panhandling on a street corner? A geek; a convict; a dork; an addict; an obese person? The person in your office who can’t do anything right? Yourself?

 

I think Sarai may have felt like a loser most of her life.

 

Due to a severe famine in Canaan, Sarai and Abram traveled to Egypt. Before entering, Abram told Sarai to lie; to say that she wasn’t his wife, but his sister. He said this because she was so beautiful that he feared for his life. This happened not once, but twice.

 

I would imagine that, as a result of Abram’s request to lie, that Sarai could easily have felt like a piece of property; like she didn’t matter; like a loser.

 

Also, Sarai couldn’t conceive. This was a source of great shame; of self-loathing; of failure. As a result, Sarai suggested to Abram that he take their servant Hagar as a concubine to conceive a descendant. Which he did. But this caused even more problems because then Hagar despised Sarai; and Sarai mistreated Hagar.

 

Despite all that she had done to please her husband, Sarai most likely felt like a complete failure because she was unable to fulfill the most important role of a woman in that culture; to bear children, and provide a descendant for her husband. Her identity was defined by her failure.

 

But that isn’t how God defined her.

 

She is commended for her faith in Hebrews 11. Then in Galatians 4, she is recognized as the mother of the covenant nation in an allegorical comparison between her and Hagar. Sarai was not a loser!

 

It’s important for us to remember Sarai’s story; her faith; her legacy. Because we all go through periods where we fail; where we feel like a loser. The Good News is that even if we feel like a failure, the Lord is at work in our life; He can turn our failure into His victory; He can accomplish His will in our life.

 

Copyright 2021 Joseph B Williams

 

 

 

 

Fifteen Seconds of Fame

A Series on Women in the Bible
 (Use the link below to read the verses.)
Exodus 15:20-21

[God worked in and through the lives of countless women in the Bible. These women played significant, if not critical roles in the Lord’s plan of Redemption. In this series, we will look at the faithfulness of some of these God fearing women.]

  

Geico is known for its weird, if not funny, TV commercials. 

The most recent involves the U.S. Olympic gold medalist winner, McKayla Maroney. Two young guys throwing a Frisbee, inadvertently throw it on top of a roof. McKayla saves the day by doing a gymnastic run to the roof to retrieve the Frisbee. Mission accomplished.

 

Olympic athletes typically work hard for four years in obscurity, putting in thousands of hours of practice and preparation, for a few seconds of competition to try to win a medal. Most never succeed. Only a few will ever get recognition for their dedication; their fifteen seconds of fame. That’s how it was for Miriam.

 

You remember her right? She was Moses and Aaron’s older sister. Apparently, most of her life was pretty uneventful. Besides her death, she is only mentioned three times in the Bible.

 

The first time she is the doting older sister who watched Moses as he floated down the Nile River in a basket until the Pharaoh’s daughter rescued him. What a good sister she was.

 

The second time was in the midst of Israel’s Exodus to the Promised Land. Miriam and Aaron complained that Moses was getting all the attention and making all the decisions. Talk about bad timing.

 

The final event was following the death of Pharaoh, and all of his horsemen, who were drowned as the wall of water from the Red Sea swallowed them up. Finally, Miriam’s fifteen seconds of fame.

 

²⁰ Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine and led all the women as they played their tambourines and danced. ²¹ And Miriam sang this song:

“Sing to the Lord,
    for he has triumphed gloriously;
he has hurled both horse and rider
    into the sea.”        NLT

 

Whether we ever experience our own fifteen seconds of fame, it’s easy to relate to Miriam. She had her good moments, and her bad. And like her, most of us live pretty quiet lives; uneventful even.

 

But, we can also be inspired by her. Between tracking her baby brother Moses, which resulted in him staying alive to lead Israel to the Promised Land; and leading a celebration of one of the most memorable acts of God in the Bible; I think you’d have to agree that she played an integral part of God’s plan of redemption.

 

What part are you playing in His plan?

 

Copyright 2021 Joseph B Williams