Miss Emma Sloan -- Frank Craddock Story #7
A Reading from Acts 2
41Those who accepted (Peter’s Pentecost message about Jesus) were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. 42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.
46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
A Story from Fred Craddock
I was in this huge gathering a few years back. Up front were ministers, pastors, and seminary teachers, including me. We were supposed to tell all these students and laypeople who, besides our parents, had been the most important person for each of us when it came to the formation of our faith and our movement into ministry.
We had two or three weeks notice before the gathering, but it was a difficult matter for me. Finally, when my turn came, I stood up and gave them a name. They had never heard it before. I said, “Miss Emma Sloan.”
Miss Emma had been elderly, single. She taught me for years and years when I was a child. She gave me a Bible. She wrote in the front: “May this be a light to your feet, a lamp to your path. Emma Sloan.”
She taught us to memorize parts of the Bible. I don’t remember her explaining anything, ever. She just said, “Put it in your heart. Put it in your heart.”
She used the alphabet and worked her way around our classroom: A – A soft answer turns away wrath. B – Be kind, one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, as God in Christ has forgiven you. C – Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden…. On she went, but I’ll give you a break and stop there.
I still remember all that. In front of all those colleagues and students and church folk, I had to say, “Emma Sloan.” I had to say, “I can’t think of anything, anything in all my life that has made such a radical difference. The Spirit of God brings these verses to my mind, time and time and time again.”
Reflection and Prayer
In the book of Acts “holy habits” like devotion to the apostles’ teaching and extreme generosity played a crucial role in God’s Spirit shaping and maturing the faith of the early church. Further, the “holy habits” instilled by Emma Sloan changed Fred Craddock’s life. What “holy habits” are important for your life and faith?
How are these habits like or unlike other habits – learning to swing a golf club correctly, brushing your teeth, going out on regular dates with your significant other, etc.?
Instead of being rough on yourself for perceived failures, instead think positively about one habit of faith you’d like to adopt or deepen. What is it? How could it become more of a habit? How could it fit into your daily life more easily?
41Those who accepted (Peter’s Pentecost message about Jesus) were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. 42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.
46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
A Story from Fred Craddock
I was in this huge gathering a few years back. Up front were ministers, pastors, and seminary teachers, including me. We were supposed to tell all these students and laypeople who, besides our parents, had been the most important person for each of us when it came to the formation of our faith and our movement into ministry.
We had two or three weeks notice before the gathering, but it was a difficult matter for me. Finally, when my turn came, I stood up and gave them a name. They had never heard it before. I said, “Miss Emma Sloan.”
Miss Emma had been elderly, single. She taught me for years and years when I was a child. She gave me a Bible. She wrote in the front: “May this be a light to your feet, a lamp to your path. Emma Sloan.”
She taught us to memorize parts of the Bible. I don’t remember her explaining anything, ever. She just said, “Put it in your heart. Put it in your heart.”
She used the alphabet and worked her way around our classroom: A – A soft answer turns away wrath. B – Be kind, one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, as God in Christ has forgiven you. C – Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden…. On she went, but I’ll give you a break and stop there.
I still remember all that. In front of all those colleagues and students and church folk, I had to say, “Emma Sloan.” I had to say, “I can’t think of anything, anything in all my life that has made such a radical difference. The Spirit of God brings these verses to my mind, time and time and time again.”
Reflection and Prayer
In the book of Acts “holy habits” like devotion to the apostles’ teaching and extreme generosity played a crucial role in God’s Spirit shaping and maturing the faith of the early church. Further, the “holy habits” instilled by Emma Sloan changed Fred Craddock’s life. What “holy habits” are important for your life and faith?
How are these habits like or unlike other habits – learning to swing a golf club correctly, brushing your teeth, going out on regular dates with your significant other, etc.?
Instead of being rough on yourself for perceived failures, instead think positively about one habit of faith you’d like to adopt or deepen. What is it? How could it become more of a habit? How could it fit into your daily life more easily?