Christ's mission in the world

Good morning brothers and sisters,
As many of you know, Laurelton is part of a coalition of urban churches called Urban Presbyterians Together (UPT). The latest UPT project is an exciting one: we're building a house together. Along with Flower City Habitat for Humanity, UPT members and friends are building a house in the JOSANA neighborhood in Rochester. No prior experience is needed to volunteer, but you do need to be 16 or older. Work days run from 8:45 to 3:45 Wednesday through Saturday and Tuesday 9:45-3:45. You can only sign up for a full day. You can sign up on your own or with friends. The easiest way to sign up is through the Habitat website, which I've linked below. You can also call the Habitat office to sign up. It's not possible to sign up for part of a day. If you have any questions, please feel free to give me or Charlie Plummer a call or email.

http://urbanpresbyterians.org/habitat_project.htm

to sign up by phone: Kayla Himelein
546.1470 ext. 315

Our reading for the day is the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles, commonly called just Acts. Acts is the sequel to Luke's Gospel, so going right from yesterday's close of Luke to the opening of Acts is fitting. Notice that Jesus gives his disciples a mission and tells them to wait for the Holy Spirit. The mission is to spread the good news of forgiveness and love in Jesus Christ to the whole world. Even before the Spirit comes, the disciples are praying, which is a great attitude for us too as we seek where God is leading.

God bless,
Sam

Acts 1:1-14

In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning ²until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. ³After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. ⁴While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. “This,” he said, “is what you have heard from me; ⁵for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

⁶So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

⁹When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. ¹⁰While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. ¹¹They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

¹²Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. ¹³When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. ¹⁴All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.