repentance, community and new life

Good afternoon friends,
Please remember our congregational meeting tomorrow morning at 9am before worship. We're meeting to elect officers for the year to come at Laurelton. We are blessed with great leaders, both new and continuing, so come and give your support at 9.


In our passage Peter has explained the story of Jesus and the Holy Spirit; now the people respond. They hear about Jesus' crucifixion and feel repentance; then Peter invites them to change their lives and commit to a new way of being. That way of life centers on worship and community. The thing Acts doesn't tell us, but which we can imagine, is that while committing at a deeper level than ever to community, people also continued their jobs and family life, just now as part of a community. I feel like that's our calling for a new way of doing church. Church isn't about buildings or budgets; it's about life lived in faithfulness to God and community with others. Acts gives us a vision for what could be; the question for each of us is how we will respond.

God bless,
Sam

Acts 2:37-47
37Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” 38Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” 40And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added.


42They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. 44All who believed were together and had all things in common; 45they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, 47praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

Luke's Gospel, part 2

Good evening friends,
Acts begins where Luke's Gospel left off, since it is a sequel, with the disciples watching Jesus ascend into heaven. Jesus tells them to wait in Jerusalem until they receive "power from on high." In the power of that Holy Spirit, they will be witnesses to God's love in Jesus to the whole world starting from Jerusalem. We continue the calling to use the gifts God gives us for ministry to witness to God's love with our words and actions.


God bless,
Sam


Acts 1:1-11

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.”

navigating controversy

Good afternoon brothers and sisters,
As we think this week about honesty and communication, this passage and those that follow in Acts are helpful. When the church isn't sure what to do about something we're called to pray and discuss with each other the best way to proceed. We find wisdom together as we seek God's guidance. In the case of our story, there was controversy in the church about whether Gentiles needed to become Jewish to be part of the church. As we seek to be faithful to God we are always discerning how to balance God's call to obedience with God's call to everyone.

God bless,
Sam

Acts 15:1-5

Then certain individuals came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to discuss this question with the apostles and the elders.


3So they were sent on their way by the church, and as they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, they reported the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the believers. 4When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. 5But some believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees stood up and said, “It is necessary for them to be circumcised and ordered to keep the law of Moses.”

moving on

Good morning friends,
Today I'm working on the Habitat house that UPT (Urban Presbyterians Together) is building together. There are still about 17 days left for you to get in on the building, so if you'd like to volunteer check out this link for more information. Today's reading tells us what happened next for Paul. He meets Timothy, who Paul mentors. Their relationship is an important one. It's surprising that Paul has Timothy circumcised, having just finished advocating that such things aren't necessary. At the same time, maybe Paul wanted to avoid conflict over something he knew wasn't important.

Blessings on your day,
Sam

Acts 16:1-5

Paul went on also to Derbe and to Lystra, where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer; but his father was a Greek. ²He was well spoken of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium. ³Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him; and he took him and had him circumcised because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. ⁴As they went from town to town, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. ⁵So the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in numbers daily.

departure and proclamation

Good morning friends,
Our passage starts with a few travel details. I want to highlight one detail of that because it will be important later. Barnabas and Saul (Paul) did some of their journeys with a man named John also called Mark. He was with them in Jerusalem and in Salamis. In this reading, he goes his own way, back to Jerusalem. The passage doesn't say anything about why, nor does it mention any disagreement, but Paul and Barnabas will later have conflict in their own relationship centered on this moment.

The passage overall is a great snapshot from Paul's missionary work. He often started his work in a new town at the synagogue, because Christianity was a movement within Judaism. So in the synagogue, Paul knew he would find people who already knew God's story. Like we've seen with Stephen and other sermons in Acts, Paul starts the message about Jesus by reviewing the story of Israel and God. The more rooted we are in the whole story, the more each part, including the day to day decisions we make, make sense.

God bless,
Sam

Acts 13:13-25

13 Then Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. John, however, left them and returned to Jerusalem; ¹⁴but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. ¹⁵After the reading of the law and the prophets, the officials of the synagogue sent them a message, saying, ‘Brothers, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, give it.’ ¹⁶So Paul stood up and with a gesture began to speak:

‘You Israelites, and others who fear God, listen. ¹⁷The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. ¹⁸For about forty years he put up with in the wilderness. ¹⁹After he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance ²⁰for about four hundred and fifty years. After that he gave them judges until the time of the prophet Samuel. ²¹Then they asked for a king; and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years.

²²When he had removed him, he made David their king. In his testimony about him he said, “I have found David, son of Jesse, to be a man after my heart, who will carry out all my wishes.” ²³Of this man’s posterity God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised; ²⁴before his coming John had already proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. ²⁵And as John was finishing his work, he said, “What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but one is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of the sandals on his feet.”

facing persecution

Good afternoon friends,
Today we see another side of the persecution the church faced. In this part of the church's life there was not the kind of structured and consistent persecution that happened later. At this point there was occasional persecution, but mostly, the Empire hadn't figured out what to do with the church. In this case James (Son of Zebadee) is executed and Peter put in jail. As often, God uses even persecution to share love. Today we see the same thing; in areas where the church is persecuted, people grow in faithfulness. Reading about the church's persecution then is a good reminder for us to pray for the persecuted church today.

God bless,
Sam

Acts 12:1-5

About that time King Herod laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church. ²He had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword. ³After he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. (This was during the festival of Unleavened Bread.) ⁴When he had seized him, he put him in prison and handed him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover. ⁵While Peter was kept in prison, the church prayed fervently to God for him.

service and trouble

Good morning brothers and sisters,
First, I'm out of town this weekend and my phone will not work. In an emergency you can reach me at my hotel in Toronto: 416-977-0502, room 1009. I'll be back Sunday night. We read about how the church elected seven leaders to oversee the care of widows in the church. Today we'll learn more about one of those leaders, Stephen. We'll see that while the specific ministry to which he was elected was about caring for people in need, his calling as a Christian led him to preach about Jesus. You never know where your calling might take you.

God bless,
Sam

Acts 6:8-15

⁸Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. ⁹Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and others of those from Cilicia and Asia, stood up and argued with Stephen. ¹⁰But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.

¹¹Then they secretly instigated some men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” ¹²They stirred up the people as well as the elders and the scribes; then they suddenly confronted him, seized him, and brought him before the council. ¹³They set up false witnesses who said, “This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law; ¹⁴for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses handed on to us.” ¹⁵And all who sat in the council looked intently at him, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

times of refreshing

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Yesterday we read how Peter and John healed a man in the temple through the name of Jesus Christ. That quickly drew a crowd, and Peter loses no opportunity to share the good news of Jesus. Notice how he connects the story of Jesus with a familiar story for his hearers: the story of Israel and the prophets. I also love that he talks about faith in Christ as bringing "times of refreshing." Too often we think about faith and church as obligations, when really, they can be a joy.

Blessings on your day,
Sam

Acts 3:12-25

¹²When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, “You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? ¹³The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. ¹⁴But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, ¹⁵and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. ¹⁶And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.

¹⁷“And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. ¹⁸In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. ¹⁹Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, ²⁰so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah appointed for you, that is, Jesus, ²¹who must remain in heaven until the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago through his holy prophets.

²²Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you from your own people a prophet like me. You must listen to whatever he tells you. ²³And it will be that everyone who does not listen to that prophet will be utterly rooted out of the people.’ ²⁴And all the prophets, as many as have spoken, from Samuel and those after him, also predicted these days. ²⁵You are the descendants of the prophets and of the covenant that God gave to your ancestors, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your descendants all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ ²⁶When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you, to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”

healing in the temple

Good afternoon friends,
As promised yesterday, we're focusing on Acts in our Daily Readings. In this case I'm skipping the first two chapters, which tell the story of Jesus' ascension into heaven, the apostles electing Matthias to replace Judas as the 12th apostle and the coming of the Holy Spirit with Peter's Pentecost sermon, since we've read that together recently. We pick up right after that sermon with Peter and John going to the temple. We now get to see the Spirit in action.

God bless,
Sam

Acts 3:1-11

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o’clock in the afternoon. ²And a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple. ³When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms. ⁴Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” ⁵And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.

⁶But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.” ⁷And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. ⁸Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.

⁹All the people saw him walking and praising God, ¹⁰and they recognized him as the one who used to sit and ask for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. ¹¹While he clung to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s Portico, utterly astonished.

an end and a beginning

Good morning brothers and sisters,
We've been walking through the church season of Easter, which reflects on and celebrates Jesus' resurrection from the dead. The Gospels all tell the story of Jesus rising from the dead, and and most tell stories about the risen Jesus spending time with his disciples to get them ready for their ministry in the world. Luke's Gospel takes it a step further. It talks about the disciples spending time with Jesus and then closes as they watch him go into heaven. But then Luke's Gospel has a "Part 2," which is the Book of Acts. Acts starts with Jesus giving some closing words to his disciples and goes on to show their ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit as these men and women become the church.

Today's reading from Acts sets the stage for what is to come. It starts with an introduction Luke writes to "Theophilus." It's not clear if this is a particular person Luke knew or if it's really an introduction for all believers (Theophilus means, "Lover of God" in Greek.) From there we get last words from Jesus and his ascension into heaven. Here's where our story begins.

God bless,
Sam
 

Acts 1:1-11

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.”

repentance and relief

Good afternoon friends,
I hope this beautiful day has been a good one for you. Today's reading starts with hope for God's forgiveness and ends with a promise for the conclusion of history. Even when God judges us and calls us to change our ways there is a future. God corrects us to bring us back to the right path. In the end there will be blessing. Notice too the last paragraph. God promises the Holy Spirit for everyone, not just for prophets. That's exactly what happens at Pentecost.

God bless,
Sam

Joel 2:12-16, 18-21, 28-32

¹²Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; ¹³rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing. ¹⁴Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord, your God? ¹⁵Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; ¹⁶gather the people. Sanctify the congregation; assemble the aged; gather the children, even infants at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her canopy.

¹⁸Then the Lord became jealous for his land, and had pity on his people. ¹⁹In response to his people the Lord said: I am sending you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a mockery among the nations. ²⁰I will remove the northern army far from you, and drive it into a parched and desolate land, its front into the eastern sea, and its rear into the western sea; its stench and foul smell will rise up. Surely he has done great things! ²¹Do not fear, O soil; be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things!

²⁸Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. ²⁹Even on the male and female slaves, in those days, I will pour out my spirit. ³⁰I will show portents in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. ³¹The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. ³²Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.

locusts

Good morning brothers and sisters,
This week we're getting ready for Pentecost and the gift of the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit came and Peter tried to explain what was happening he went back to a passage from the book of the Prophet Joel. So we're going to get ready first by getting to know Joel. Joel is a short book. We can't pin down Joel's setting exactly, but scholars guess the fifth century before Christ, which is after the return from exile.

Joel was sent to Israel to interpret a terrible plague of locusts that almost destroyed agricultural life. He interprets it as God's judgment and calls Israel to repent and return to the Lord. He talks a lot about temple sacrifice including grain and wine offerings to God. The locusts become apocalyptic and Joel see's the end of time. Let's take a look to see what we can learn about repentance and God's calling.

Blessings as you start your week,
Sam
 

Joel 1:1-13

The word of the Lord that came to Joel son of Pethuel: ²Hear this, O elders, give ear, all inhabitants of the land! Has such a thing happened in your days, or in the days of your ancestors? ³Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation. ⁴What the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has eaten. What the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten, and what the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten. ⁵Wake up, you drunkards, and weep; and wail, all you wine-drinkers, over the sweet wine, for it is cut off from your mouth. ⁶For a nation has invaded my land, powerful and innumerable; its teeth are lions’ teeth, and it has the fangs of a lioness. ⁷It has laid waste my vines, and splintered my fig trees; it has stripped off their bark and thrown it down; their branches have turned white.

⁸Lament like a virgin dressed in sackcloth for the husband of her youth. ⁹The grain offering and the drink offering are cut off from the house of the Lord. The priests mourn, the ministers of the Lord. ¹⁰The fields are devastated, the ground mourns; for the grain is destroyed, the wine dries up, the oil fails. ¹¹Be dismayed, you farmers, wail, you vinedressers, over the wheat and the barley; for the crops of the field are ruined. ¹²The vine withers, the fig tree droops. Pomegranate, palm, and apple— all the trees of the field are dried up; surely, joy withers away among the people. ¹³Put on sackcloth and lament, you priests; wail, you ministers of the altar. Come, pass the night in sackcloth, you ministers of my God! Grain offering and drink offering are withheld from the house of your God.

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.

community power

Good afternoon friends,
This week our theme is community. The world is scary sometimes and sometimes we don't know how the church can continue to be effective in a new time. The truth is that God is always with us and the church has always faced challenges. The way the church will be effective in the future is the same way we've been effective since the beginning. Not through fancy programs, but through prayer, faith, witness and community. Here in Rochester we're especially blessed to partner with the other urban Presbyterian churches to minister to our city. 


In this passage Peter and John have just been released from prison for preaching the gospel. The first thing they do is meet up with their faith community to share and pray. God worked then through powerful and committed communities of faith, and God still does.

God bless,
Sam

Acts 4:23-37

²³After they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. ²⁴When they heard it, they raised their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth, the sea, and everything in them, ²⁵it is you who said by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant: ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples imagine vain things? ²⁶The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers have gathered together against the Lord and against his Messiah.’

²⁷For in this city, in fact, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, ²⁸to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. ²⁹And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness, ³⁰while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” ³¹When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.

³²Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. ³³With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. ³⁴There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. ³⁵They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. ³⁶There was a Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”). ³⁷He sold a field that belonged to him, then brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

women in Acts

Good morning brothers and sisters,
Today's reading takes us to the Book of Acts, to a passage telling a story of one of Paul's missionary journeys. This is one of a few "we" sections in Acts where the third person narration of most of the book becomes first person. The best explanation is that these sections may have been the parts of the story Luke was actually present for, while the rest is an account he has woven together from research and listening to other people's stories.

This passage highlights the important and varied role of women in spreading the gospel. In the first paragraph the apostles preach to a group of women, one of whom becomes their host for their stay. The second paragraph is an odd one. Paul's healing seems to be a strange one. It reminds me a bit of how evil spirits always recognized Jesus too, but Jesus didn't want them to speak.

Blessings on your day,
Sam


Acts 16:11-18
¹¹We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, ¹²and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. ¹³On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. ¹⁴A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. ¹⁵When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.” And she prevailed upon us.


¹⁶One day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. ¹⁷While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.” ¹⁸She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.

Pentecostal preaching

Good morning brothers and sisters,
After Jesus ascended into heaven the disciples followed his instruction and waited in Jerusalem. They prayed and worshiped together and in the temple. One day when they were praying together in an upper room God's Holy Spirit came down on them like fire and led them to speak in other languages to proclaim God's love. This grabbed lots of attention and a crowd gathered. Peter addressed the crowd to explain what was going on. This was the beginning of the church, and in the Spirit's power the message continued to spread. What are you going to do with the message today?

God bless,
Sam

Acts 2:14-17, 22-24, 32-36

¹⁴But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. ¹⁵Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. ¹⁶No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: ¹⁷‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams…

²²“You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know— ²³this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. ²⁴But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power…

³²This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. ³³Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you both see and hear. ³⁴For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, ³⁵until I make your enemies your footstool.”’ ³⁶Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

healing in Jesus' name

Good evening friends,
Today's reading comes from the Book of Acts. After Jesus' resurrection and ascension into heaven his disciples kept meeting together in Jerusalem. At Pentecost the Holy Spirit came down on them and filled them with power to speak the good news of God's love through Christ, even in languages they didn't know. Not long after that Peter and John were walking in the synagogue and healed a man who had been disabled for many years. As a crowd gathered to see what had happened, Peter shared the good news in the following way.
God bless,
Sam

Acts 3:12-21

¹²When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, “You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? ¹³The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. ¹⁴But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, ¹⁵and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 

¹⁶And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you. ¹⁷“And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. ¹⁸In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. ¹⁹Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, ²⁰so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah appointed for you, that is, Jesus, ²¹who must remain in heaven until the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago through his holy prophets.

a new beginning

Good morning brothers and sisters,
Our reading for today is the very beginning of Acts. Acts is part two of Luke's Gospel, so when the author begins with a note to Theophilus he is connecting this book with "the first book," which we know as Luke. Luke is part one about Jesus; Acts is part two about the Holy Spirit working through the church. As we begin Acts Luke recalls Jesus spending time with the disciples before ascending into heaven. He reminds them that John baptized with water but promised that God would send a baptism of the Holy Spirit soon after. Jesus tells the disciples they will receive this baptism very soon. We recall that baptism next Sunday on Pentecost. This passage begins to set the stage for the disciples' ministry to the world in the Spirit's power. That ministry makes up the story of the rest of Acts; it also makes up our story today as we continue that work.

God bless,
Sam

Acts 1:1-5

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.”

Risen indeed

Good morning sisters and brothers,
This is the second half of the story we read yesterday, of Jesus appearing to two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Today they return to tell their story and find that they are not the only ones to have met the risen Jesus. Then Jesus himself appears. Notice that Jesus tells them to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit comes. Here Luke is setting us up for the second half of his story, which is the Book of Acts. Luke tells the story of Jesus in the flesh in Luke. That story continues with the spread of the gospel by the Holy Spirit's power through the church in Acts. Since Luke wrote both books, the way he tells the story of Jesus anticipates the Acts story and the Acts story continues Luke's Gospel.
Blessings on the end of the week,
Sam

Luke 24:33-49

33That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. 34They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” 35Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.


36While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. 38He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43and he took it and ate in their presence.


44Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you — that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” 45Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things. 49And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”