another teacher

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Today's reading introduces an important, but less covered figure in the story of the early church. Paul mentions Apollos several times in his letters, so we know that his ministry was effective and widespread. It also gives us a hint how important Priscilla and Aquila were.

God bless,
Sam

 Acts 18:24-28

24 Now there came to Ephesus a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria. He was an eloquent man, well-versed in the scriptures. ²⁵He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord; and he spoke with burning enthusiasm and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.

²⁶He began to speak boldly in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the Way of God to him more accurately. ²⁷And when he wished to cross over to Achaia, the believers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. On his arrival he greatly helped those who through grace had become believers, ²⁸for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the scriptures that the Messiah is Jesus.

God's field

Good morning brothers and sisters,
Paul has just finished talking about how he and other teachers do share wisdom with spiritually mature Christians, though the wisdom they share is different than the world's wisdom. Now he continues by describing that the Corinthians aren't mature yet. Paul has to feed them milk instead of solid food in terms of his teaching. The mark that they are immature is that they are divided and people make too much of who their teachers are. Paul describes teachers, specifically himself and Apollos, another important early Christian teacher, as servants of God. Like field hands, Paul planted and Apollos watered, but the growth comes from God and it is God's field. Different churches, different denominations, different political affiliations; it's easy to make too much of the subsets in our life. The point is that we belong to Christ as members of the one church, the one body of Christ. We are one in the Lord, and as one we will grow strong.

Since we're thinking about unity, this week is the week of prayer for Christian unity. During this week keep the worldwide church in prayer and pray that the unity we already have in Christ would become more visible. On Monday there will be a service for Christian unity sponsored by the North East Church Cluster at St. John the Evangelist on Humbolt St. The evening begins at 6 with a soup supper and the service begins at 7. I really hope to see you there; these ecumenical services are fun and inspiring. I've been sad in my time here how few people from Laurelton attend them. In addition, we could really use a few ushers for the evening. Let me know if you're interested.

Blessings,
Sam

1 Corinthians 3:1-10

And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, 3for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations? 4For when one says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not merely human?


5What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. 6I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of each. 9For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building. 10According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it.

Jesus calls and commissions, Apollos preaches

Good morning friends,
Our first reading introduces us to an important figure in Paul's letters to the Corinthians, Apollos. Apollos, like Paul, seems to have been a charismatic, traveling teacher. We also meet a group in Ephesus who had been baptized by John but never met Jesus or heard about the Holy Spirit. Paul explains that John's ministry was to prepare for Jesus and the people are baptized in Jesus' name. Immediately they are filled with the Spirit's power to confirm that this is what God wanted.

Our second reading shows us the third appearance of the risen Jesus to his chief disciples. It's sort of a weird story with funny details we wouldn't expect (they counted 153 fish in the net)? I guess they were fishermen after all.

The part that holds my attention most is Jesus and Peter's conversation. Peter is hurt that Jesus keeps asking him if he loves him. A number of people have argued that Jesus asks three times to match and thus cancel out the three times Peter denied him. The text doesn't say for sure but that seems like a pretty good theory. Jesus calls Peter to feed his sheep and tells him he will be "led where he doesn't want to go." Assuming Peter understands this, Jesus is telling him how he will die as a witness to his faith. Jesus finishes the conversation to follow, which Peter does faithfully and powerfully. Truly he is restored as the leader of the apostles for the next stage of ministry. I pray that whenever we fall short in our discipleship we would feel restored and full of love to take those next steps forward as well.

Blessings,
Sam

Acts 18:24-19:7
24Now there came to Ephesus a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria. He was an eloquent man, well-versed in the scriptures. 25He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord; and he spoke with burning enthusiasm and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26He began to speak boldly in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the Way of God to him more accurately. 27And when he wished to cross over to Achaia, the believers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. On his arrival he greatly helped those who through grace had become believers, 28for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the scriptures that the Messiah is Jesus.

19:1 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the interior regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. 2He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” They replied, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3Then he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They answered, “Into John’s baptism.” 4Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied— 7altogether there were about twelve of them.


John 21:1-19
1After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. 2Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. 3Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

4Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5Jesus said to them, "Children, you have no fish, have you?" They answered him, "No." 6He said to them, "Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. 7That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. 8But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.

9When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. 10Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught." 11So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. 12Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" because they knew it was the Lord. 13Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

15When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." 16A second time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Tend my sheep." 17He said to him the third time, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. 18Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go." 19(He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, "Follow me."