ministry in jail

Good morning friends,
In today's reading we see some of the church's early prison ministry, in this case, ministry as prisoners. One thing I love about this passage is that Paul insists on his rights as a citizen. It's interesting to watch the different ways Paul uses his citizenship in ministry. The gospel is disruptive because it breaks into the world and calls us to a new way of life based on love. That interruption is not always welcome. May the faithfulness of the apostles inspire us to be faithful today, however we have opportunities to minister.

God bless,
Sam

Acts 16:25-40

25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. ²⁷When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸But Paul shouted in a loud voice, ‘Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.’ ²⁹The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. ³⁰Then he brought them outside and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ ³¹They answered, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’ ³²They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. ³³At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. ³⁴He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.

35 When morning came, the magistrates sent the police, saying, ‘Let those men go.’ ³⁶And the jailer reported the message to Paul, saying, ‘The magistrates sent word to let you go; therefore come out now and go in peace.’ ³⁷But Paul replied, ‘They have beaten us in public, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and now are they going to discharge us in secret? Certainly not! Let them come and take us out themselves.’ ³⁸The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens; ³⁹so they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city. ⁴⁰After leaving the prison they went to Lydia’s home; and when they had seen and encouraged the brothers and sisters there, they departed.

going new places

Good morning friends,
Today's reading is interesting, first because of the direct guidance about travel that Paul experiences. The text doesn't give any reason why they were "forbidden" by God to preach in Asia, but the vision of the Macedonian man is a key image for missionaries everywhere. The other part of this passage that intrigues me is that in Philippi, instead of going to a synagogue on the Sabbath like he usually does, Paul goes outside the city to a place he thinks people might pray. I see this as a progression in the ministry to the gentiles; Paul isn't just looking for gentiles who already worship God. It's also a reminder that if we want to reach people, we need to go where they are, not just where we are most comfortable.

God bless,
Sam

Acts 16:6-15

6 They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. ⁷When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; ⁸so, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. ⁹During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ ¹⁰When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.

11 We 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 worshipper 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.

preaching and hearing

Good morning sisters and brothers,
First, a reminder that Sunday in worship we'll be celebrating graduates, so if you're graduating from any program, we'd love to have you to celebrate with us on Sunday.

God has clearly brought Peter and Cornelius together, despite many religious and cultural barrier. So today we see what God does now that they are together.

God bless,
Sam

Acts 10:34-48

³⁴Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, ³⁵but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. ³⁶You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. ³⁷That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: ³⁸how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

³⁹We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; ⁴⁰but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, ⁴¹not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴²He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

⁴⁴While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. ⁴⁵The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, ⁴⁶for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said, ⁴⁷“Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” ⁴⁸So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.

starting a conversation

Good evening friends,
We continue the story of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch. Yesterday we saw an angel send Philip to a wilderness road between Gaza and Jerusalem. Then the Holy Spirit told Philip to go up to a chariot he saw there, with the eunuch inside. What happens next humbles me and, tradition says, gave birth to the Ethiopian Church, which is still active today.

God bless,
Sam

Acts 8:32-40

³²Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth. ³³In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.”

³⁴The eunuch asked Philip, “About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” ³⁵Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. ³⁶As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?” ³⁸He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

³⁹When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

prepare the way

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Today I have the pleasure of participating in a panel discussion about sharing faith in a medical setting. This will be a lunch time discussion at Rochester General Hospital from noon to 1 today in the TWIG Auditorium, which is slightly past the front desk on the left. If you're available during that time, I think you'll find it an interesting discussion. The other panelists are a patient and two doctors at RGH, each with their own perspective and experience.

Today's reading skips forward in the story of Jesus to John the Baptist, Jesus' cousin, who was called as a prophet to prepare people for Jesus. We read the last couple of days about the promise of John's birth, and now we skip forward to his ministry.

God bless,
Sam

Luke 3:1-6
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, ²during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.

³He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, ⁴as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. ⁵Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; ⁶and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”

no divisions

Good afternoon friends,
Last night's Halloween party at the church was lots of fun. Thanks to all who helped or donated to make it a success. Next week Supper and Scripture will be back to normal. We'll also be starting a series at the Boulevard Bar and Grill across the street from the church from 8:30-10pm. The idea is to have open conversations about important questions in life. The series is open to everyone, regardless of faith; in fact, I'm especially hoping for people who feel like they have lots of questions or skepticism about traditional religion. As long as you're interested in having thoughtful, respectful, open minded discussion, this series is for you. It's also a great time to invite a friend.


Today's reading is important in the light of the divisions our culture faces, which are highlighted by a national election. Paul writes to the Christians in Corinth about the importance of unity. He doesn't mean that everyone has to agree about everything or be the same. Instead, he means that no matter whether we agree, we are not supposed to let our leaders or opinions divide us. It seems that in the church at that time some people were taking a lot of pride in identifying with different church leaders and were looking down on people who followed other leaders. Paul's point is that human leaders are not the main idea: Jesus is. Whichever candidates you prefer, don't let that divide you from people who prefer different candidates. In Christ we are all united.

God bless,
Sam

1 Corinthians 1:4-14

⁴I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, ⁵for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind— ⁶just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you— ⁷so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁸He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 

¹⁰Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose. ¹¹For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. ¹²What I mean is that each of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” ¹³Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 

¹⁴I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, ¹⁵so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. ¹⁶(I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.)

death and life

Good morning friends,
I hope your Easter was wonderful. Laurelton's sunrise service was lovely and our regular worship was joyful including many friends and a baptism. Christ's resurrection is a lot to reflect on, so we get a whole season to do it. I'll be doing lots of planning this week for the weeks ahead, so if there's anything you'd like to hear about in worship, please let me know.

Today's reading is a reflection on Christ's death and resurrection in terms of our baptism. In baptism we're joined to Christ's death and resurrection. Faith and baptism are not just some cultural ritual, they are a matter of life and death. We commit ourselves to Christ and put our trust in him.

blessings on your resurrection journey,
Sam
 

Romans 6:1-11

What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? ²By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? ³Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

⁴Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. ⁵For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

⁶We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. ⁷For whoever has died is freed from sin. ⁸But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. ¹⁰The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. ¹¹So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

baptism and calling

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Today in the church year we celebrate Jesus' baptism and reflect on our own baptism into Christ's body. The passage from Isaiah reminds us that God loves us and calls us by name; even in hard times God never leaves us alone. Our passage from Luke tells the story of Jesus' baptism and his temptation in the desert before he began his ministry. As we start a new year it makes sense to reflect on who we are as God's children. These passages invite us to do just that.

God bless,
Sam

Isaiah 43:1-7

¹But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel:

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.

²When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;  

and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

³For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you.

⁴Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you,

I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life.

⁵Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east,

and from the west I will gather you;

⁶I will say to the north, "Give them up," and to the south, "Do not withhold;

bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth —

⁷everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory,

whom I formed and made."

Luke 3:21-22, 4:1-13

²¹Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, ²²and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

4:1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, ²where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. ³The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” ⁴Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’”

⁵Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. ⁶And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. ⁷If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” ⁸Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’”

⁹Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, ¹⁰for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ ¹¹and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” ¹²Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” ¹³When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

one in Christ

Good morning (or evening) sisters and brothers,
Today's reading reminds us both of the new life we have in Christ and the bond of baptism. In Christ we are made new and we are formed into a community of faith. The bond of that community supersedes the claims of class, race, country, even family. Christ's calling claims us and sets us free.
Blessings as you live out your calling today,
Sam

Galatians 3:23-29

²³Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. ²⁴Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, ²⁶for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. ²⁷As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. ²⁸There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.

baptized into death

Good morning sisters and brothers,
We pick up Paul's Letter to the Romans today (and Sunday in worship) after being away from it since before Lent. This letter is one of the most important in the Bible; it's also pretty challenging. To bring us up to speed very quickly, Paul begins the letter by explaining how both Jews and gentiles should know God but fall short of what he wants. God steps into that situation by forgiving our sins by grace through Jesus Christ. He explains that sin came into the world through one man, Adam, and forgiveness comes into the world through the one man Jesus Christ.

As we begin chapter 6 he explains one way of seeing how that forgiveness works. Sin is part of who we are naturally: it's in our bodies and spirits because everyone is separated from God. When we become part of Christ's body in baptism we die with him and the "death" of baptism breaks the power of sin in our lives. Now by God's grace we are alive again but free from sin. Don't feel bad if you have a hard time following Paul's argument; we're going to have a little time Sunday to chew on this idea some more. The point is that in Christ we are free from whatever holds us back from life and freedom.

Blessings as you live in that loving freedom today,
Sam

Romans 6:1-11

What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? 2By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? 3Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.



6We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. 7For whoever has died is freed from sin. 8But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

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.”

suffering and redemption

Good morning brothers and sisters,
Peter ended yesterday's reading by saying that it's better to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. Today he picks up by saying when we suffer, we're following in Christ's footsteps. Christ's suffering saves us. He also draws a parallel between baptism and the salvation of Noah's family in the ark. He doesn't claim anything magical about baptism. Instead he calls baptism "an appeal to God for a clean conscience." In life and baptism we look to Jesus to save us, and he is able.

blessings on your day,
Sam

1 Peter 3:18-22

18For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, 19in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, 20who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water.



21And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.

death and new life

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Yesterday Paul talked about how grace is more powerful than sin, so even when the law revealed how much we sin, grace covered all that sin up. Today he starts by responding to a rhetorical question: does that mean we should sin more so grace has more opportunity to show its power? The answer is, "Of course not." Here he helps us see what baptism really means.

When we were baptized into Christ's body, that means we were joined to his death. That means two things: first, we died to sin. Sin has no more power over us because, through Christ's death, we can say our old, sinful self is dead. It also means we will be raised with Christ, first now in that we have the power of Christ's new life working in us, then on the last day when the dead are raised from the dead, we will rise to be with Jesus. So we are able to be totally done with sin because our death and new life with Christ let us put it away.
Enjoy your new life today,
Sam

Romans 6:1-12

What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? 2By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? 3Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.


6We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. 7For whoever has died is freed from sin. 8But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12Therefore, do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions.

not just spectators

Good morning brothers and sisters,
Our last reading from 1 Corinthians ended with Paul saying "I have become all things to all people so that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel so that I might share in its blessings." Today he continues that thought by comparing the life of faith with being a competitive athlete. Like athletes, Christians need constant self-control and training to be successful in our quest to be faithful to God.

After this analogy, Paul describes the people of Israel going through the wilderness. He says they were "Baptized into Moses," referring to passing through the Red Sea. He also mentions that they all were "under the cloud." There he is referring to the cloud of smoke and pillar of fire that was the shape God's presence took during their journey. He also says they all ate the same spiritual food: manna, and drank the same spiritual drink: water from the rock. His point in this is to remind people that simply being part of the community (which for us is also marked by baptism in water and spiritual food and drink, communion) is not enough. We have to strive for righteousness and faithfulness to fulfill our calling. It is a calling full of blessings.

God bless,
Sam

1 Corinthians 9:24- 10:5

24Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. 25Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. 26So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; 27but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.


10:1 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3and all ate the same spiritual food, 4and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. 5Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness.

baptism and inclusion

Good morning friends,
As we begin our day this morning we keep the families of the victims of violence in Tuscon in our prayer. Events like that remind us that we are all responsible for building a better, more peaceful world.

Our reading from Acts continues the story of Cornelius's journey to Christ. As his ambassadors approach Peter's temporary home, Peter has a vision from God that changes the church's future. Our reading from Matthew tells the story of Jesus' baptism by John, which began Jesus' ministry. We read in Advent about John's ministry of preparing the way for Jesus; here we see him passing the torch.

God bless,
Sam

Acts 10:9-18

9About noon the next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10He became hungry and wanted something to eat; and while it was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11He saw the heaven opened and something like a large sheet coming down, being lowered to the ground by its four corners. 12In it were all kinds of four-footed creatures and reptiles and birds of the air. 13Then he heard a voice saying, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.” 14But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is profane or unclean.” 15The voice said to him again, a second time, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” 16This happened three times, and the thing was suddenly taken up to heaven. 17Now while Peter was greatly puzzled about what to make of the vision that he had seen, suddenly the men sent by Cornelius appeared. They were asking for Simon’s house and were standing by the gate. 18They called out to ask whether Simon, who was called Peter, was staying there.


*Sunday

Matthew 3:13-17

13Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" 15But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. 16And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."