One Way Or Another

Acts 8:14-25

One of the more interesting details to emerge from Acts is the fact that there is no set pattern by which individuals come to full inclusion in the faith. Our reading today is a good example. “Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus)” (Acts 8:14-16). Elsewhere we read that the Spirit is received at the time of baptism, and occasionally the Spirit comes before baptism, but here the Spirit does not arrive until well after baptism. What then shall we say about these things?

What we can say is that faith is a fluid thing, not bound by human understanding or expectations. God has spoken to God’s people in many ways and in many circumstances, sometimes directly, sometimes in dreams or visions, sometimes by way of angles or a burning bush, sometimes through a heightened sense of awareness. When Jesus healed the sick he did not always do so in the same way; sometimes he touched the one in need of healing and sometimes he simply spoke to them, but sometimes he was not even in their presence at all. The church has never come to a definitive understanding on how it is to baptize men and women, or at what age it is appropriate to receive the sacrament, some believing that a person must be “of age” and able to profess the faith, while others believe that it is appropriate at any point in life.

The good news is that with such fluidity God is never out of touch, never left behind, never without recourse. God always has the appropriate response to humanity and we are blessed by God’s actions.

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for your presence in our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

An Extreme Example

Acts 7:44-8:1a

Not long after his selection as a deacon Stephen found himself standing before the religious leaders in Jerusalem, in large part because of the things he had accomplished in the name of Jesus Christ. Given the opportunity to address such an audience Stephen delivered a powerful sermon in which he laid out the claims of the gospel. According to our reading from Acts, however, “When they heard these things, (the Jewish leaders) became enraged and ground their teeth at Stephen. But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:54-55).

As powerful as Stephen’s sermon was, what is most powerful about this story to me is that even in the midst of such violence Stephen is able to perceive the presence of God and Jesus Christ. It is a precious gift, this ability to see with “eyes of faith,” and one to be valued. I admit there are times when I am too busy focusing on what Hamlet calls “the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” to see just how blessed I really am—and I’ve never been attacked by a mob bent on silencing me. But by grace Stephen was able to look beyond his situation and to see the “big picture,” the truth of God’s grace, and to take comfort in the promise he had received.

So while Stephen’s words convey a profound truth in the book of Acts, it is his ability to see what God is doing even at the moment of his death that inspires me most.

Prayer: Lord, help us to see with eyes of faith so that we may not lose hope nor be discouraged. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Watch Your Tone

John 4:1-26
Our gospel reading for today contains a conversation that I would really like to have heard. I say that because the tone taken by the Samaritan woman in her responses to Jesus would tell us a great deal about her mindset. Take this exchange for example: "Jesus answered her, 'If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, "Give me a drink," you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.' The woman said to him, 'Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?'" (John 4:10-12). Now the woman may have been asking an honest question of Jesus when she asked whether he was greater than Jacob. Or this may have been a sarcastic wise crack, along the lines of, "just who do you think you are? Do you really think you are greater than Jacob?" We know the truth, but the point is that the woman didn't and therefore had no reference point by which to gage Jesus' words.

All of which makes me wonder what sort of tone I take with God. Are my prayers and supplications honest and straightforward? Do they rise as a genuine expression of faith? Or do I offer something less than honesty to God, do I try to manipulate the divine response to my needs, do I challenge God's sovereign authority to be who God is? What sort of tone do I take with God, and what does that tone say about me? Maybe I should quit wondering about the Samaritan woman and start "listening" to myself for a change. I'm sure I would be surprised.

Prayer: Lord God, forgive us when we fail to honor you with our word and our actions. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Call to Worship

Psalm 29

“Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength” (Psalm 29:1). The opening words of Psalm 29—one of our evening readings for today––are a call to worship pronounced within the realms of heaven, an invitation to praise and glorify the name of the living God. But it may seem odd that right after this call to worship we read of a storm moving off of the Mediterranean Sea and crashing violently inland, a storm that breaks cedars and oaks, shakes the wilderness and strips the forest bare. It flashes with lightening like fire, and makes the mountains and hills skip like calves. It is a terrible display of the force of nature.

But does this storm, as terrible and awesome as it is, deserve a call to worship? Isn’t that a little like playing a prelude before an earthquake, taking up an offering during a tornado, or pronouncing a benediction after a hurricane? How is this at all appropriate? One answer comes when we reflect on God’s presence in all the circumstances of life, the ordinary and simple as well as the mighty and terrible. God is not confined to buildings made for prayer; God is both transcendent and imminent, both above creation and at work within it and we should be willing to worship and to praise God when and where we encounter the divine presence. We should be in a constant posture of worship and praise for the Creator because at all times God is our hope, our refuge. When our lives becomes difficult God remains steadfast.

So a call to worship before a storm, a call to praise God in the midst of crisis and chaos, glorying God in joy as well as grief, are all appropriate because all of life belongs to God.

Prayer: Lord God, we praise you in the quiet moments of life when things are good, but also in the moments of distress when we are rocked by storms. Hear our prayers. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

No Stopping It

Acts 4:13-31

The book of Acts is clear; the good news of the gospel cannot be contained, and our reading for today is yet another example of this reality. After healing a man in the temple Peter and John were brought before the Jewish leaders who questioned the Apostles’ motives. After sending Peter and John out of the council the leaders conferred. According to Acts, “They said, ‘What will we do with them? For it is obvious to all who live in Jerusalem that a notable sign has been done through them; we cannot deny it. But to keep it from spreading further among the people, let us warm them to speak no more to anyone in this name’” (Acts 4:16-17).

The leaders might as well have tried to extinguish a fire with grease. There would be no slowing the work of the church. Indeed, by the end of this passage Peter, John, and the other believers are asking for the strength they will need to continue the work they have been given. And, “When 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” (v. 31). It was Pentecost all over again!

When I read the book of Acts I cease to fear for the future of the church. There have been conflicts and schisms and controversies for centuries on end. Powers have risen in every age with the aim of silencing the gospel and in each case they have failed. For this reason I find it imperative that people of faith stop trying to save that which cannot be lost. God will preserve the church; our job is to serve God with faithful obedience wherever we may be, doing the work to which God has called us, suffering when necessary, but rejoicing at all times. Yes, there will be difficult issues to confront. Yes, there will be times of transition and upheaval. Yes, we will find ourselves faced with new circumstances that require new forms of expression and which are not to our liking. But God has made it abundantly clear that no power on earth nor in heaven can silence the gospel message of hope and salvation. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord, help us to let go of our fears about the future and to trust you wholeheartedly. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

What Are We Looking For?

John 1:43-51

There is a difference between what you happen to find by accident and what you find because you are looking for it. Finding money on the ground is a good example of the first case –– we normally don’t expect to see a coin lying on the sidewalk. Finding your misplaced car keys is a good example of the second case –– car keys are something we go looking for because we need them. It just so happens that the Greek word translated as “found” appears three times in a brief section of our gospel reading from John. “The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ …Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote…’” (John 1:43-45). According to some very reputable scholars the sense being conveyed in this passage with the word found is of the accidental sort.

Far be it from me to disagree, but I have to wonder. Jesus was looking for disciples and he found Philip. Philip was looking for someone to share his news with and he found Nathanael. The people of Israel had long been looking for the promised one, the Messiah, and Philip believed this person had been found. There is an intentionality here, a purpose to all the seeking and encountering that leads to a circle of faith that continues growing ever wider, right up to this very day. What we really have to come to terms with is what it is that we are looking for in life. Are we seeking a fellowship of faith? Are we searching for the one who is worthy of our praise? Or are we interested in something else, something far less significant?

Sometimes we will be happily surprised to find things we were not looking for. But Jesus was sent to find and tend to the needs of God’s people, some of whom had been waiting with expectation and hope for God’s Messiah to appear. I don’t think that was an accident. I think it was the sort of grace that remains active in our lives today.

Prayer: Lord, you look for us until you find us; give us faith by which to see you and the patience with which to await your coming reign. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Oh Yeah?

Psalm 96

There is a scene that plays out in countless school yards all over the world. One child makes a claim that another child finds difficult to believe. Soon someone is bound to say, “Oh yeah? Well, prove it!” Do what it is that you say you can do: climb that wall, lift that rock, prove you can do what you say you can.

Create the universe! That’s the implied challenge of Psalm 96. “For all the gods of the people are idols, but the Lord made the heavens” (v. 5). The God of Israel has already done something that none of the other gods could ever do. “The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved” (v. 10b). Why bother following after a statue carved out of stone or made of gold? Why worship an inanimate object when the God who made all things is alive in your midst? Why give praise to the created when you can instead give praise to the creator?

Where do we put our confidence? In our money, or in the God who created all things? Where do we put our faith? In buildings and roads and bridges, or in the God who made the earth firm? Where do we place our hope? In the use of drugs or stimulants, or in the God of all nature? Obviously, we must choose carefully because confidence, faith, or hope placed in a modern day idol is wasted. On the other hand, the God who created all things is capable of using all things according to God’s will and to God’s glory. Money is not an evil thing, nor are buildings and roads, nor are pharmaceuticals when used properly. The problem comes when we see these or other objects as ultimate and fail to see the God who stands over and above all creation as the source of all that is.

Only God can answer the challenge to create the heavens. Only God can provide us with all that we need to live our lives to God’s glory. Idols will mock us with their blank stares, but God goes on creating and redeeming as an active participant in our lives. Who is the Lord of all? The God of Israel is the Lord of all and this God’s creative power is all the proof we need.

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for the world you have created and for all that you continue to provide. In Jesus’ name. Amen.