The Wednesday Word 1.26.2022

 

Acts 2:42-47

42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. 43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— 47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

It is no wonder Methodists are crazy for their Carry-In Dinners. It’s right there in the Bible! The kind of community described here sounds like joy to me. When you stop to think that the Crucifixion had only been a couple of months before, these things came to pass amazingly fast. Astounding, in fact. What could bring these people together and completely change their lives? The Resurrection.

For forty days, the Risen Christ was among the believers. Then there was his Ascension into Heaven. Angels came to assure the Disciples that Jesus would one day return in the very same manner. Just as Jesus had promised, the Holy Spirit was sent to guide those who believed in an event we call Pentecost. It is no wonder that these people came together to form a community of worship and love.

What does this have to do with gathering in the church basement over a pan of fried chicken and some amazing pies? The Crucifixion wasn’t just for the first believers. Jesus suffered for you and me. The Resurrection wasn’t just revealed for them. The Holy Spirit was sent for you and me and everyone else to bring us together for the worship and glory of God. Fellowship was meant to remind us. The smiles and the laughter and the chicken we share is foretaste of the community we strive to join. The eternal fellowship…something to pray about.

Don’t forget to look for the Lord today. Vicki H.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Wednesday Word 4.12.2023

Image
  John 20:1-9 New Living Translation   The Resurrection 1 Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 2 She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 3 Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. 4 They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in. 6 Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, 7 while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. 8 Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed— 9 for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus mu
Read more

Poked In The Ribs

  Acts 8:26-35 New International Version 26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.” 30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. 31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 33 In his humiliation he was deprived
Read more

The Wednesday Word 10.06.2021

Image
  John 3:16-21   New Living Translation 16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. 18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” Light is amazing when you think about it. Genesis 1:1-4 tells us, “1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the d
Read more