Posts from September 2022

In Acts 20, we get to see what a worship gathering looks like to some of the first Christians. Paul is in the city of Troas, and before moving onto his next destination, chooses to gather with the worshiping church on the first day of the week. Luke tells us immediately what the ultimate purpose of this gathering is: the breaking of bread. Paul intends to preach and discuss, but these are not the main event – the table is.…

Sometimes we can give the word salvation a narrower meaning than it deserves. If we’re using the word, we’re likely talking about the afterlife. But in Acts 16, when a jailer in Philippi asks Paul, “What must I do to be saved?” he’s not inquiring about his status in the afterlife. In fact, he’s trying to stay away from the afterlife. He’s just come near to attempting suicide after the prison over which he presides, and in which Paul and…

In Acts 10, we meet a Roman military officer named Cornelius. For reasons we’re not told, he’s a big fan of the God of Israel, being a “devout man who feared God.” He’s simply one more example of how God is reaching into every nation and finding people who are open to his love. We’re also told he keeps a regular practice of generosity and prayer. And this practice of prayer opens him up to a vision. An angel appears,…

In Acts 9, Ananias shows us that baptism is where fear and hostility go to die. We say the same for the table. It’s hard to remain fearful and hostile toward someone when you’re eating together. There’s something disarming about sharing good food. In 2 Samuel 9, we find David encountering one who could be considered an enemy, but choosing kindness over hostility. And how does David show this kindness? With the table. By the time we get to 2…

To be a Jesus follower is to allow Jesus to put us into relationship and community with people we might not have chosen for ourselves. Baptism and table fellowship are not places where we wield great power to include and exclude as we choose. They are places where we submit to the infinitely expansive love of God. And nowhere does this infinitely expansive love of God challenge us more than in Acts 9. The murderer Saul, a rising star in…