Openness to the Work of the Spirit
It's Sunday!
Luke 9:37-45 | Acts 16:5-15
What’s a Sunday morning to you? This old Kris Kristofferson song sung by Johnny Cash tells of a man for whom Sunday mornings feel lonely. Usually loneliness is felt because of a contrast of what once was or should be. It’s hard for a lot of us to arise and ready ourselves to go to be with the Church. Some of our reasoning is actually quite valid. Others are based on excuse-making. Regardless of how you feel today, you are encouraged to get out and be with God’s people as we seek the face of divinity.
It says in Acts the Church was strengthened in the faith. The honest thing about Acts is that Luke does not hold back from telling both all the great things we remember well (Pentecost, healings, jailbreaks, etc.), but also the arguments, beatings, deaths, and difficulties. But all along, the Church was strengthened in the faith and grew.
Acts also doesn’t lend itself well to the formulas and patterns we so often try to impose these days. The only real requirements for the work of God in Acts seem to be a willingness of the gathered people and an openness to the spirit to be at work in and through them.
Jesus had just healed someone of a violent predicament. What can’t he do? But in the midst of marveling, he again tells of his impending arrest. Openness to whatever God is doing in whichever moment we are in…it’s hard to change our expectations, but we just may find that things like loneliness and disappointment fade away or are more easily dealt with as we shift our posture to face the unexpected.
Luke 9:37-45
The next day, when Jesus, Peter, John, and James had come down from the mountain, a large crowd met Jesus. A man from the crowd shouted, “Teacher, I beg you to take a look at my son, my only child. Look, a spirit seizes him and, without any warning, he screams. It shakes him and causes him to foam at the mouth. It tortures him and rarely leaves him alone. I begged your disciples to throw it out, but they couldn’t.”
Jesus answered, “You faithless and crooked generation, how long will I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.” While he was coming, the demon threw him down and shook him violently. Jesus spoke harshly to the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father. Everyone was overwhelmed by God’s greatness.
While everyone was marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, “Take these words to heart: the Human One is about to be delivered into human hands.” They didn’t understand this statement. Its meaning was hidden from them so they couldn’t grasp it. And they were afraid to ask him about it.
Acts 16:5-15
So the churches were strengthened in the faith and every day their numbers flourished.
Paul and his companions traveled throughout the regions of Phrygia and Galatia because the Holy Spirit kept them from speaking the word in the province of Asia. When they approached the province of Mysia, they tried to enter the province of Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus wouldn’t let them. Passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas instead. A vision of a man from Macedonia came to Paul during the night. He stood urging Paul, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” Immediately after he saw the vision, we prepared to leave for the province of Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.
We sailed from Troas straight for Samothrace and came to Neapolis the following day. From there we went to Philippi, a city of Macedonia’s first district and a Roman colony. We stayed in that city several days. On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the riverbank, where we thought there might be a place for prayer. We sat down and began to talk with the women who had gathered. One of those women was Lydia, a Gentile God-worshipper from the city of Thyatira, a dealer in purple cloth. As she listened, the Lord enabled her to embrace Paul’s message. Once she and her household were baptized, she urged, “Now that you have decided that I am a believer in the Lord, come and stay in my house.” And she persuaded us.
Prayer
God,
We’re gathering to worship you today,
To give you praise from the fullness of our heart to yours.
As we worship, receive us, fill us, and then send us:
Let our worship in here shape our lives out there.
By your spirit & in Christ,
Amen.
Amen!