Acts 2:37-41
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. Acts 2:37-41 (NRSVUE)
The coming of the Holy Spirit. You’ve heard the story. A mighty wind; tongues of fire . . . the Holy Spirit comes to Peter and the believers gathered in a house in Jerusalem. The Jews living in Jerusalem from all over the world hear the noise and come to see what’s happening and are amazed when each of them hears the message in their own language. Peter reminds them of their crucifixion of Jesus, the risen Christ, which is where our verses for today begin.
The crowd accepts what they have done (they were “cut to the heart”) and quickly moves to “What shall we do?” They aren’t just sorry, they recognize who Jesus is and commit to following him – to the tune of 3000 people. And a new community of believers is formed. It’s the beginning of the Christian church.
So here we are today. After many conceptualizations of what the church should be, trying to live as God’s disciples in the world.
It’s a tall order. Some people believe they can do it on their own. That their relationship with God, is all they need. What I see in the Bible is people working together in community. Jesus formed a small group of disciples. After Jesus, the disciples formed their own groups of followers. Paul moved from one Christian community to another. And so, the church continued to evolve. Through Christian communities throughout the world.
It was on a recent evening at Southwood that I witnessed a creative way of teaching the story of hungry Esau selling his birthright to Jacob for a pot of stew, as middle school youth made and ate goat cheese and milk pudding flavored with pomegranates. Most of them even liked it! – the goat cheese at least. Cheryl and Mark Mayer, members of our Small Group, had prepared and organized the DELVE J-Term that I was helping with. One example of how a small group of people have grown and been “fed” by others at Southwood.
God works through other people in our lives and it is through Christian community we grow as God’s disciples. It begins with worship. Worshiping together unites us in many ways. Through a shared message, music, prayer, greeting our neighbors, the sacraments of baptism and communion . . . My husband and I have also experienced Christian community at Southwood through our small group and through other service and learning opportunities which have taken us from Sunday School classrooms to Bible studies to delivering Meals on Wheels to faithful friendships with our brothers and sisters in Tanzania. Most of these were by invitation and all were more meaningful because of those we shared them with.
Our God is an amazing God and God’s presence in each other is the foundation of our Christian community. You are invited to come to a Bible class, serve an evening meal at Matt Talbot, join a small group, support people’s health at Clinic With A Heart, participate in the choir, visit members unable to come to church, respond to prayer requests on the Prayer Team, teach Sunday School or DELVE . . . and so many other ways. You will grow and others will grow because of you. Your presence is part of Christ’s mission at Southwood. Come and see!
Questions for Reflection:
- How do you think the Spirit changed the disciples’ relationships?
- Who is someone who has made an impact on your faith?
- How do you think worship/serving/learning is changed when you do it with others?
Prayer:
Thank you, Lord, for the gift of each other. Not necessarily based on what we have in common but based on our common identity as your beloved children. Help us to love one another as you have loved us. Amen.
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