The Book is Still Open

"Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." When he had said this, he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." -- John 20:21-22

"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the house of worship, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved." --Acts 2:42-47

Have you spent much time in the Acts of the Apostles? It is a remarkable book that chronicles the birth and growth of the fledgling Christian church ("The Way") in the wake of Jesus' resurrection. There are vivid and inspiring stories of individual decisions and acts of faith, but they are always tied to the life and growth the larger faith community. Here, the very disciples who struggled so mightily in understanding/following Jesus throughout his ministry, abandoning him at the time of his arrest, now come to embody his Living Word themselves. The difference is startling, and even more thought-provoking when we realize that they are most emboldened when he is NOT physically with them anymore! Hence, it is a wonderful text for us as we consider our own common identity as a resurrection people.
Reflect on the description of Christian community from Acts 2: the grounding in prayer; the commitment to learning and growing in the faith constantly; the joy and gratitude; the ever-increasing "shared table."
Notice it is not just the meal, but also their identity and common fidelity that are shared. This leads to some dramatic acts of faith, where "divestment" in one shape of life becomes "in-vestment" in a new shape for their lives. The passages in Acts 4:32-37 mirror these.
What strikes awe in you at what the Lord is doing in our community faith? What are some the "signs and wonders" you perceive?
Of course, it is the Holy Spirit that fills, and gives new life, to the followers of Jesus, individually and together. Chapter 2 of Acts begins in Pentecost, making the ever-unfolding narrative possible, and the Spirit is constantly moving through the rest of the book. I find particularly meaningful the Gospel of John's alternate image of Pentecost: set on Easter evening, Jesus personally breathes the Holy Spirit into his disciples. The Holy Spirit is identified as the spirit of Jesus himself, and they are commissioned: "As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
This Sunday is our last Jesus 101 gathering. Prior to then, I would like each of us to take time to reflect on our learning, our growth, the questions that have been sharpened, paths that have been revealed to us. Take time to read back over the posts on our blog. The let's discuss where our learning and growth hit ground for the future of our daily lives (specificity, please!). In what ways is Jesus sending us as he has been sent? How are you being in-spired?And how do the movement of the Holy Spirit,and the growth of our own discipleship promise to impact (and offer new shape to) the life and mission of St. Andrew's Church?
The disciples (now "apostles") are out of spiritual elementary school. I perceive such movement among us. The book is still open, and new chapters to the story are being written.