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The Heart of Christ
In the days after Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, his disciples struggled to make sense of the Read More
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Joyce Hollyday | Read Acts of the Apostles 1:6-14
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Sign Up TodayAlthough two Gospel writers don’t even mention it, Luke
clearly values the Ascension. He ends his Gospel with the
event and opens his second volume, the Acts of the Apostles,
with a recounting of it. In verse 5 of Acts 1, Luke reminds Jesus’
followers of the promise Jesus made...
Anointing God, open my heart to the fullness of your power and strengthen me to receive it with courage. Amen.
The entire Easter season focuses on the new governance that breaks the grip of all that is old, tired, deathly, and enslaving. The psalm shows the church using the ancient language of enthronement. Now it is Jesus through whom the drama of God’s power is brought to fruition. In Acts, the community accepts the new governance as a bold witness in the world, sustained by a disciplined life of prayer. The epistle reading addresses people who are in the midst of suffering, hurt, and need. They are enjoined to powerful hope for the time of God’s eventual and full triumph. The Gospel portrays the church under the power of God’s resolve, being given a wholly new identity and vocation in the world.
• Read Acts 1:6-14. Having received the power of the Holy Spirit, how is your life unfolding?
• Read Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35. When have you sensed God’s absence? How did you attempt to fill that void?
• Read 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11.When has God restored you?
• Read John 17:1-11. Where do you see Jesus as you go about your daily life?
Respond by posting a prayer.
I join many of those who will pray for you as you seek to discern what you are called to be at this moment. May God grant you the courage to fulfill that calling. May we all open our eyes and see the misery, open our ears and hear the cries of God’s people, and, like God through the Lord Jesus Christ, be incarnate amongst them.”
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