Loading more...
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month
As we begin a month of celebrating Hispanic Heritage here in the United States, join us Read More
The Upper Room is here for you in these anxious times. Click Here
Stephanie A. Ford | Read Acts of the Apostles 1:6-14
Disciplines is available in a variety of formats: print, digital, and print/digital combo packages. A digital subscription includes access to author bios, the ability to comment, and audio lectio.
Sign Up TodayEven if we have read the first chapter of Acts many times, we may overlook this profound moment. Here, the community of Christ followers gathers on the eve of the birth of the church. As readers, we know the story of Pentecost to come, but they do not. “They all...
Loving Creator, your word created a world in Genesis and your Spirit created the beginnings of Christ’s church. May we awaken to your creating presence in our day. Amen.
Though Jesus has taught his disciples that God’s kingdom is not an earthly one, following the Resurrection some are still expecting him to set up a kingdom on earth. Instead, Jesus ascends into heaven in front of them, being taken up in the clouds. The scene recalls Psalm 68, where the Lord is described as one who rides on the clouds across the expanse of the heavens. In the Gospel reading, Jesus anticipates his coming departure and prays for his followers. Peter talks about a trial—literally a “fiery ordeal”—that is testing Christians. The reference to fire may be specific, for the Roman historian Tacitus records that Nero killed Christians in Rome by burning them alive. The author may therefore be speaking about suffering that is not just metaphorical.
Read Acts 1:6-14. When have you experienced the power of community?
Read Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35. Recall a time when you recognized God’s power with fear and joy. How might that have been a foretaste of God’s kingdom?
Read 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11. How have you walked with faith through suffering?
Read John 17:1-11. What does it mean for you or your congregation that Jesus prayed for unity among his followers?
Respond by posting a prayer.
Writing, journaling, taking time to pause are practices that help me remain resilient in the midst of life's challenges—and we all need those things.”
Learn more at UpperRoom.org/resilience.
