4/24/17
The earliest Christians followed a Jewish tradition of pausing to pray, preferably together, first thing in the morning, about mid morning, at noon, about mid afternoon, and in the evening. “Just a Note” posts are brief observations made from Scripture readings not related to a lectionary. If I have one to post, it normally appears about 9:00 in the morning, at “the hour of prayer.”
In Acts 1:12-14 the apostolic band has witnessed Jesus’ departure. The have received a command to go to Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit to come. What do they do? Finally they have been convinced that Jesus indeed rose from the dead and that he was urging them to continue in the work that he did.
We often think of the Eleven at this point. That isn’t altogether wrong. However, the eleven apostles are listed by name but htey are also accompanied by “women” and by Mary, Jesus’ mother. As we read on in the text of Acts we find an increasing number of people present. The Lord is drawing people to himself.
What is the role of these disciples? They are gathered together and continuing in prayer. This is the great work of Christ’s people. While some people would mock the idea of prayer, saying that it doesn’t actually do anything, the Bible paints a very different picture. The prayers of the saints bring God’s blessings on others.
We may or may not be very actively engaged in the work of the Gospel. We probably are not as consistent in prayer as the earliest apostles. however, we can know that Jesus is still able to hear and answer prayer. He does it for his glory, in his timing, to establish his grace in our world. Thanks be to God.
If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.
The earliest Christians followed a Jewish tradition of pausing to pray, preferably together, first thing in the morning, about mid morning, at noon, about mid afternoon, and in the evening. “Just a Note” posts are brief observations made from Scripture readings not related to a lectionary. If I have one to post, it normally appears about 9:00 in the morning, at “the hour of prayer.”
In Acts 1:12-14 the apostolic band has witnessed Jesus’ departure. The have received a command to go to Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit to come. What do they do? Finally they have been convinced that Jesus indeed rose from the dead and that he was urging them to continue in the work that he did.
We often think of the Eleven at this point. That isn’t altogether wrong. However, the eleven apostles are listed by name but htey are also accompanied by “women” and by Mary, Jesus’ mother. As we read on in the text of Acts we find an increasing number of people present. The Lord is drawing people to himself.
What is the role of these disciples? They are gathered together and continuing in prayer. This is the great work of Christ’s people. While some people would mock the idea of prayer, saying that it doesn’t actually do anything, the Bible paints a very different picture. The prayers of the saints bring God’s blessings on others.
We may or may not be very actively engaged in the work of the Gospel. We probably are not as consistent in prayer as the earliest apostles. however, we can know that Jesus is still able to hear and answer prayer. He does it for his glory, in his timing, to establish his grace in our world. Thanks be to God.
If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.
RSS Feed