Invocation
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Word
“But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. … And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.” (Acts 11:20; 26)
Meditation
Today’s meditation is written by Megan Roegner.
In Acts we see a ripple effect unfold. It began with Ascension, when Jesus told his disciples that they would receive power from the Holy Spirit and would be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Then came Pentecost: The Spirit visited as promised and gave the disciples the ability to communicate to Jews from “every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:5). In the centuries preceding this moment, Jews had established communities in many different countries because of the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles and because of the expansion of Rome. When these Jews heard the Gospel in what had become their native tongues, many believed: “the Lord added to their number day by day” (Acts 2:47). These Jews of the diaspora, then, were primed to take their new faith back to their own lands; for example, as we see in Acts 11:20, the Mediterranean island of Cyprus and the Libyian city, Cyrene. The chain that extended from Jesus to his original disciples to the diverse Jews at Pentecost became a web of connectivity, as the Jews witnessed to the Gentiles they shared national identity, language, and culture with.
Antioch, which is in present-day Turkey, was the place where the followers of Christ were first called “Christians.” Because more and more of the faithful were Gentiles, they needed an identity that was not tied to nationality or ethnicity. A Christian identity, then, is one of connection: We are rooted in our faith and our relationships with our brothers and sisters, but we also have important relationships with people who share similarities with us in other ways: including coworkers, neighbors, and team members. When we share God’s love with these people, the Spirit creates new connections that ripple out into even more connections.
Each person is placed uniquely in this web. To rephrase to avoid passive voice (the horror of English teachers everywhere), God places us each intentionally in this web. Ask yourself today, how is God using me to make new connections and expand this web of believers?
Prayer: Holy Spirit, let me see you at work in the relationships I have with others. Help me always to witness your love to the people to whom I’ve been sent. Give me faith to trust the seeds that have been planted. Amen.
Prayer for the Spirit in my Life
- For the Holy Spirit to grow my faith, an ever more confident trust in God.
- For the Spirit to teach me the language of prayer.
- For the Spirit to make my unholy life more holy.
- For the Spirit to round my rough edges and conform me to God’s intention for my life.
Benediction
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (II Cor. 13:14)