Posts that reflect on joy and spirituality.
This is Paul’s farewell address, and I hear an echo of Jesus’ own farewell address in it. In the twenty-second chapter of Luke, Jesus also meets with his disciples in a room. He has more clarity about what’s going to happen to him than Paul does, who doesn't know that the journey he's undertaking will … Continue reading Acts 20:17-38 Saying Goodbye
As I have said, many of the stories that Luke relates must have been told around the communal table when the early church met to pray and break bread together. I find it easy to believe that this story must have been a popular favorite, one that people asked to hear again and again. It … Continue reading Acts 12:1-19 Angels and Laughter
Cornelius is praying at 3:00 in the afternoon, which is the time of the temple sacrifice far away in Jerusalem. But divine presence doesn’t make itself felt in the temple. Instead an angel appears to Cornelius, who is a gentile, a centurion who has shown interest in Judaism and is generous in giving alms. But … Continue reading Acts 10:1-16 Shocking Visions and the Temple
Just as Paul is being blown hither and yon as he converts, learns, escapes, and hides, Peter, too, seems more than willing to go where he’s sent and accept whatever requests come to him. First he drifts down to Lydda, and then he follows a summons to Joppa, raises Tabitha from the dead, and then … Continue reading Acts 9:32-43 Discovery in the Holy Spirit
Ten of the eleven remaining apostles don’t believe the women - only Peter does, and then only reluctantly, and with the need to verify what they say by running to the tomb. Imagine what it must have been like to be one of the others. Called to be apostles, given power and privilege, they hide … Continue reading Luke 24:1-12 The Tomb of Longing
KPB Stevens 