Tag: Acts

All who believed were together and had all things in common. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts. —Acts 2.44, 46

It is fascinating how little things remind us of home. I grew up in Colorado and spent the better part of one summer spreading river rock around my parent’s house. I thought it was nice back then (mainly because I was being mildly compensated), but even today I find beauty in it.

Landscaping river rock are usually a mix of a few colors, but they are for the most part cool colors like the powder blue of a creek fed by snow melt. Every once in a while there is a red or an orange rock mixed in, and the diversity is delightful. But let’s be honest: we’re just talking about landscaping stones.

The other part of nature that reminds me of home is the Aspen tree. Aspens are breathtaking  Each tree can grow up 100 feet tall, and as you hike through the Rockies you’ll find groves of trees where every tree is 50-70’ tall.

Aspens grow in very close proximity to one another and they don’t reproduce through seeds. The trees are interconnected beneath the soil. When you hike through an Aspen grove it’s fascinating to realize each tree in the grove has a relationship with every other tree. If one tree gets sick the others sacrifice to send it nutrients. The trees by the stream naturally have access to more water, but they send it to the trees that get less.

If there is a forest fire, and all the trees are burned to the ground, the Aspen is usually the first to regrow. The root system is deep enough to stay below the heat of the flame and it survives and sprouts new trees.

River rock has a quaint diversity, but there is no meaningful connection — nothing held in common. The church is supposed to be like an aspen grove.

In real community those of us planted by the water should sacrifice for those who are weary from the heat of the day. Those who are enriched should sacrifice for those in hardship. And when we burn in the injustice and brokenness of this world we should draw deeply from the root of Christ — who brings the healing of regrowth and the hope of restoration.

Today’s Reading
Joshua 22 (Listen – 6:16)
Acts 2 (Listen – 6:35)

[Jesus said,] “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” —Acts 1.8

Every business appeals to one of three organs, asserts NYU Professor Scott Galloway. Home construction and consumer packaged goods (CPG) appeal to the brain; rational decisions guide consumer decisions and margins are slim. This is why some CPG brands, like Jif Peanut Butter have tried to migrate down the torso to the heart.

Companies with products that appeal to the heart get the emotion of a consumer involved in the purchase. Decisions are less rational and people will pay more. “Choosy Moms Choose Jif“— you’re a better mom if you choose us.

The reproductive organs, however, are where the real money is. Luxury goods, high-end cars, and the like are not logical decisions and they aren’t purely emotive decisions — they are signals to friends, coworkers, and potential mates. Galloway quips that a $9,000 watch shows someone is “better to mate with and will take better care of your offspring than someone who wears a Swatch watch.”

When Jesus ascends into heaven at the beginning of the book of Acts he makes an appeal. Unlike today’s consumer appeals it transcends the desires of our head, heart, and pride. Jesus speaks straight to the soul.

The disciples’ source of power and desire would not come from self-actualization. The Spirit of God would have to enter their souls.

The disciples would face such fierce persecution that mental fortitude alone wouldn’t get them through. They would grow weary in prayer and sacrifice for others, so emotional desire for Christ wouldn’t go the distance. They would be ridiculed, mocked, and judged for following Christ, and aspiration for faith wouldn’t last.

Jesus did not come to start a business, but to bring freedom to the world. The Scriptures work in modern life — they appeal to our mind. Prayer and community enrich our lives — they sing to our heart. We become better friends and spouses by living sacrificial lives — they enrich our lives in every relationship. But it is the wonderful, mysterious work of the Spirit of God in our soul which makes Christ revolutionary in our lives.

Today’s Readings
Joshua 20-21 (Listen – 6:58)
Acts 1 (Listen – 3:58)