Eastertide
May 1, 2017
Scripture Reading: Acts 2:42-47
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. —Acts 2:42
Acts describes a four-fold schematic of spiritual disciples that stands the test of time: teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers.
Teaching here is derived from the Greek word didaché*, a noun, which describes a body of knowledge. Its verb form describes instruction about a body of knowledge that certainly includes the Hebrew Bible, perhaps the writings of the Apocrypha, and maybe by the time of the writings of Acts, Paul’s letters and other works in circulation, for example, the gospel of Mark, the missing Q document, and other writings now in the New Testament such as Hebrews. The Bible as we know it did not yet exist when Acts was written. We are each required to study and discern from a wide variety of sources related to God, ancient and current. We are wise to do that in dialogue with other seekers to hold us accountable for not limiting our discernments to what we want to hear.
Fellowship is the companionship of persons on equal and friendly terms**. I value highly the fellowship of my congregation as it strives to nurture and care for people from birth to the grave. Even in the limited size of a single congregation, it is a challenge to have companionship with all persons on equal and friendly terms. Jesus commanded us to take that fellowship to all the people of the earth. To do that, we must first and foremost understand what God’s purpose is for us. It is hard to love everyone. It amazes me still that as a child welfare worker, I learned to look at someone who had beaten his or her own child severely and see the pain in their beings that lead to that atrocity. It is easier to do that when the offender is a stranger. Objectivity suffers when a relationship exist which compounds our ability to respond with love when we feel our love has been betrayed. The presence of the Holy Spirit in relationships is key to re-balancing relationships.
Ephesians 4:26 Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger is most likely the source of the adage do go to bed angry. I think the same advice applies to eating together. The breaking of bread in communion with others derives from the culture of family. Family presumes a permanent relationship. There is just something about eating together that reminds us of our oneness and our dependence on each other. Jesus chose this most common of practices to symbolize his mission and ministry when he took the bread and gave it to his disciples to share as he did the wine. Again, he encourages us to go beyond our comfort zones and commune with the entire family of God.
The Greek word for prayer, proseuché***, means exchange of wishes. We are probably most adept at presenting our laundry list of desires to God, and not so good at reciprocating by not only taking in God’s list but also trying with all our might to fulfill it. At times our lists may include wishes, if granted that would not be in our best interest. We can be assured that God’s wishes are always in our best interest and perhaps more importantly the best interest of the Kingdom of God.
Prayer: Lord, guide my growth in learning how to love like you. Amen.
*http://biblehub.com/greek/1322.htm
**http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/fellowship
***http://biblehub.com/greek/4335.htm