Jesus’ Ministry
January 11, 2019
Scripture Reading: Acts 8:14-17
Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Apparently, some type of ritual was related to receiving the Holy Spirit in the first century. I have read some history about the earlier church, but I do not think there was a handbook of procedures for some time. I do think our scripture today speaks well to the need for follow through as we welcome new followers of Christ. That is also true in life as we reach out to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.
Prisoners completing their sentence in our federal system get $500 and a bus ticket to the place of conviction with some exceptions. States do something similar. Some prisoners, of course, have family and friends waiting to take them home but what happens when that is not the case? What happens when an ex-con gets off that bus?
In Oklahoma in 2000, a former teacher and associate minister, Kris Steele, concerned about justice started his first term as a State Representative. He served the full time-limited term of 12 years the last two as speaker of the House. Dedicating much of his work to criminal justice reform, he courageously fought for improvements in the system. It did not stop there. After leaving the legislature he sought to answer the question: What happens after a prisoner gets off that bus and formed TEEM, The Education and Employment Ministry. Its mission is dedicated to breaking cycles of incarceration and poverty through education, personal development, and work readiness training offering hope to newly released prisoners, it meets immediate needs while developing and supporting plans for successful futures.
We are all called to do justice regarding a wide variety of issues from which we can choose. Our participation may run the gamut from volunteering at a place like TEEM or working to upgrade out-of-date laws.
Prayer: Lord, grant us the vision to make changes leading to justice in the world today and the courage and persistence to make it happen. Amen.
Learn more about TEEM at https://www.teem.org/
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.