Eastertide

May 12, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Acts 17:22-31

For “In him we live and move and have our being”; as even some of your own poets have said,
“For we too are his offspring.”
Since we are God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of mortals. While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.’ –Acts 17:28-31

My mind works in weird ways sometimes. The first thing that pops into my mind when I read, “In him we live and move and have our being” related more to my physical being than spiritual. I have had osteoarthritis since I was in my early 20’s and now have two knee replacements to show for it. While doing rehab for the knees, I discovered how much the exercises helped my whole body move better. I now have my own adaptation of things I learned from rehab, restorative Yoga, and suggestions from a chiropractor. I do these every morning. I would not move well at all if I did not regularly complete the routine. Safe, well-designed movement lessens pain and increases stability. Curling up on a bed, or otherwise not trying to move at all increases stiffness and pain.

Is that not also true of our spiritual wellbeing? Our regular routines of connecting with God are central to fulfilling our commitment to work toward building a world ruled by love. They also provide the stamina and the inward peace to continue our quest no matter what is thrown at us.

I also wondered what Luke was quoting because I could not think of any Hebrew scripture like this one, and when I searched, I did not find any. My NRSV Bible footnoted said the statement “In him we live and move and have our being” was inspired by a poem by the sixth century BCE poet, Epimenides. Part of our regular spiritual disciplines must include studying from scripture and learning from other wise students of scripture.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for sharing in dialogue with us in all manner of ways as we strive to have our being centered in your love. Amen.

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.