Author: Dottie Wilson

In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. (Acts 1:1-2)

Here we are, friends, Christ Church Parish, and indeed everyone on the planet has entered a new era. Not that pandemics are new to the planet; human history records many plagues and famines and natural disasters that altered life for us. Yet today in a profoundly interconnected world where our food, clothing and even our work comes from faraway places. I believe that the church in the next decade will become more localized, our worship more person-centered, and our dependence on the insights of the first Christians more crucial than ever.

I have asked those who meet together in Education for Ministry to reflect on the Acts of the Apostles. In St. Luke’s account of beginnings of the Early Church, I see patterns of life, faith, and care for others that we would do well to emulate. The first believers had no buildings, no clergy, and only the most basic understanding of the sacraments that we treasure. Their reliance on the Holy Spirit to guide their decisions and embolden their witness enabled them to transform from a few dozen Galilean followers of the Rabbi Jesus to an interconnected body of believers that stretched from Italy to Egypt, and embraced Roman, Greek, Syrian, Egyptian and Ethiopian cultures and ways.

During the two weeks from April 20 to May 2 you will receive a reflection from a member of the CCPKI family. They have been given a chapter to read, but I have asked them to find one moment in the chapter to reflect on. This is less about investigating everything in Acts and more about finding a single gem to treasure.

I am deeply grateful to the leaders and students of EfM. I know that their program is strenuous and the times we face are stressful. At the same time, I have heard about their gratitude for what they have learned and their desire to give back.

Please join me and the Christ Church Parish EfM group as we reflect on what God was, and is, and will be doing for our members and for the whole world.

Mark +

Acts 17: 23, 24, 29
23 “For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship — and this is what I am going to proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 29 Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone – an image made by human design and skill.”

When Paul came to Areopagus to preach the good news about Jesus and his resurrection, he decided to walk around and view the area. He saw objects of worship and an altar with an inscription that appalled him. As he preached to the Jewish and Gentiles, he emphasized that God is the absolute Creator and Lord of Heaven and earth and does not live in man-made temples. Paul continued preaching and explained that God cannot be “an image” or an idol comprised of “gold or silver or stone” because they are of earthly materials from which idols are made”. (Powell) Have we become too attached to non-spiritual priorities in our life? Possibly.   Are we repeating biblical history in this century?

For me, maybe we need to listen more intently to scripture and to each other. Paul was an outstanding missionary who had the gift of preaching to the masses. Although it can be difficult to listen at times, all we can do is try each day.  Also, perhaps many of us are depriving ourselves of a loving relationship with God. During this pandemic and “staying in place,” let us consider reflecting on our faith and pray for spiritual guidance in our lives and for our church community.             
                                                             Juanita Dombkowski, EFM, Year 4

Acts 16: 31 “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.

Paul traveled to Lystra where he met a young disciple by the name of Timothy, and he recruited him to present the guidelines that the Jerusalem apostles and leaders came up with.  As they traveled to Phrygia and then on through the region of Galatia, the Spirit had redirected their journey through Macedonia.  As their mission was redirected they knew for sure that God had called them to preach the good news to the Europeans.   Along their journey they attended a prayer meeting where they met Lydia, a believer in Christ. They also met a slave girl who was a psychic.  As a psychic she claimed that the men were working for the most high God and they were laying out the road of salvation for the people.  Paul was annoyed by her continued claims and commanded the spirit that possessed her to leave her body in the name of Jesus Christ. As a result, the owners of the slave girl were no longer making money on her predictions. So they roughed up the men and drug them into the market Square where they were beaten, arrested, jailed and judged by the crowd.  While in jail, Paul and Silas were in prayer and singing hymns to God. Then a mighty earthquake shook the earth and all the cell doors opened. The jailer thought all the prisoners had escaped and was going to take his own life, but Paul was there and saved the jailer’s life by letting him know that no one had escaped. The jailer was badly shaken and ran inside the jail by torchlight and collapsed in front of Paul and Silas’ cell.  He wanted to know how to be saved and to truly live.  They advised him to put his entire trust in Jesus and then he will live as he was meant to live, including everyone in his family.  In the morning, Paul and Silas were released from prison.       

                                                                                  Marlene Stutzman, EfM, Year 3