Author: Dottie Wilson

Acts 8: 18-21

Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money.  “Give me also this power so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”  But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain God’s gift with money!  You have no part or share in this, for your heart is not right before God.”

Simon, a former magician, has been baptized with water by Philip, an evangelist, and later receives the Holy Spirit through the apostles Peter and John.  Upon seeing the gift of the Spirit bestowed by the apostles, Simon also wants this gift and offers silver to obtain it.  But, through these verses and the ones following, we see that he is rebuffed and that they can see Simon’s true heart. Simon’s obvious surprise at this makes me think that even he didn’t realize his heart was unclean, that his offer of silver was more than inappropriate given that he was in the “chains of wickedness” (vs. 22).

Every morning, I begin with a prayer familiar to many, in which I ask God to “create in me a clean heart.”  But, could it really be that easy? Surely, God can create a clean heart in me and could also in Simon, we have only to look at the miracles Jesus performed to know that is true.  But for me, I’m not sure what I would learn from an instantaneous cleansing.  Most of the miracles I have seen in my life came with a little hard work and diligence in my prayers.  So, each morning I do begin that prayer, I read the psalms, and the readings for that day.  I study, through EfM, the books of the Old Testament, and other works of theology scholars and maybe that is how God will work this miracle of a clean heart in my life.  Each day, little by little I feel some of those deep unacknowledged unclean bits of my heart being swept away.

We don’t know what happened to Simon, we only know that he was sent away to repent and pray.  Perhaps that is what these verses are saying to me.  Go, repent and pray that God through the love of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit will create in me a clean heart. 

One thing I do know is that God’s love for me never changes, it is deep and steadfast.  But, the more I go away to repent and pray and do a little more housekeeping in my heart, I find that it is me who moves closer to God; me that falls a little more in love with Him.

                                                                            Lois Vanderbok, EfM year 1

ACTS 7:9-15 “Jacob’s sons became jealous of their brother Joseph and sold him to be a slave in Egypt.  But God was with him and brought him safely through all his troubles.  When Joseph appeared before the king of Egypt, God gave him a pleasing manner and wisdom, and the king made Joseph Governor over the country and the royal household.  Then there was a famine all over Egypt and Canaan which caused much suffering.  Our ancestors could not find any food, and when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent his sons, our ancestors, on their first visit there.  On the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and the king of Egypt came to know about Joseph’s family.  So Joseph sent a message to his father Jacob, telling him and the whole family, seventy five people in all, to come to Egypt.  Then Jacob went to Egypt where he and his sons died.” 

This story of Joseph and his amazing adventures in Egypt always makes me remember that God can bring good out of the most horrible-sounding situations.   When Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, it sounded like the end for Joseph.    I imagine that the brothers never expected to hear from Joseph again.  Surely they thought that he would perish as a slave in a foreign country.  But God had other plans for Joseph.  The king looked favorably upon Joseph who must have been a very bright and talented young man.  The king, perceiving Joseph to be a man of multiple useful abilities, put Joseph in charge.  In this position Joseph had much power and was able to maneuver so that the royal household had  an abundance of grain in preparation for a famine that would come upon the land.  When the famine did hit, Joseph was able to bring seventy five members of his family to Egypt to avoid starvation.  Who would have thought that Joseph would be used as the instrument to rescue them from almost certain death!

I think of a book I read many years ago that made an impression on me: God, the Amazing Alchemist, by John Claypool.  In it Claypool relates the story of Joseph in Egypt and compares God to an “alchemist’, one who was thought to be able to turn anything into gold.  Claypool asks us never to despair regardless of how impossible or how bad a situation seems because God can bring good out of the worst of situations.  

                                                                                       Ann Sieracki, EfM Mentor

Acts 6: 8-10

Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.  Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of Freedmen (as it was called), Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and others of those from Cilicia and Asia, stood up and argued with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.

When the Hellenist complain that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food, the twelve realize that they cannot effectively teach the word of God and adequately manage to feed the poor (wait on tables). They chose Stephen and six others to be responsible for these tasks so that they could continue to pray and serve the word.

There have been many times in my life when I wished I could speak with such wisdom and Spirit that others could not withstand me, especially now in these days when the world is so frightened and divided. But, the truth is that many times I am only speaking from my own opinions and when others hear me they have different opinions.  But, what if I spoke directly from my heart through the power of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit? 

When I read and study the Word of God, the teachings of Jesus and the disciples, the Psalms and Prophetic writings, I am really preparing myself to bring that wisdom to others.  And so it was with Stephen. His words were not an instant miracle brought on by having the apostles lay hands on him.  He is described as a man full of faith, grace and power prior to his being chosen. 

And so, each day, I pray that I may gain a little more wisdom, a little more faith and a little more grace so that I too may share the love of God, the Word of God and the joy of the resurrection of Jesus Christ because only then will I be speaking from my heart and my soul.

                                                                                    Lois Vanderbok, EfM, Year 1

ACTS 5: 15-16

“As a result of what the apostles were doing sick people were carried out into the streets and placed on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall upon some of them as he passed by.”

After Pentecost when the followers of Jesus were filled with the Holy Spirit, many miracles and wonders were performed among the people by the apostles.  Many healings took place.

When I first read the above passage, it sounded strange to me that people might think that just Peter’s shadow falling on them would have a healing effect!  But then I have seen doctors who can make a patient feel better just by being there and radiating confidence.

It was not that Peter was well educated or particularly talented.  He was a working man just out of jail.  But Peter seemed to be in contact with a source of unlimited vitality or spiritual energy. People sensed that Spirit and for some just being near him in his shadow was uplifting and healing.

Does that spiritual energy emanate from you?   What might open the way for this to be possible?

                                                                              Ann Sieracki, EfM Mentor

Acts 3 – A Miracle and a Message
Acts 2:43 states that “many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles” but does not detail any one specific miracle.  Emphasis is placed on the sharing of goods and possessions, breaking bread together with “glad and generous hearts” and praising God.

Acts 3 opens with the encounter between Peter and John and the lame beggar at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. When asked for alms by the beggar, Peter said first “look at us” and then “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.” And he does … jumping, walking, leaping and singing Gods praises.  Peter’s gift was faith and health.  All the witnesses are filled with awe.

Peter preaches to the witnesses (a crowd of about 5,000, Acts 4.4).  He reminds them that they rejected “the Holy and Righteous One” and “killed the Author of Life.”  But he then immediately calls them Friends and asks them to repent so their sins will be wiped out; to listen to the words of Jesus, and to know that by turning away from wicked ways “in your descendants, all the families of the earth will be blessed.”  Peter emphasizes three truths for proclaiming gospel – Exalt the Lord Jesus; confront humans w/their wrongdoing (sins) and the possibility of judgment, and the offer of God’s grace and love to those who repent and believe. 

As a lifelong Christian, I have made the leap of faith and truly believe that Jesus and his apostles, through the hand of God and the Holy Spirit, really did perform the miracles documented in the New Testament.  And that those miracles brought thousands of non- believers to faith.  What will bring people to faith today?

As we ponder the global pandemic and consider all the reasons it may be so wide spreading and deadly, we are also deeply touched by the courage of first responders, all medical professionals and all who must work to bring us food and goods, deliver transport, etc. For me, all those that carry on in big ways and through small random acts of kindness are today’s miracle workers.  The technology that will ultimately (hopefully soon) provide healing therapies and vaccines is a modern miracle.  With the world slowing down, lessons about saving our planet, consuming less and sharing more are being vividly demonstrated daily.  With God’s grace, the love of Jesus, and time for meditation, may many around the globe turn to the Way of Love at this time and stay close to Our Lord when it is over.
And forever sing his praise!

                                                                                         Adele Sadiq, EfM Year 4

ACTS: 2:1-4

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like a rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the houses where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues of fire as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

The Day of Pentecost was a Jewish tradition and celebrated seven weeks after Passover. People gathered to mark the anniversary of the Law given by God to Moses. We know from Acts 1 that the risen Christ told his disciples and close followers not to leave Jerusalem but to wait to receive the Holy Spirit, “the promise of the Father.”

I often ask myself, what must it have been like to be in that room? Terrifying? Exhilarating? Confusing?

When we read scripture, we are often challenged to put ourselves in the picture and circumstances to try to derive personal meaning and growth. For me, this passage leads me to recall a moment of Grace when the Holy Spirit felt especially close.

One vivid experience was a time when I was in an intense business conflict. The opposing person was falsifying documents and lying about some issues that attacked me and my entire department.  With the help of my rector, I prayed for guidance. On the day of a show-down meeting, I faced her and silently prayed. In a moment my neck felt like it was fever-hot and the heat, like a wave,rolled up my neck to my ears and to the top of my head.The hate I felt towards her lifted and dissipated; I was left feeling a great gift of peace. My feeling of hate transformed into one of sympathy for her.

In his book, The Universal Christ, Father Richard Rohrer writes about the pattern of spiritual transformation. He describes the spiritual learning patterns we go through from “order to disorder to reorder.” He writes, “Order is the first stage where everything is basically good, ….we feel a part of what looks normal and deserved.” The disorder stage is when something challenging happens(i.e., a family death, rejection, divorce,life-change).He says, “this stage or what we call from the Adam and Eve story—the fall. It is necessary in some form if any real growth is to occur.” He goes on to tell us that the reorder stage is “enlightenment and the life on the other side of death, the victory on the other side of failure, the joy on the other side of the pains of childbirth. It is an insistence on going through—not under, over, or around. There is no nonstop flight to reorder.”

When the disciples experienced the resurrection and the mighty winds and tongues of fire of the Holy Spirit, they were transformed. There was no stopping them from spreading the Good News (even in different languages). As Rohrer said, they were insistent on going through it—not under, or around their experience: There was no nonstop flight to reorder. They experienced Jesus’ promise that “the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17) and how Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:51, “we shall be changed.”

                                                                                          Connie Clark, EfM year 4