Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 100; Acts 2:42-47; John 10:1-10; 1 Peter 2:19-25; Psalm 23
If I were to ask most folks on the street, “What do you need to build a church or faith community?” I’m pretty sure what most of the answers would be. The most popular would be, “I would need lots of money.” Other popular answers would be things like “Land” and “Hammers and nails.” All of these are good perfectly good answers from a human perspective. Today’s reading from Acts reminds us of other essential ingredients that are even more basic than the items listed above. The list includes teaching, the life together, the common meal, and prayer. Of course many of us wouldn’t make this mistake only when it comes to the notion of building a church. We often do the same thing with our lives. When we find ourselves off track, our first answers about how to get back on track often have little to do with any of the elements mentioned in Acts. As you think about constructing (or perhaps re-building) an area in your life, I would encourage you to start with these four elements and then see what happens to your plans. Til next time…
If I were to ask most folks on the street, “What do you need to build a church or faith community?” I’m pretty sure what most of the answers would be. The most popular would be, “I would need lots of money.” Other popular answers would be things like “Land” and “Hammers and nails.” All of these are good perfectly good answers from a human perspective. Today’s reading from Acts reminds us of other essential ingredients that are even more basic than the items listed above. The list includes teaching, the life together, the common meal, and prayer. Of course many of us wouldn’t make this mistake only when it comes to the notion of building a church. We often do the same thing with our lives. When we find ourselves off track, our first answers about how to get back on track often have little to do with any of the elements mentioned in Acts. As you think about constructing (or perhaps re-building) an area in your life, I would encourage you to start with these four elements and then see what happens to your plans. Til next time…
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