Israel was a dysfunctional family just like many of ours.   In today’s story, the father, Jacob, has made the classic error of favoring one son over the others as symbolized in the long robe with sleeves he made for him.  Apparently sleeves were a big deal back in those days.  This would be like my parents buying me a Baracuda after having made my three sisters drive my car when it was available. Wait a minute, that is what happened in my family, only my parents bought my sister, Anne, a car and let me use it when it was available.  You get my point.  Every family has its problems, and no parent is fair all the time.

            Anyway, Jacob’s other sons had taken their family flocks from the Valley of Hebron, where they lived, north to Shechem.  This was a distance of 60 miles north and would have taken them through what is today the disputed territory of the West Bank.   Why go 60 miles?  Was the flock so big it ate that much grass?  More likely they went to where the water was. Joseph’s brothers are infuriated when they see the fancy robe that Jacob made for Joseph.  They proceed to throw Joseph in an empty well and then sell him into slavery.  So much for brotherly love.

            With a family like this how could God possibly accomplish anything?  Take heart, o fellow member of a family dysfunctional.  As we know, God used this episode for great good in the larger story.  Joseph will later say to his brothers, “What you intended for evil, God intended for good.” The Spirit’s presence and intercession lead to God’s purpose being accomplished through the dysfunctional family which is us.

            In the same way, Paul tells us in Romans 8, We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. ALL things work together for good.  That’s a pretty encouraging thought. God in his sovereign grace is intent on making things work out, no matter how badly we’ve messed up.  Just think about this for a minute.

• What is the deepest pit you’ve been thrown into over the course of your life?
• How might the fact that the Spirit is interceding for you encourage you in navigating the pain and discomfort of that experience?
• How does this story move you to pray for your own family of origin?

            Now that you’ve thought a bit about the kinds of pitfalls you’ve experienced in your family, You might want to take a blank note card and write to ask for forgiveness for whatever role you might have played in digging the pit.  The card will be yours to keep and to do with what you wish – you can send it to a family member or you can light it on fire to make a burnt offering to Christ.  Whatever you do with your note, I hope you come away with the assurance that God can redeem whatever we give to him, no matter how flawed, no matter what our motivation is in the offering.

Acts 1:6-14

This passage in Acts is about the Ascension of Christ into Heaven. Ascension Day is forty days after Easter – and ten days before Pentecost. And, of course on Pentecost we celebrate the out pouring and indwelling of the Holy Spirit – the act by which God empowered the church for its mission in the world.
           
In contrast, this Scripture passage involves a period of waiting -- It is a short and unusual time for the fledgling Christian community: Christ has ascended into heaven – His earthly ministry has been completed. But the Holy Spirit has not yet descended upon the church to empower it and inspire its mission. The fledgling Christian community is not yet the church in a real sense – that will not happen until Pentecost. Instead – we see a small group of believers waiting for God – waiting for help and his instruction about what to do next in life. I think we have all been in a situation like that. What do you do when you are waiting for God to act? Here are some thoughts on how we can faithfully wait for God.
           
First, hold onto the promises of the Scripture: God will act in His time. Jesus told the disciples: “It is not for you to know the times or the dates that the Father has set by his own authority.” It is hard to wait. We do not want to wait. We want to speak with God on our time – not on his. We want him to act – Now!!! We want God to act on our time – not on His. God will act – He always does – In his way – In his time – In His wisdom. Isaiah the Prophet reminds us: “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. And you will go out in joy and be led forth in peace.” Isaiah reminds us that the Lord has his time. The Lord will act in his time. The Lord will restore all things in his time.
           
Second, waiting for God should be a time of practical activity. The Book of Acts tells us that the disciples took care of some business. After Christ had ascended, Peter tells the disciples that they needed to replace Judas – to appoint a new disciple. So, they went about in a business-like fashion – They created a job description: The new disciple was to be a witness to the resurrection of the Christ. They specified the qualifications: The new disciple had to be a person who had been with them from the beginning. The disciples then looked at the candidates: There were two who fit the bill. Finally, the disciples took the practical step of invoking God in their decision making process: By casting lots they allowed God to chose between the two qualified candidates. Our own times of waiting for God should also be a very practical time. If we are waiting for God to solve the problem of starvation in Africa – we can also be doing something practical: We can give what we are able; we can support those who are there in Africa to bring relief; we can pray like the disciples. All of those things are very practical. If we are waiting for God to provide direction in our life activities – we can do something very practical while we wait: we can investigate our options; we can get the proper training; we can talk to other people, listening to their suggestions; e can pray for guidance. All of those things are very practical.

Third, the time of waiting should be a time of reflection. I imagine that the disciples used the ten day period from the Ascension to Pentecost for reflection on all of the events they had witnessed and experienced. Imagine for a moment that you are Peter. I imagine Peter during this time of waiting like this: God has promised that there will be great things in the future. But for now Peter is waiting for the Holy Spirit. Perhaps Peter thought back on his time with Jesus. Time and again, the Gospels tell us that along the way there was so much that Peter did not understand. Peter made mistakes; he was confused. And yet for all of the mistakes that Peter made, Christ still trusted him. Christ was still determined to use him. Peter had so much to contemplate. It was necessary for Peter to have that time of reflection before he went on to the next big set of assignments that God had in mind for him: leading the Jerusalem church, converting Gentiles, traveling to Rome to lead the church there, to become the first bishop of Rome, and going to a martyr’s death. The waiting time provides a wonderful opportunity to stop, to reflect, to gain some perspective on what has happened in life.

Finally, the time of waiting can be a time to deepen our faith. That gets us to the final example set for us by Peter and the other apostles. God helps us build faith in many ways, but one way is in our communion with the Lord and with each other. As they began their period of waiting – the days between Ascension and Pentecost – they ate with our Lord. They heard our Lord and were built up in their faith in this communal experience. And in the same way faith is built in us in the sacrament of communion. As we wait for the Lord to act within our lives, let us wait with him and with the Body of Christ as we come to the Lord’s table.  This is a sacred meal of which we partake. In the sacrament of communion we dine with the Lord as surely as did the disciples. Our faith is built in these holy moments.

Wait for the Lord.  You won't be disappointed.

Acts 2:42-27

It seems more than a coincidence to me that we read this passage about the early church on Mother’s Day.  When you think about it, it seems like the early church acted just like our mothers would want us to!  When God gave birth to the church, so to speak, it behaved like the family of a loving, caring mom. How can we do what they did so our church will be faithful and grow?

1. Make Worship a Priority
“They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God….”

The early church was built on prayer, worship, and fellowship. An expressive, worshipful church results from sincere praise and communion with the Savior. It’s not something you schedule to draw a crowd. To become a worshiping church means focus has been shifted. Our natural inclination is to worship other “gods,” lesser things like money and power. But the Bible teaches that we are put on this earth primarily to know and walk with the God who made us and to bring glory to His name.

Our worship of God must engage the mind, but it must also engage the affections, the heart, our emotions, and our spirit. That does not mean that worship has to necessarily be emotional or involve an outward emotional display to be “in the spirit,” but it does mean the heart must be engaged. We show outward excitement and worship to sports, musicians, and celebrities. It would seem only right that God would deserve more.

A worshiping church is a place where God is exalted in spirit and in truth.

2. Open Your Heart and Your Hands to Others

“Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.”

As we read the accounts of the first church, it becomes clear that literally everything they did culminated in reaching out to new people with the gospel. We should want to go and share our faith. We talk about what is important to us. The early believers had been touched by Jesus; He had forever changed their lives, so much so that they were willing to give their lives for Him. It has nothing to do with winning a debate with someone who believes differently from what we believe.  It has everything to do with sharing who we are and what is vital in our lives.

Evangelism was not a planned event in the early church; it was a natural out growth of a healthy relationship with Christ. The early believers took everyday situations and turned them into opportunities to share the Gospel. They stepped out in faith and spoke the truth of the Gospel and God showed up.

3. Magnanimously give

“Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common…continuing daily with one accord…and having favor with all people.”

This sentence illustrates just how literally we’re called to love one another. The reason the early church could share their possessions was that they were actually living out the second great commandment to love their neighbor as themselves. We see that their unity and love were so powerful that “all the people” thought well of them.  And isn’t that just what our moms teach us, to be loving, kind, generous, and faithful?

Who wouldn’t want to join in on such a love fest where everyone was cared about and accepted? As a result, their numbers exploded and thousands came to Christ!
When we are talking about being a loving church we are talking about a people who are connected to one another in close fellowship and people who serve one another in true ministry. Jesus said in Matthew 19:19 “Love your neighbor as yourself.” What would happen if we truly began to take Jesus at His world and live this way? What would this do to our church? Can you imagine how different things would be if we operated by this principle? What would it be like if we really were as concerned about others’ happiness, problems, and disappointments as we are about our own?

Our love one for another is one of our greatest witnesses to the world. It backs up everything that we are trying to do and say to the world. Remember in Acts all the believers were as one? The response was a daily adding to their numbers. People came to Jesus because they saw how Christians loved each other.  People still come to Jesus when they see how we love each other.

So, on this Mother’s Day, let’s listen to our moms: Let’s make worship a priority, open our hearts and hands to others, and be magnanimous.  Let’s be more like the early church, which was a small refuge in a multi-cultural society fighting for its life.  And if we do, the 21st century church will blossom just as the first century church did.

I love the story of Jesus walking with two of his disciples on the Road to Emmaus, (Luke 24:13-35) because it is a picture in miniature of the path we all take as disciples.

In the beginning of our journey, Jesus is a stranger to us.  Oh, sure, we hear the stories about Him in the Bible.  We sing the hymns at church.  But what do we really know about Jesus?  He seems very far away from our daily lives.  A Jewish carpenter who lived 2,000 years ago; an itinerant preacher whose lessons are more cryptic than clear; a person who was willing to die when He had it within his power to escape death – Jesus is truly a stranger to us and to our whole way of life.

But as we grow in faith, we begin to invite Jesus to be our guest.  We want to spend more time with Him and learn about what He has to teach us.  This is all on our own terms, of course.  When it is convenient for us we ask Him over – we pray to Him, or we read about Him, we begin to participate in worship and ponder His difficult sayings.

As time goes on, though, and we become more convinced that Jesus is who He said He was, we eventually reverse roles, and become the guests at Jesus’ table.  We open ourselves to Him, not only as our Host at communion, but also as the Lord of our lives.  Instead of fitting Him into our schedule, we let Him dictate the schedule and fit our lives into His purpose. We become a part of his Body and we acknowledge Him as our head.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all this could take place in one day, as it did for those disciples on the Road to Emmaus?  For most of us, it takes a lifetime, and our journey is not a straight path, but one that doubles back and snakes around as we wrestle with Jesus over who is in control of our lives.

But the truth is, we all can open our eyes to Christ’s leading in our lives wherever we are.  When our hearts burn as we hear His message, Jesus is speaking to us.  When we commune at His table, Jesus is hosting us. When we pour ourselves out in compassion and love the way He did, no matter how worthy the recipient, Jesus is guiding our hearts, minds, and souls.

And the best thing about traveling on the Road to Emmaus is that in the end you don’t just reach a dusty village.  You find your way to the Kingdom of God.