Week 3: Be Amazed
Saturday Dec 23
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
Awe came upon everyone because many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.
Acts 2:42-47
As a child, one of my favorite books was The 6 Bullerby Children, by Astrid Lindgren. The book is about six children living in a tiny, remote village in early 1930’s Sweden. Since the village of Bullerby has only three families they share most of the daily activities and live in a close community.
While reading the book I always dreamed I was part of this community. All the stories are filled with laughter and fun, summer festivities, adventures in the forest, working together in the fields or Christmas parties.
In reading about the first church in Acts 2 I have the same longing to be part of this community. Shortly after the events of Pentecost, the first few thousand Christians built the first church in Jerusalem. They didn’t meet just once a week for a service. They met daily to have fellowship, share meals, pray together and celebrate Jesus by breaking bread and learning more about him. They also took good care of one another by selling possessions and giving the money to the poorer people in the community. This fellowship was so outstanding that more and more people wanted to belong to it.
For me and I think for most people, fellowship is still very important. Today’s world sometimes makes it difficult to find time to live in close community with friends and church family. We have stressful jobs with long hours, family obligations or just the fact that friends and family members live farther away.
I still have the longing sometimes to live together with friends and loved ones in a place like idyllic Bullerby or like the first church in Jerusalem.
The way in which this first church community lived may hardly be possible anymore. But I still find fruitful community in our church and with other Christians. I am glad about small groups where people learn and pray together, mission events and shared meals. By taking part in these we still do what the first church did, just in a different way.
In what ways can you invest more in your relationship with God and others?
Memory Passage
The wolf shall live with the lamb;
the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
the calf and the lion will feed together,
and a little child shall lead them.
— Isaiah 11:6
Weekly Practice
Go on a walk in a familiar place. As often as you can, stop and look up. Pay attention to details you usually miss.
Spend time looking at the night sky and stars. Offer a prayer of gratitude to God.
Look back at the list of joys from Week Two. Do something on that list!