Focus Scriptures
Acts 1: 15-17- 21-26; 1John 5: 9-13; John 17: 6-19
In those days Peter stood up among the believers (together the crowd numbered about one hundred twenty persons)
The reading from Luke’s Acts of the Apostles is the earliest of our readings, dating from around 65 AD a little over 30 years after the Ascension and 20+ years before John ‘put pen to parchment’ to write his gospel and letter.
The context of Acts is the brief time frame between the Ascension and the disciples empowerment by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Before His departure, Jesus ordered His disciples
”not (to)depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father….you will be baptised by the Holy Spirit …(and)you will receive power .”
After the Ascension, the disciples, the women, Mary the mother of Jesus, and the brothers of Jesus, returned to Jerusalem and
”with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer”.
”In those days” in the upper room Peter, stands up among the 120+ followers and convenes what may be seen as the first ‘prototype’ church council meeting…
He is burdened with the fracture created by the loss of Judas. Twelve had been chosen by Jesus and now Peter seeks to restore the full functioning integrity of the apostolic twelve.
Numbers in Scripture are significant.
The number 12 relates to the 12 sons of Jacob from whom the 12 tribes of Israel descended.
Throughout Scripture the number 12 occurs 187 times. In the Book of Revelation alone, it occurs 22 times.
The number 12 is considered to symbolizes God’s power and authority, as well as serving as a perfect governmental foundation.
Incidently the number 120 is also significant …for in Jewish law a minimum of 120 Jewish men was required to establish a community with its own council; in Jewish terms Christ’s disciples were now a body of sufficient size to form a new community within Judaism…the empowerment needed to establish and grow the church soon comes with Pentecost.
As Pentecost approaches us, let us call on the Holy Spirit, to stir us up with His gifts and Presence.
Peter outlines to the gathering what experience candidates needed to be an apostle.
”So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us–one of these must become a witness with us to his RESURRECTION.”
The Resurrection is the focus of the apostolic message. Christianity stands or falls with the resurrection. As Paul added later:
”… if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.”
Today, as providence would have it, we follow in the apostolic tradition as we ,convene for the first time, our newly elected church council. With that in mind I’d like to draw our attention to a particular verse in this passage. When all discussion in the meeting ends and decision time comes…look at what the early disciples did….
” Then they prayed … “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us…’ Your will and Your way….and so must we.
Peter spoke of disciples witnessing. And we are now the Lord’s witnessing disciples. Witness testify. Witnesses give testimony.
This links us to John’s letter where in just 3 verses, hedraws our attention to the term ”testimony” and repeats it 6 times.
We, like the disciples, are now called to witness and testify. Each generation of believers must testify to its generation…..for God has children, not grand children.
Once it was Peter… now it is us… who witness to the Resurrected Jesus.
Once it was with John…. now it is we who testify to his words that;
” God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.”
With John we also testify that
”Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. So that we begin to genuinely call God; ”Abba Father”.
Life with God in Christ is not all plain sailing. Spiritual growing pains hurt. Christian life has breath-taking peaks but also valleys that cast foreboding shadows.
We live as fallen humanity in a fallen and spiritually antagonistic world. Where we are called to be flavoursome salt and as a bright light in darkness.In Jesus is life. This life (is) the light for humanity and
”… shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Whatever our trials and tribulations, in the end God wins and our life-story ends with resurrection, ascension and eternal glory : )
Our gospel reading gives us this reassurance. Christ Jesus covers us, His disciples, with a powerful prayer. Jesus knew what we would be up against in ‘the world’. In the 14 verse gospel extract Jesus repeats the phrase ‘the world’ 13 times.
Jesus knows and accepts that it is in the rough and tumbles of life that we will live out and deepen our saving faith in God’s grace.
I am not asking you (Father)to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one.
While I was with them, I protected them in your name … I guarded them…
To the Hebrews a name was not a label, or a tool to distinguish one person from another; a person’s name was viewed as equivalent to the person himself. A person’s name signified their person, worth, character, reputation, authority, will, and ownership.
Holy Father(says Jesus), protect them in your name that you have given me,
Being protected in the name of God is powerful.
Then Jesus asks the Father to,
Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth…
Again the Hebrew concept of ‘word’ differs from our understanding of ‘word’ which has its origins in Greek thought. The Holy Spirit through Isaiah captures the nature of the Hebrew understanding:
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
Words have creative/destructive life/energy/intent. God’s Word is an extension of the divine personality, invested with divine authority, and is to be heeded by all.
This is the profound spiritual nature of the ‘word” Jesus is speaking of. The word is ”vital”; it lives to manifest itself.
This is the living word that the Holy Spirit imparts in us. This Living Word gives eternal life to our regenerated spirit….and by its nature separates us/ sets us apart/sanctifies us by redirecting our priorities from created to the Creator, from the material to the spiritual, from the temporal to the eternal.
Jesus knew this…He had been there before us……and literally rose above it.
I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.
Jesus…..Sanctify (us) in the truth; your word is truth.
(Bishop Tom Wright)
This prayer of Jesus has been used for many centuries …+can with only slight variation, be used by Christians for themselves. Substitute ‘Jesus’ where the prayer says ‘I’, and replace ‘they’ and ‘them’ with ‘I’ and ‘me’.
But Pozor/be careful. This is a serious prayer. It is one of the most serious things Jesus ever said.
That’s why, deep down, it is also among the most joyful and hopeful of prayers.
Pray it with awe, and with delight.
Amen.