Thursday, June 21
Scripture Reading—Acts 20:1-16
This
section of Luke’s record of the early church in the book of Acts describes Paul’s
final missionary journey to Jerusalem and then on to Rome. This passage reads like a travelogue; it
details all the ports where Paul and his entourage stopped on the way to
Jerusalem, the names of the people they met, and some of the most memorable
events. On this protracted “cruise” Paul
and his friends celebrated the days of Unleavened Bread (the Passover) at which
I’m sure they remembered the sacrifice Jesus made in Jerusalem, and which
subtly signaled the difficulty Paul anticipated for himself on his arrival at
that city. At a meeting in Troas, Paul
got so long-winded that a young man named Eutychus fell asleep near a window
and fell to the ground three floors.
Everyone thought he was dead and Paul said, “Ah, he’ll be all right,”
and kept preaching. (Falling asleep in
church is not a new thing!) The main
thing that happens on this journey, however, is that Paul encourages the
Christians in the various cities along the way—and they encourage him on his
journey that everyone knows will be met with great difficulty, perhaps
persecution and even death. Paul’s trip reminds
us that the Christian life is a journey often filled with temptations,
struggles, opposition, and even suffering.
But his travels also remind us that the way to successfully complete our
journey, wherever it takes us and however difficult it might be, is to give and
receive encouragement to one another. (Acts 20:1-2) So, when you come to worship each Sunday, I
hope and pray that before you put out from port for another week on the path of
discipleship, you receive the encouragement you need to make it to the next
point in your journey, and that you can encourage someone else along their way
as well!
Thought
for the day: As we make this journey of
Christian discipleship, following where Christ leads, we need the encouragement
of others to help us arrive safely at our destination.
Prayer: O God, your people have always been
travelling folks. Moses and the children
of Israel on their way to the Promised Land, Jesus and the disciples walking
from one city to another, and Paul sailing from one port to another, all remind
us that we, too are called to walk with Christ wherever he leads all the days
of our lives until we arrive at our home in safety. Grant us faith to trust you, and the
generosity of spirit to give and receive encouragement from one another. Amen.
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