Acts 21:37-22:16 In Acts 21 and 22 we are privileged to hear the “testimony” of St. Paul. We hear how he was a Jew, born as a Roman citizen in Tarsus, and how he was brought up at the feet of Gamaliel, taught the Law strictly, and was zealous toward God. He continues by telling how he persecuted the Way and bound and delivered into prison both men and women. The climax of Paul’s testimony is, of course, when the... Read more
Yesterday, we learned of the sweet work of reconciliation of Jesus Christ and the mystery of God’s uniting love made manifest in the union of the Bridegroom Jesus Christ with His beautiful Bride the Church. St. Paulwas a faithful steward of this mystery and was willing to give his life to guard and proclaim it. Today we hear again about those who were willing to take Paul’s life to make sure that God’s work of reconciliation didn’t take place. Without having... Read more
The Global Anglican Spirituality The first Lambeth Conference of 1867 and the creation of the Anglican Communion created a sense of a larger Anglican identity, as well as the need for authority to deal with provincial church relations. But for the most, until 1998 Anglicanism was treated in almost every academic work as being the English and American churches. So what happened in 1998 that changed everything? The 1998 Lambeth Conference is what happened. When the time came for the... Read more
Acts 21:15-26 “Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:1-2). This is what Paul says to the church at Corinth which he helped establish, the church at Corinth that we have heard about from St. Luke in Acts 18. What are these mysteries of which we are also stewards? We see it from one angle in... Read more
Acts 21:1-14 “When he had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, ‘Thus says the Holy Spirit, “So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.”’ Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, ‘What do you mean by weeping and breaking... Read more
Acts 20:17-38 I want to administer a test to you today. You may take all the time you want: in fact, the more time you take the better. It’s an open Book test, and you can look up anything you want. You are on the honor system, and I’ll even let you evaluate yourself! You can ask for answers from others, although it won’t do you much good. In fact, that reminds me of a Woody Allen joke: “When I... Read more
Acts 20:1-16 Paul, as an apostle, is a microcosm of the Church itself. In this relatively unassuming passage, we can see Paul connected to every important ministry which Jesus has entrusted to His Body. What unites this work of Jesus Christ, which is the work of the Church, is the Church’s worship of Jesus Christ. And that is what we find in Ephesus and Troas here in Acts 20 today. The passage begins by Paul encouraging the disciples in Ephesus,... Read more
Acts 19:21-4 Are you a passionate person? No, not that kind of passion! Is there something in your life that you’re deeply passionate about? Something that if it is disturbed or upset or desecrated you get very upset about? Watch people sometime, and you’ll see the things they’re very passionate about. Here’s a list of some of the things I’ve seen people get passionate about: Driving – I’ve had people practically run me off the road because of some minor... Read more
Acts 19:8-20 The Story of Little Suck-a-Thumb One day, Mamma said, “Conrad dear, I must go out and leave you here. But mind now, Conrad, what I say, Don’t suck your thumb while I’m away. The great tall tailor always comes To little boys that suck their thumbs. And ere they dream what he’s about He takes his great sharp scissors And cuts their thumbs clean off, – and then You know, they never grow again.” Mamma had scarcely turn’d... Read more
Acts 18:24-19:7 At the beginning of Acts 18, I talked about the importance of relationships in the Body of Christ and of how God comes to us. If, as I’ve been saying all along, the book of Acts is about the Spirit of Christ in the Body of Christ continuing to teach and do the things of Jesus Christ, then the relationships we have in the Body of Christ are extraordinarily, eternally important. Today, I want to look at the... Read more
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