Author: admin

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Acts 22:30 – 23:11

Wishing to determine the truth
about why Paul was being accused by the Jews,
the commander freed him
and ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin to convene.
Then he brought Paul down and made him stand before them.

Paul was aware that some were Sadducees and some Pharisees,
so he called out before the Sanhedrin,
“My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees;
I am on trial for hope in the resurrection of the dead.”
When he said this,
a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees,
and the group became divided.
For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection
or angels or spirits,
while the Pharisees acknowledge all three.
A great uproar occurred,
and some scribes belonging to the Pharisee party
stood up and sharply argued,
“We find nothing wrong with this man.
Suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”
The dispute was so serious that the commander,
afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them,
ordered his troops to go down and rescue Paul from their midst
and take him into the compound.
The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage.
For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem,
so you must also bear witness in Rome.”

The Word of the Lord.

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Saint Paul has caused quite the stir! 

Imagine being caught up in the middle of a mob; people are furious and you’re the reason why.

Paul has caused division among the Jews. Some believed in the resurrection of the dead – a belief that started surfacing before Christ lived among us – while others believed in nothing after death.

The answer to this question: “Is there life after death?” determined how people lived out their faith.

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Paul stands trial for preaching about the resurrection and is being scourged with a leather whip, a method of torture so painful that many died from shock.

But as he’s being beaten, he defends himself, saying, “I am Roman citizen.”

It was considered terribly immoral – if not illegal – to strike a Roman citizen, so the commander drops his whip.

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While Paul was clearly willing to die for the Lord, and indeed he will shortly in Rome, he is unwilling to die early.

He will not just throw his life away or take it for granted.

Life is a precious gift from God that should never be wasted, even when we’re suffering. As Paul writes earlier, “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”  

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Sometimes that means professing our faith publicly like Paul did. But most often, we glorify God in little ways: being grateful; kind; or generous to a neighbor.

In what ways can I bring glory to God today?

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Image credits: (1) Teaching Humble Hearts (2) Christianity.com (3) Prince of Peace Lutheran Church

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Acts 20: 28-38

At Miletus, Paul spoke to the presbyters of the Church of Ephesus:
“Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock
of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers,
in which you tend the Church of God
that he acquired with his own Blood.
I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you,
and they will not spare the flock.
And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth
to draw the disciples away after them.
So be vigilant and remember that for three years, night and day,
I unceasingly admonished each of you with tears.
And now I commend you to God
and to that gracious word of his that can build you up
and give you the inheritance among all who are consecrated.
I have never wanted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing.
You know well that these very hands
have served my needs and my companions.
In every way I have shown you that by hard work of that sort
we must help the weak,
and keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said,
‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

When he had finished speaking
he knelt down and prayed with them all.
They were all weeping loudly
as they threw their arms around Paul and kissed him,
for they were deeply distressed that he had said
that they would never see his face again.
Then they escorted him to the ship.

The Word of the Lord.

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Mark Twain once said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you were born…and the day you know why.”

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On Sunday, I’ll celebrate my 6^th anniversary as a priest. Each year I’m reminded in a particular way why the Lord created me, to be his servant and to draw others closer to God.

It’s the same reason why he created Saint Paul, whom we listen to in our first reading.

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Paul’s reached the end of his journey. He’s run the race of life and kept the faith. 

Knowing his death is imminent, he gives a final sermon to the Church in Ephesus, exhorting them to remain faithful to the Gospel he preached. 

He also warns them against false preachers, whom he knows will arise in their midst, against disunity, and spiritual malaise; things we must still be weary of today.

But Paul’s competed well. He’s done his part. Now he entrusts his flock to his successors.

This gesture of handing on the faith has happened over the last two millennia, some 100 generations, which includes us today.

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The two most important days in your life are the day you were born…and the day you know why.

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As Christians, we might add a third day to Twain’s famous line: the day you were born, the day you know why…

…and the day you go home.

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Saint Paul’s done his part to hand on our faith. Now’s he’s heading home, trusting we’ll continue to share the Gospel.

Regardless of who we are, or what roads we travel in life, this is part of the “why” we are here, to share our Christian faith.

How will I do that today?

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Image credits: (1) Quotestolove.com (2) Saint Paul the Apostle, by Giuseppe Franchi (3) Pastor Darryl Baker

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Acts 20: 17-27

From Miletus Paul had the presbyters
of the Church at Ephesus summoned. 
When they came to him, he addressed them,
“You know how I lived among you
the whole time from the day I first came to the province of Asia.
I served the Lord with all humility
and with the tears and trials that came to me
because of the plots of the Jews,
and I did not at all shrink from telling you
what was for your benefit,
or from teaching you in public or in your homes.
I earnestly bore witness for both Jews and Greeks
to repentance before God and to faith in our Lord Jesus.
But now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem.
What will happen to me there I do not know,
except that in one city after another
the Holy Spirit has been warning me
that imprisonment and hardships await me.
Yet I consider life of no importance to me,
if only I may finish my course
and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus,
to bear witness to the Gospel of God’s grace.

The Word of the Lord.

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Often at funerals, a family member or friend offers a eulogy for the deceased, highlighting particular memories or qualities that made that person beloved by others. 

Rarely has someone written his or her own eulogy. 

But, in a sense, that’s what Saint Paul is doing in today’s first reading. Before boarding a ship, he says farewell to his community in Ephesus, saying, “I know that none of you to whom I preached the kingdom during my travels will ever see my face again.”

What a wrenching moment, saying farewell before his death to those whom he loved, something Jesus did just a few decades earlier.

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In this farewell discourse, Paul says several things about himself.

He spoke fearlessly. He preached to both Jews and Gentiles alike about the resurrection of Christ, often at great personal cost.

He lived independently; Paul worked for the bread he ate.

He was ready and willing to offer his life for the Gospel. “But now, compelled by the Spirit,” he says, “I am going to Jerusalem. What will happen to me there I do not know.”

Eventually, Paul travels from Jerusalem to Rome, where he’s martyred in the year 65 AD. 

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What Paul says of himself we pray will be said of every Christian: “I fought the good fight. I ran the race to the finish. I kept the faith.” 

May we continue running the race today.

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Images: (1) FuneralWise.com (2) Saint Paul by Bartolomeo Montagna