Today's Reading:Old Testament: Numbers 33 - 35
New Testament: Acts 21:1 - 36
Focus Verses: Acts 21:1-6
1After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Cos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara. 2We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, went on board and set sail. 3After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo. 4Finding the disciples there, we stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. 5But when our time was up, we left and continued on our way. All the disciples and their wives and children accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray. 6After saying good-by to each other, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home.
Insight:
In the last verses of Acts 20 we see Paul, his companions, and the Ephesian elders near the ship he was about to board. We see them kneeling to pray, weeping, and embracing. Then, in chapter 21, we see something similar when the ship stops to unload cargo in Tyre. Paul and his entourage, having stayed with Christians for seven days, kneel down on the beach to pray with the disciples and their wives and their children.
Response and Action:
I am struck with how natural and matter-of-fact Luke is in his recounting of these open displays of Christian love and prayer in what must have been decidedly public places. It does not seem like Paul and his companions and disciples were making any special effort to be noticed in public. They seem to be genuine displays of fellowship and affection that just happen to be in public -- not unlike many affectionate good-byes I have seen in airports. What impresses me today, as I read this passage, is how there was also no special effort by Paul and the disciples to protect the public from seeing not only their open affection for each other, but also their faith in God, as demonstrated through kneeling in prayer. When I am with my family and friends in public, I am going to feel free to be open about my affection for them and our shared faith in God. I don't need to protect the public from genuine displays of faith such as a prayer with a friend or grace before a meal.
O God, help me to live out my love and faith in everyday ways. Help me to be as open about my love for you in public places as I would be about giving a loved one a good-bye hug in an airport. My love for Jesus and for family and for fellow Christians is not something I need to protect people from seeing. Amen.
Proverbs: 19:23
"The fear of the LORD leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble."
Resources:
Living the Story: Biblical Spirituality for Everyday Christians
by R. Paul Stevens and Michael Green
