Scripture: Acts 1:8
[Jesus said,] “…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Thought for the Day: Imagine with me that we are a few weeks after the ascension of Jesus, and we are reflecting on his final words to us (the above verse). Imagine some of the people debating whether we are to go to Jerusalem, then Judea and then Samaria without stopping at the towns in between these stops. “He was clear,” someone declares. “Jesus only wanted us to visit Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. And the ends of the earth is not an actual place, so we don’t need to worry about it.” It sounds like a ridiculous argument to make, but let’s be honest – the church has fully participated in equally if not more absurd type arguments over the years. Each one of these places represented a challenge to the early readers of Acts because their very thought caused discomfort or even fear, yet Jesus wanted his disciples to act beyond their discomfort and fear. And to say the ends of the earth was only a poetic way of saying, “If you think I left some place out, think again!”
Prayer: Allow for your Spirit, Good and Gracious God, to call me to wherever you need me to be. Call me and then lead me so that my work is your work, my words are your words. Amen.
