As the faith grows in its reach, the apostles must make allowances for more leadership. With a larger community, the governance must expand or people will begin to slip away. The apostles appoint seven (another good Jewish number) to this task and the movement continues.
With the laying of hands, we see the precursor of ordination taking place as the church begins to establish the rites of credentialing.
We see Jewish priests in Jerusalem also begin to claim Jesus as the Messiah. It should be noted that they would not be seen in that time period as casting off their faith but rather adopting this particular lens within their faith.
Systems resist change and we see the resistance that Christianity faced as we have another arrest. Stephen is brought before the council and Luke shares how false witness was brought against him. Ironically, they charge him with changing the customs that Moses gave them. Of course, bearing false witness is breaking one of the Ten Commandments that Moses shared!
This passage is a good reminder that change is often very difficult. When society changes rapidly from time to time, it is often our traditions like religious observation that provide the most comfort. When they change too, it seems like the wheels have come off the bus.
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| Two General Conference delegates thoughtfully debating an amendment to legislation. |
While the two examples above may be localized in a particular church, United Methodist disagreements on how we minister with the LGBTQ+ community reach into every congregation because there are differing viewpoints in every congregation. Since this topic is fairly divisive in the secular world, it shouldn't be surprising that it is stirring up lots of emotions within our churches.
When we are engaging one another over this or other controversial topics, it is important to look at our own emotions surrounding the issue. If we feel especially heated, why do we feel this way? Is there a way to communicate to others our reasons for our passion without getting upset or being disrespectful? Can we see someone with a differing viewpoint as a person rather than an obstacle? While I may not agree with their reasoning, can I understand why they feel the way they do?
Prayer for the day:
Bless all who worship you, from the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same. Of your goodness, give us; with your love, inspire us, by your spirit guide us; by your power, protect us; in your mercy receive us now and always. Amen.
Prayer from an ancient collect
Photo by mark6mauno via Flickr.com. Used under the Creative Commons license.
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