We're gathering weekly to read a chapter of Acts. This week it is Acts 4. The lectionary has been set aside so that we can travel from beginning to end through Acts more thoroughly than the lectionary allows. Our first series around Acts last month was 'Mission Impossible?' recalling the theme tune, the giving of a mission & the opportunity to accept or reject taking it on. We've just started our follow-up series called 'People of...' so that we get to know the Acts people, exploring what kinds of people they were spending time with and what similarities & differences there are with us as United Reformed people and Wythenshawe apostles.
Alongside this we're utilising some material from Forge Australia http://www.forge.org.au/ to help with Acts and our apostolic life in Wythenshawe as individuals and together. It encorages us to read our bible chapters of Acts in a public place. This has been interesting; both the responses to the challenge to do that and those who have taken up the challenge. We're accountable each week to each other - stating the week before where we plan to try and go to read our bible in public & then for sharing in conversation (without too much guilt tripping!) where we ended up reading it!
So far our group have read the bible:
- By a fishing pond in the local park near our church
- On the train into Manchester
- In a cafe in the Forum in the centre of Wythenshawe
- On the QE2 ship on holiday (!)
- Civic centre on a bench before shopping
- Outside a caravan in North Wales
- In the carpark of our church on a pew!
- At Manchester Airport in a cafe
Almost each time we have all been nervous about it beforehand and it has take some of our church a few weeks of trying and failing to get out in public with our bible but we're trying. And it is changing us too. Sometimes we have been asked what are we doing and often with a follow-up of why. This has meant not only going and keeping our heads down but that we're putting ourselves in a different place - maybe more accessible perhaps.
So this week (and last because there's so much in it) we're on Acts 4 and getting towards Acts 5. We talked at our weekly gathering about the previous Sunday's worship with Lees St. Congregational Church and how it helped us kick-off our People of series. 'People of Proclamation' and then we shared our responses to Acts 4:1-10 & 23-end. These are some of the rememberings:
- What is it/who is it the apostles were proclaiming & how?
- People were proclaiming (speaking/telling) Jesus raised from the dead
- Peter & John had courage to speak pretty directly to the leaders
- We don't know what kind of tone, body language or other things that Peter & John had towards the Jewish temple leaders
- Maybe they were aggressive - they come across as arrogant - that they are right and that the leaders were wrong (v10)
- If someone spoke to me that way as a non christian I would ask them who are you to speak to me like that
- No, they weren't arrongant - they were speaking with boldness from the Spirit of God in them. It's different.
- They were offensive. No wonder if someone spoke like that then the Jewish leaders wanted to kill them and were after them & put them in prison.
- If the Spirit gives us a purpose, something to do or say or a place to go we have to do it no matter what the consequences. That's what Peter does and he denied Jesus and ran didn't want the consequences so he is ready now to show his love for Jesus and the consequences don't matter.
- We can speak freely in Britain. Lilly (whose home we gather in weekly) tells our church stories of Christians around the world who speak their faith but they are not free. The consequences are very different.
- They were ordinary people they apostles - it's very encouraging for us because they didn't go to college or give lots of lectures and have smooth words. They have fear and courage but God helped them.
- Yes, their personalities were given by God and shy wallflower or not they got involved because of the Spirit of God - so it's good for us. God uses us with who we are. Ordinary people and an extraordinary God!
- At the time there was a mix of different kinds of people, different religions and spiritual paths. Like today. It's really helpful for us. We can see we are in a time a bit like then although it's different too. But when we're living alongside people of different faiths here in Wythenshawe v12 is something I struggle with. Is salvation for people of all faiths?
- We're scared of offending people and of judging them if they are not Christian.
- Is it possible to be a person of proclamation and not offend people?
- What is it/who is it we're proclaiming and how?
