In the period between Pascha and Pentecost, the Church reads the book of Acts and the Gospel of John, The Gospel of John is read as it provides the framework for understanding the person and work of Jesus from a post-resurrectional perspective. All the passages in the various gospels which say things like “they did not understand it then, but later they understood: tell us that, in order to understand, we need to have seen the entire story, to have gone through the crucifixion and resurrection.
The book of Acts, gives us a different perspective on the Church. Whereas the gospels were about the life and ministry of Jesus, Acts takes us into the early years of the Church. The books that follow I are different as well. The letters of the New Testament give us glimpses of various communities – Thessaloniki, Colossae, Rome – with the various issues that were important in each community and the way that the apostles (especially St. Paul) dealt with these situations as shepherds. The book of Acts, in contrast, shows the continued work of God through the apostles by the grace and power of the Holy Spirit. We are brought into the details of actions, decisions, words spoken by the apostles and are thus allowed to see the human side of the Church and what faith and faithfulness look like in practice.
There are many things to consider and here we can look at but a few. I will start with St. Peter defying the temple authorities, both showing (by returning to preach where he had been forbidden) and saying that obedience to God is more important than obedience to men. There are two notes that I think should be made here. The first is that this does not contradict St. Paul teaching obedience to the authorities. What it does is to show what choice Christians are to make when there is a conflict between what the authorities of this world demand and what God demands. Which brings me to the second point, which is that the apostles had been with Jesus for three years as He taught and therefore they knew His teachings. In order to know how to choose God, should we need to make that choice, we also need to know what God has ttaught.
Moving on to St. Paul, whose trials we learned about both in the book of Acts and in his various letters, Advertising sells us the idea that comfort is the ultimate good. St. Paul lived knowing that the ultimate good is knowing Christ. His life shows us what that knowledge looks like when it is embodied In a life. St. Paul was convinced that nothing could separate him from the love of Christ. And so, if he had the love of Christ, he was content, wherever he was. And, wherever he was, he strove to bring the knowledge of Christ.
One of the things that Acts does is remind us that the Church is sustained and grows through the faithfulness and dedication of the faithful. We are not St. Peter or St. Paul, but we are called to imitate their way of life, their trust in the Lord, and their zeal for God. St. Paul reminds us in various places that the Church is made up of different ministries, different talents, different offerings and all of them are needed. Cleaning the church may seem like a small thing. It isn’t. Hosting fellowship may seem unimportant or without spiritual importance. It isn’t either of those. Being faithful in little things like that, contributing to those ministries, helps build a place where worship si fitting for God and the parish is healthy because the relationships among parishioners are strong and healthy.
It also seems to me that one of the most important lessons that the book of Acts can teach us is perseverance. Both St. Paul and St. Peter encounter obstacles, resistance, and opposition, but they persevere in their ministry, in their preaching and teaching, in proclaiming the good news of Christ. They know the One Whom they preach and they know Him who has conquered the world, but they are alwo aware that they are in the middle of a spiritual battle. Because of that, “when reviled, [they] bless, when persecuted [they] endure” (1 Cor. 4: 12)., striving for the imperishable crown of the kingdom (cf. 1 Cor. 9:25).
The end result of that faithful ministry is the growth of the Church; people hearing the gospel and coming to Christ. We see this in most of the remainder of the New Testament, the letters of St. Paul where he writes to several churches – some of which he started, others that he strengthened on his journeys. I believe that, in our own day, our faithfulness and dedication to Christ, our own perseverance in the faith, can continue to bring fruit and attract others to the faith. We see this already in those who have found the Church without our involvement – that there is a real thirst for the living water that the Church provides.
So let us pray that the Lord continue to bring increase to His flock and, by our manner of living, by our own faithfulness, by our work for the Church, let us bear witness to His grace and love.
With love in Christ,
+Fr. Peter