Friday 23 May 2025 - Peace and unity

Friday 23 May 2025

Today is Friday the 23rd of May, in the 5th week of Eastertide.    Molly Parden with Bifrost Arts sings a setting of Psalm 126.     Our mouths they were filled, filled with laughter  Our tongues they were loosed, loosed with joy  Restore us, O Lord  Restore us, O Lord  Although we are weeping  Lord, help us keep sowing  The seeds of Your Kingdom  For the day You will reap them  Your sheaves we will carry  Lord, please do not tarry  All those who sow weeping will go out with songs of joy  The nations will say, "He has done great things!"  The nations will sing songs of joy  Restore us, O Lord  Restore us, O Lord  Although we are weeping  Lord, help us keep sowing  The seeds of Your Kingdom  For the day You will reap them  Your sheaves we will carry  Lord, please do not tarry  All those who sow weeping will go out with songs of joy  Today’s reading is from the Acts of the Apostles.    Acts 15:22-31  Then the apostles and the elders, with the consent of the whole church, decided to choose men from among their members and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leaders among the brothers, with the following letter: ‘The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the believers of Gentile origin in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings. Since we have heard that certain persons who have gone out from us, though with no instructions from us, have said things to disturb you and have unsettled your minds, we have decided unanimously to choose representatives and send them to you, along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to impose on you no further burden than these essentials: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.’  So they were sent off and went down to Antioch. When they gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. When its members read it, they rejoiced at the exhortation.  This passage describes the early Church’s decision to send a letter of encouragement and instruction to the Gentile believers. After much debate, the apostles and elders, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, choose to bring peace and unity rather than unnecessary burdens. What is your first response to this account?    As the faith moves out to others, there is a need for new ways of seeing and thinking. Consider when there have been times when you have been open to the Holy Spirit’s guidance, even when it challenges your assumptions. Have there been times that you have placed unnecessary burdens on yourself or others?    As you listen to the passage again, consider how you can be an encourager to someone today, just as the new believers are encouraged.  Acts 15:22-31  Then the apostles and the elders, with the consent of the whole church, decided to choose men from among their members and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leaders among the brothers, with the following letter: ‘The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the believers of Gentile origin in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings. Since we have heard that certain persons who have gone out from us, though with no instructions from us, have said things to disturb you and have unsettled your minds, we have decided unanimously to choose representatives and send them to you, along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to impose on you no further burden than these essentials: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.’  So they were sent off and went down to Antioch. When they gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. When its members read it, they rejoiced at the exhortation.  In a time of prayer, you may wish to ask the Holy Spirit for the grace and wisdom you need today.  Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.   As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be  World without end  Amen