Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.”
NL Daily Devotion for Monday, September 6, 2021
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
The gang’s all here! Jesus is gone but his devoted followers continue to gather to pray. They have a huge job ahead of them, and it’s going to take all of them to carry the gospel into the world. Not just the twelve, but the women and all who believed.
It’s been so long since we’ve been able to gather in person in our faith communities. Some of us were cautiously re-opening only to have the surge of the Delta Variant send us scurrying back to Zoom and Facebook Live. Others are testing out hybrid models with masks and distancing. I don’t know about you, but I never felt connected to my community over the internet. I am starved for the presence of my siblings in Christ.
Still I have to think of the challenges these early Christians faced. Sure, they got to be together, but at what risk? Everyone wanted them dead, or at least quiet. In spite of this, they devoted themselves to prayer and continued to do the work Jesus had called them to. So, too, we can work through the challenges of our current time in order to devote ourselves to prayer and carry God’s love into a hurting world. I still can’t wait until that prayer happens in a room full of people. But in the mean time, there is plenty to do as a member of the Body of Christ.
What is my favorite part about gathering with my faith community?