Sunday, September 07, 2008

 

Sunday Reflection: Acts, the Book that Never Ends


I look forward to my Sunday School class all week. It's a small group, but one which teaches me so much-- it is a place where I am a follower, not a leader, in the company of intellects often much stronger than my own. We are, uh, deliberative... in the sense that it takes us months to work through (work over?) a single book in the Bible.

Most recently, we have been studying the Book of Acts, which is a fascinating collection of stories. The ending, though, seems at first reading to be pretty lame. For chapter after chapter, the apostle Paul is imprisoned, on the run, and on trial, escaping death at every turn. Usually, we would expect such a story to end with a final grand escape or his death as a martyr. Nope. Here' the conclusion:


He [Paul] lived there [Rome] for two whole years at his own expense and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.


What? That's it?

This morning, though, someone suggested that the story was left open at the end because it is left for us to finish through our own lives.

That's an idea that is both comforting and very, very challenging.

Comments:
Acts is daunting. Makes me really feel like a bad Christian when I read about the lives of the Apostles.
 
Acts contains my favorite story in the Bible, and that's saying something, because Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Kings and Pslams contain some awesome battle stories, especially the ones in Psalms where God tells us that it's not enough to slaughter our enemies but to wade in their blood and let our dogs drink it.

Anyway, back to Acts. The story of Simon Magus is pretty awesome, and probably my favorite story from the Bible. I like it when people get sins named after them, especially one that's so prevalent in society. Accusing people of simony is fun.
 
I also really like the Gospel of Mark -- again, because the ending is so different, so ... unfinished ... compared to the other gospels. It is inclusive that way. It makes the Ultimate Hero's Journey more of OUR story.
RFDIII
 
Teaching "with all boldness and without hindrance" seems like a strong message, actually.
 
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