42They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. . . . 46Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home* and ate their food with glad and generous* hearts, 47praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. Acts 2:42, 46-47
In the very early days of the church, weeks and months after Easter, the early gathering of believers faced a world that was busy, uncertain, and hostile to the faith. Our predecessors in faith responded by living out their faith in basic and consistent daily acts like the “breaking of bread and the prayers”. They weren’t known for the brilliance of their arguments, or their obvious success in worldly pursuits, but that they did all with “glad and generous hearts.” This daily witness to the love of Christ active in their lives, led more and more to come and hear the story of faith, and the Lord worked through them to bring more and more to faith.
Today we still face a world that is busy, uncertain, and sometimes hostile to the faith. Now maybe it is because the winter has dragged on so long, or maybe it is because the world around us remains unsettled, but there are days I wonder if we are still known for our “glad and generous hearts”. It is sometimes easy to stay at home, stay busy, and stay away from the breaking of bread and prayers. I know I can find it easy to dwell on every shortcoming and fix blame for every difficulty, instead of humbly and prayerfully asking God to restore us to life, love and joy.
So I resolve this Easter season to let the Risen Christ bring new life to my daily walk, setting aside the coldness that creeps into my heart, and seek to let joy and generosity of spirit be my witness to the world.
God’s Peace,
Pastor John
