Daily Prayer: a resource of Forward Movement
 

The Forward Day by Day Meditation for June 19, 2013

We post a Forward Day by Day Meditation for every day of the year - and we invite you to consider them and talk about them here. If you'd like to comment, please register for an account at Facebook. By checking the "Post to Facebook" box when commenting, you'll be able to find and quickly link back to this page from your Facebook account. You can also find the past week's Meditations in the box at right (or below, for mobile users), or search for previous entries on the Archives page.

WEDNESDAY, June 19

Acts 2:1-21. 
All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

In the same way that the blind men in the often-repeated story, when asked to describe an elephant, come up with very different descriptions depending on which part of the animal they touch, so the first witnesses of the Christian community had very different experiences. Some people dismissed them as drunk, while those on the inside felt the power of God.

Perspective is everything. Being on the inside track can make sense of so much that is obscure. I feel like an alien when I watch cricket with my enthusiast friends, because I have so little understanding of the game. Following Jesus can never be a spectator sport.

But at the same time, sometimes cynical outsiders are a good litmus test; they can expose our jargon and clichés, and invite our beliefs to stand up to critical reflection. Peter’s critics provoke such a compelling sermon that they are converted on the spot.

Take a moment to reflect on where you are on this spectrum of following Jesus right now: maybe you need to just jump in with both feet, or maybe you need someone to challenge you to back up what you profess with experience. Or maybe a little of both!

PRAY for the Diocese of Ohaji/Egbema (Owerri, Nigeria)

Ps 119:97-120 * 81, 82; 1 Samuel 2:12-26; Luke 20:27-40

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