Thought for the day – Wednesday 6th May 2020
Bible Reading Acts 5: 12-32
The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.”At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to.Then someone came and said, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.” At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
I have moaned many a time that all the papers ever seem to report is bad news as though nothing good ever happens in the world. As somebody who has spent huge periods of time shut away in my study over the past few weeks there have been times when it has felt very oppressive and even dare, I say dark. I have noticed during this time that there is a balance in our news stories and we are hearing about ordinary folk who are becoming our heroes, we see people out in the streets applauding not only the NHS but other service providers like milk delivery personnel, refuse collectors, supermarket staff and many more. We seem to have become a nation that likes to show our appreciation and that can only be a good thing. It strikes me when I look at the picture of the light at the end of the tunnel above, that the light isn’t just something in the dim and distant future, it is already lighting up the world around us and we can start to see the detail of the here and now.
Sometimes as we look back at the life of the early Church we might well envy them, because of the phrase that appears frequently “and day by day the Lord added to their number” The early Church appears to be an exciting Church where things were happening and as we read this passage from the Acts, we see the disciples held in high esteem by many as they bring their sick out to be healed and they were experiencing many signs and wonders, yet in the midst of all of this they are being persecuted. How easy it would have been for the early apostles to stay silent and safe, and yet time and again, they push back the boundaries and speak out in faith, they could so easily have been people of the darkness, when they continued to be people of the light.
In this challenging time for us, the BBC report that increasing numbers of people are tuning into the Sunday Services and Songs of Praise, a report published a couple of day ago claimed that increasing numbers of young people are turning to prayer and once again as the people walk in the darkness of this current situation, the light of the glory of God continues to shine forth, we may well feel to be walking in darkness, but we continue to be people of the light.
Reflect for a few moment about where you see the light of the glory of God in these difficult time.
Pray for those who are finding the journey through these days particularly challenging.
Thank God for those who are working hard to help people find the light at the end of the Tunnel