Focus

Experience silence in the midst of your busy day. Take some time to relax into a time to be with God.

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Read

Acts 11:1-18 (NRSV)

Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, saying, “Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?” Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. I also heard a voice saying to me, ’Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ But I replied, ’By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ But a second time the voice answered from heaven, ’What God has made clean, you must not call profane.’ This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven. At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ’Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.’ And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, ’John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?” When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, “Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”

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Reflect

I have my cell phone with me almost all the time. It stays on a vibrate mode during meetings in case someone is trying to reach me. If my phone goes off three times in a row from the same person, I excuse myself and answer the call. I know it is urgent that the caller reach me. And I get it.

Peter was praying and God kept interrupting his prayer with a vision. It was so important that the next time he prayed, he got the same vision and the next time, the vision came for the third time. It was an urgent message. Peter was to take the saving grace of Jesus Christ to the world…not just to the circumcised, but to the uncircumcised. And Peter got it.

Peter was then invited to the home of a Gentile. Upon arrival the man explained that an angel had visited him and told him to bid Peter come. Peter then spoke of Jesus Christ and the household was baptized in the Holy Spirit. The Gentiles got it.

Then Peter was called upon to tell the story to the believers in Jerusalem. After hearing the story, they also praised God, because the Church got it.

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Pray

O God of the Ages, please continue to send your visions and your calls to us so that we may tell of the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ to all whom you are preparing to receive it. Amen.

Go with God.