Now the full number of those who believed was of one heart and soul… And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus… Acts 4:32-35
Great events have a way of bringing people together and focusing all their minds on one great purpose. After Pearl Harbor the entire nation focused on fighting a war. After a tornado struck in 2012, all of Dexter and many in Ann Arbor were focused on helping our neighbors. When an airliner disappeared over the ocean, everyone watched the news in hope of a rescue. After Jesus rose from the dead, what would his believers be focused on doing together?
Imagine yourself there. Jesus is no longer there with you all day long. His traveling and teaching no longer determine where you will be today. Where would you be? At home? At work?
I suspect you would want to gather with other believers, with others who are at loose ends, searching for what comes next.
What would you be talking about? Our lives are filled with conversations about the weather, about politics, about sports. But I suspect that the followers of Jesus would be thinking a lot about what it means that Jesus has been killed, and yet even death did not stop him or his teaching! Death was the worst that could happen, and suddenly it is not. What does that mean?
One thing is for sure, each disciple might walk his or her own path, but from now on they were all changed in the same way. They were “of one heart and soul.” And they were focused on following.
Jesus’ rising from the dead is still a great and momentous event – a storm that changes the landscape of our life. We are called to be telling others that Jesus is alive among us! But we are often distracted. What can we do to encourage all our family to be “of one heart and soul”?
Prayer: Dearest Jesus, make us one like those people long ago. Make us have one heart, one soul, one desire, to proclaim your Name. Amen.