Bob Marley and the Wailers had it right when they hummed sweetly, “One love. One heart. Let’s get together and feel alright. Give thanks and praise to the Lord.” This is exactly what the apostles at the finally of Acts are doing. We read, 

Ciao Bellas! Today we are coming to the end of Peter’s Pentecost speech. He has been explaining the promise of resurrection through Joel 3 and Psalm 16 to his fellow pious Jews. He’s told them that Jesus is the Messiah whom has been promised for the rebuilding of the Kingdom of Israel

 But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it.For David says of him: ‘I saw the Lord ever before me, with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.

In today’s scripture Peter is taking on his role as leader of the twelve once more. This is the first speech he gives to the disciples dealing with the resurrection of Jesus and its messianic significance.

 In the Book of Genesis (11:1-9), the writer tells the story of the Tower of Babel. God jumbles the language of the people working on this Tower so as not to have them become too powerf

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each of them.

In today’s reading we witness Peter taking on his role as leader of the New Church/New Israel. We read that he “stood up in the midst of the brothers (there was a group of about one hundred and twenty persons in the one place)” ready to talk about a painful betrayal in the community. In this time period ‘brother’ could be used to describe any male relative. Also, all female relatives could be labeled as sisters

As I am doing this with you a memory from years ago floats up. I am twenty years old. I have decided to skip out on another year of college. It will be there when I’m ready to buckle down on adulthood. About midway through my year of mission work I am exhausted. Did I mention this is my second year doing this? What was I thinking?! I must be crazy.

When they had gathered together they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”  He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

 “In the first book, Theophilus, I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught ,I have always been curious about this Theophilus guy. Who the heck is he? My english brain thinks, “A person with yet another bizarre hard to pronounce name, that’s who!” Why is he important?

Yesterday we spoke about who the author of Acts was and about some of his personality traits. We concluded that he was a brilliant man who loved Jesus and medicine. He was known as “the physician.” Today we will examine who his audience was, where he wrote Acts, and when. 

Hello my Stunning Sisters in Christ! It is so good to be back with you as we begin our adventure in The Acts of the Apostles. This is such a thrilling book to be studying because it is here that we discover the direct link to the foundation of Christianity.