Hello Antioch Church of Santa Cruz; I’m sorry for the lapse in time on the blog, but I just got back from the Rainbow Gathering, which was a 2hr drive from Portland & a mile & a half hike from the parking lot into various meadows. We had a great time for sure.
This week we find ourselves in week four of Ordinary Time in the Church Calendar & the second week where we will be taking a detailed look into the life of the early church. In our reading from Acts this week, God continues to pour out His Spirit on the early church for their mission in the world. Through the church, God displays remarkable signs of His presence & authority. Non-believers watch in fascination & many join the small community of believers. But all of this doesn’t prevent backlash & harassment. The authorities are threatened & they react persecuting the disciples. Like Jesus we face persecution, but we see how God exerts His power & provides for us when we undergo hardships.
The main text this week is:
Acts 5:12-42 conveys the people’s growing fascination with the new community of Jesus followers in Jerusalem: the amazing miracles, the open meetings, the many healings & the increasing number of believers. But the Jewish authorities are not pleased.
This next Sunday we’ll be discussing this passage in detail & discussing what it meant for the early church & what it means for us as a church here in Santa Cruz.
