You can understand why God would use angels to deliver important messages. They are faster than FedEx. They are clearer than Instagram. And they make more of an impression than an electronic billboard. So when we hear in the Acts of the Apostles that “two men dressed in white garments stood beside” the apostles after… Read More »

Did you ever play the card game “Fish” as a child? If your request for a card is denied you are told “go fish” which means, “draw from the pile.” If the card pulled is the one you requested you shout, “Got what I wanted.” We can think about prayer as a giant game of… Read More »

St. Paul had a vision where the Lord told him to be confident since “I have many people in this city.” Paul was able to work effectively in the city of Corinth with that blessed assurance. Although I haven’t been granted a vision I trust that the Lord has many people in Chicago as well.… Read More »

Corinth was an ideal place for Paul to ply his trade as a tent maker. It was a port town with lots of comings and goings. In addition, in non-Olympic years athletic contests were held (“the Isthmian Games”) which brought in many people who needed a place to stay. His collaborators in his mission, Priscilla… Read More »

Athens was the intellectual capital of the Roman Empire. When St. Paul arrived you imagine that he thought to himself “I am smart. I can convince these people about the faith with my superior arguments.” He was not successful. No Pauline Church developed in Athens. In ACTS we read that after Athens Paul went to… Read More »

My guess is that the apostles were skeptical when Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go.” How can your absence be better for us! We face similar questions often. We don’t know whether to believe it when the doctor says, “Eat more vegetables. They are… Read More »

Responding to a revelatory dream, St. Paul sailed to Europe, to Greece. The first place he entered was Philippi, “a Roman colony,” that is an enclave for retired soldiers. Apparently there was no synagogue in city so he went outside the city to find “a place of prayer.” There he met and converted Lydia, “a… Read More »

We who are gathered in this Church today know what is what — it’s there in our epistle.  “God is love and love is of God.”  We know that.  But things in this old crazy world are working to make us doubt what we know.  The crazy world tells us all those wants and needs… Read More »

Paul had a vision during which he heard, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” In the list of cities Paul visited in the Acts of the Apostles this might seem just another. Actually, this indicates a major shift in the emphasis of the Jesus movement — entry into Europe. What drove the missionary zeal… Read More »

Acts 15 describes what some scholars call the Council of Jerusalem. Those early leaders in the Jesus movement had to decide if Gentiles, non-Jews, could be full members of the nascent Church. Inspired by the Holy Spirit they determined “not to place on you any burden beyond the necessities.” In other words, the Mosaic Law… Read More »