Small Shifts, Big Faith: Waiting, Expecting, and Moving Forward (Part I)
Sermon Title: Small Shifts, Big Faith – Waiting, Expecting, and Moving Forward
Good News Statement: Jesus encourages his church to be alive
Summary: The church isn’t perfect but yet is willing to grow in faith, practice love, and be alive today and tomorrow.
Preached: Sunday, June 7th, 2026 at Dogwood Prairie UMC & Seed Chapel UMC
Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.
Scripture (NRSVUE): Acts 1 Today’s scripture passage comes from the Book of Acts. Chapter one gives us three truths about the rise of the early church that are still present today. The church of today must wait, expect, and move forward from its past so that it can be alive today. Our scripture reading comes from the Book of Acts Chapter One. May the hearing and understanding of this scripture add a blessing to your life.
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
1 In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and teach 2 until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. 4 While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait there for the promise of the Father.
The Ascension of Jesus
9 When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. 11 They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas
15 In those days Peter stood up among the brothers and sisters (together the crowd numbered about one hundred twenty persons) and said, 16 “Brothers and sisters,[e] the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus, 17 for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.”
This is the Word of God for the People of God; And all God’s people said, “Thanks be to God.”
Introduction:
The ministry of Jesus Christ has been shared. Healings have been performed. The blind were able to see and the lame able to walk. Those demon possessed were set free. The chains of the oppressed were broken. People began to believe and prayed to have their “unbelief turn into belief” (Mark 9:24). Some were even raised from the dead to breathe again. And some were welcomed home after being outcast to the dark, damp, tombs outside of the city walls.
Then, after riding into Jerusalem on a never before ridden donkey and being praised as the people laid their cloaks on the ground as shouts of “Hosannas” filled the air, Jesus is turned over to the religious leaders of the day. Jesus is questioned and tortured by the Roman soldiers—beaten nearly to death—prior to receiving a crown of thorns and a purple robe as a sign of earthly mockery. He was presented to the people in the presence of Pontius Pilate, who said, “But what crime has he committed? I cannot find anything he has done to deserve death! I will have him whipped and set him free” (Luke 23:22, GNT). To which the people responded, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” (Luke 23:20, GNT). Luke 23:24 states, “So Pilate passed the sentence on Jesus that they were asking for.”
Jesus is marched from the palace to Calvary, bearing the weight of the cross—most likely the horizontal beam—as excruciating pain shot through his body with every step, as blood dripped from his head to the ground, soaking the dirty road beneath his feet, and as both cries and shouts surrounded him. On Calvary, he hung on the cross for six hours before taking his last breath and proclaiming “It is finished” (John 19:30). Then he was taken down from the cross and laid in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. Three days later he rose from the dead to prove that death does not have the last word, that a tomb sealed by a large stone could not withhold him, and that an instrument of death—the cross—is a promise of hope and salvation. And now, after 40 days of walking this earth in his resurrected form, he has ascended to heaven; but before leaving this earth, he gave his apostles and disciples a challenge: to keep the church alive.
This is where the Book of Acts comes into play. For those that are unaware, the Book of Acts (or sometimes called the Acts of the Apostles), written during the time of 33AD to 62AD, is a sequel to the Gospel of Luke. Luke was a physician back in the day and has been credited to write the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts. The theme of Luke’s writing after the ascension of Jesus Christ is focused on how the Holy Spirit empowers believers to declare the gospel among both Jews and Gentiles. In doing so they establish the church, which is the fulfillment of God’s promises from the beginning of time. Jesus states in Matthew 16:18, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Luke’s purpose for writing the Book of Acts—the journey and testimony of Paul and the rise and growth of the early church—was to give an orderly account of the early church after Christ’s resurrection; and to highlight the notion that keeping the church alive was not, is not, and will not be easy. But keeping the church alive is necessary. So, for the next several weeks, we are going to explore certain themes sprinkled throughout the Book of Acts which I believe remind us of how important it is to keep the church alive today for tomorrow. And the question I propose to you is this: “What are we doing and could be doing to keep our church and the whole Church—the body of Christ—alive?”
Body:
In 2016 and then in 2019, I was given the opportunity to see Hamilton: An American Musical in Chicago, Illinois. For those that aren’t familiar with this musical, it is a sung-and-rapped-through biographical musical with music, lyrics, and a book by Lin-Manuel Miranda that focuses on a non-white cast. Based on the 2004 biography Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, the musical covers the life of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton and his involvement in the American Revolution and the political history of the early United States. The show charts his rise from a poor, orphaned Caribbean immigrant to George Washington’s right-hand man, his political achievements—such as the Federalist Papers, the founding of the Federalist Party, and the creation of the National Bank—and his tragic death in a duel with Aaron Burr. Lin-Manuel Miranda described Hamilton as “America then, as told by America now.”[1]
Although Alexander Hamilton is considered today to be a profound founding father of America—being one of thirty-nine to sign the U.S. Constitution at the Constitutional Convention of 1787—his rise to fame did not come easy nor was he always accepted for who he was. Often times, he felt as if he had to prove himself to cover up his past, believing that his past would hinder him from being able live out his potential. This is why one hears these lyrics sung about Hamilton, “Why do you write like you’re running out of time? Write day and night like you’re running out of time?”[2]
Church, Alexander Hamilton, wasn’t perfect. He wasn’t always accepted. He felt as if through writing he could prove himself to a growing but struggling nation. He wanted to belong but his past lingered, sort of like an aura—a distinctive atmosphere or energy that seems to surround and emanate from a person, place, or thing. Hamilton wanted to belong and the only way he thought he could do that was to constantly prove to others who he thought they wanted but missed out on what they needed. Hamilton felt as if he had to change to belong. Today, we begin our sermon series on the Book of Acts by realizing that the church was built upon people not what it wanted but upon people that it needed.
Movement One: What the Book of Acts is Not…
I want to begin today with a review of what the Book of Acts is not. First, it is not a complete history of the early church. Remember that while Acts does not provide everything we would like to know about the early church, God provided everything we needed to know which was the information and tools needed to build, grow, and establish the church today.
Secondly, the Book of Acts is not a comprehensive theology of church doctrine. The book of Acts covers the highlights of the first thirty-three years of the church. It gives little information about eleven of the apostles, while focusing on Peter and Paul. One person said that the Book of Acts could be entitled, “The Book of Some of the Acts of Some of the Apostles”. One hundred ten people are introduced in the book of Acts, yet little information is given about them. To this, Jesus Christ told His disciples in John 13:35, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” In other words, the world would know the disciples were his disciples—not necessarily by name or by their past— but by the love they had one for another. As the Book of Acts introduces the church to the world, the distinguishing mark of the church stands out as love. And yet, in this book, one word that will not be seen is “love”. The word is not written but it certainly is felt and seen.
Luke, the author, is a historian, not a theologian. He touches on many theological points, but does not pause long enough to explain them. A classic example of this is in chapter two. Luke records, without context or commentary, the words of Peter, in verse 38, “. . . Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins . . .” Then later, in Acts 16:31, Paul tells a Philippian jailer that all he needs to do is, “. . . Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved . . .” In chapter 16, Luke simply records that Paul had Timothy circumcised because of the Jews, even though, in the previous chapter, the Jerusalem council had decreed that circumcision was not to be required as essential. Acts must be carefully studied and viewed as a divinely inspired, authoritative, inerrant, infallible book of history, bridging the gap between the ministry of Christ and the doctrine of the church. It is a book in transition, not a comprehensive theology that explains everything.
Thirdly, the Book of Acts is not a concluding statement for Christian living. If you read the Book of Acts and stop without ever studying the Epistles, which were written by the apostles to the early church, you will be deeply confused as to the nature and pursuit of the Christian life. And frankly, that is true with many passages of scripture. Therefore, we are encouraged to compare scripture with scripture. Your interpretation of Acts will determine many of the things that you will pursue and seek to experience as a Christian.
For example, I hear passages from Acts being translated into the normal Christian’s experience. Yet, none of these men or movements applies all of the passages literally. If they did, we would today: go to a temple and pray, following the prayer calendar of the Jewish nation, as Peter and Paul did in Acts; we would select spiritual leaders by the casting of lots, as they did in Acts; we would draft missionaries from within our fellowship after fasting and prayer, as they did in Acts; we would expect all liars who deceive the body with their financial contribution to fall over dead, as occurred in Acts; we would expect angels to release all religious prisoners from jail, as they did in Acts; we would expect, if I ever preach for such a long time that someone dies in the service, me to resurrect them from the dead, as Paul did in Acts. The book of Acts needs to be carefully studied and interpreted in such way that helps us live a Christian life and to realize that things have changed over the course of time.
So, the Book of Acts is not a complete history of the church because the church is still living today. The Book of Acts is not a complete and comprehensive theological study of church and doctrine but of what happens when we allow the love of Christ to direct us, nurture us, and transform us. And the Book of Acts is not a concluding list of how to live a Christian life because more comes after Luke’s writings. The Book of Acts is merely a spring-board to help us consider what needs to be done to grow, sustain, and at times revive the church of today for tomorrow.
Movement Two: What the Book of Acts Is…
On that note, it is important to inform you of what the Book of Acts is. The Book of Acts is a miraculous age, as the church is created; is supernatural signs, as the Holy Spirit descends; is powerful testimonies, as the believers shine for Christ; is a church that struggled with finances, changes, and prejudice; and is a model for passion, love, and faith. The Book of Acts is an account of a church confronted with the commitment to take the gospel through all of Asia even as the enemy, with tears of rage, said, “. . . These that have turned the world upside down . . .” (Acts 17:6). And, early in the history of the church, the high priest said to Peter and the others, “. . . you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching . . .” (Acts 5:28).
Imagine being accused of that! “You have filled this city with the gospel.” Imagine if people weren’t concerned about the size of the church asking, “How big is your church?” and were more interested in “How big is your city, and have you filled it with the gospel?” That’s what the Book of Acts is. The Book of Acts is not about building the biggest and largest and the most perfect church: it is about creating a church that wants to share the gospel of Jesus Christ in all that it does. It is about creating a church that will make mistakes because it took a leap of faith. It is about creating a church that wants to support the people. It is about creating a church that wants to be there for the people. It is about creating a church that wants to grow in faith. It is about creating a church that seeks to be a place people want to attend. It is about creating a church that is alive.
Through the testimony of Paul, we get the chance to live out today, what the church is and ought to be tomorrow. Even in the opening chapter, Luke is reminding us of three truths that are embedded within the foundation of the church. The church is called to wait, expect Jesus to come, and realize that the church is filled with people who are not perfect.
Movement Three: Truth’s for Today’s Christians…
In the opening verses of Chapter One, Luke informs us that he is writing to an individual by the name of Theophilus, who he wrote to when composing the Gospel of Luke. Luke tells him, “After his suffering he presented himself alive to them [the apostles and others] by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait there for the promise of the Father” (Acts 1:3-4).
First, sometimes the church has to be willing to wait. I find it fascinating that one of Christ’s final commands to his followers before he ascends was to wait.[3] Now in today’s culture, waiting is not something we prefer. Many people want to have things as quickly as possible. You can order groceries from Walmart and have them delivered the same day. You can order something from Amazon and have it as quickly as the next day. If something happens to your vehicle, you can take it to a mechanic and receive an estimate that day. Our culture today has found ways to limit the amount of time we have to wait. However, we still have to wait.
Doing a little research, on average, a person spends about six months of their life waiting in lines and about six months waiting at red lights. Furthermore, 90% of consumers wait in lines multiple times a month, and 64% wait multiple times a week. When it comes to customer service hold times, the average American spends about 13 hours per year waiting on hold for customer service. For those that deal with traffic, the average commuter spends 38 hours each year waiting in traffic; and in large cities, this jumps to over 50 hours annually. When it comes to doctor’s visits, it has been suggested that the average patient waits about 32 minutes in the lobby or exam room for a scheduled doctor’s visit. We live in a culture that doesn’t like to wait but has to wait. To be honest I have a hard time waiting. I like to do things now and get as much done as I possibly can. But I have learned that waiting isn’t a sign of being lazy; instead it’s a sign of being patient and respectful. Waiting is necessary.
Before Jesus ascends, he wants those in the room to wait. Specifically, he wants them to wait for the promise of the Father. What is the promise of the Father? The promise of the Father refers to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. In Luke 24:49, Jesus tells his followers, “And behold, I am sending the promise of My Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” Jesus wants his followers to wait—to not rush into things without giving time and space to think about it. Jesus wants them to wait so that they receive the spirit, the help, of God. Let’s be honest, it is not easy to wait. Those disciples have not only seen and heard the resurrected Christ, but they have stayed with him and lived with him for 40 days. The person that they thought was dead and placed in the tomb, we standing right before them. They don’t want to wait: they want to go and share the good news, to live in the moment, to be present with Christ. However, Jesus tells them to wait, to wait until the power of the Holy Spirit descends upon them from the Father.
How many times has Jesus told you to wait, to hold on, to be patient? Of those times, what percentage did you listen? There are plenty of people in this world who can’t wait, who don’t have patience. They want things done on their time and in their way. Even when help is available, they only want the help if it fits their schedule. And most of the time, because they didn’t wait, they end up having to do things over again. If the apostles and followers didn’t wait, I can’t imagine what the beginnings of the early church would have been like. Oh wait, yes I do…. They would have been chaotic, out of control, and human-driven and not divine-driven. They would have wanted to take things into their own hands.
Now church, how are we when it comes to waiting? Are we okay with waiting? Do we not like to wait? Do we see waiting as an enemy because it turns into prolonging and then eventually we forget what we were wanting to do? Do we see waiting as a means not to do something? Do we see waiting as an opportunity to really think things through and to make proper plans? As a church, there will be things and opportunities that we can’t wait on: that we need to take action on right away. But there are other things in which waiting is the proper procedure going forward because it allows God to do some more work. However, if we choose to wait—to do something, to create a ministry, to take up a collection to help those in need—we must not wait with the intent to forget. If we choose to wait, then it must be because God is trying to tell us something that needs a little more attention and patience.
The early church waited to receive the Holy Spirit. But once it received the Holy Spirit, it didn’t stop moving. If we want to continue what the Book of Acts started, then we must wait with the intention that God is preparing us for the moment in which we keep moving forward. My question for you all is, “Is that time now? Is God calling us to keep moving forward today?”
The second truth that Luke tells us is to expect Jesus to come. Luke wrote in Acts 1:9-11, “When [Jesus] had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.’”
Can you imagine, during this forty day period, what it must have been like to have Christ suddenly appear, out of nowhere, without advance warning, and according to the Gospel of John enter a room through closed and locked doors without physically opening them (John 20:19)? Jesus did this on a few occasions. While two men were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus, Jesus showed up. When a group of believers were eating together, he showed up and broke bread with them. When some men were fishing, he showed up on shore preparing a breakfast of bread and fish. Jesus showed up because he promised he would. Jesus has a tendency to show up in unlikely places, in the mundane of daily tasks, in moments of deep grief, during times of lacking hope and decreased faith, and when we least expect it. No matter what, Jesus shows up. And the apostles came to live with the expectation that at any moment, they would see him again.
Several months ago, I received a picture of a little figurine of Jesus chilling outside a bank on the window ledge. When was the last time you expected to see Jesus at a bank? Jesus appears when we least expect it, but he needs us to expect that he will show up. Can you imagine if we constantly found little Jesus’ around our community and what sort of message that would provide people?
If the church wants to live, it must expect that Jesus will come, that Jesus will show up. What this means is that, whatever the church does—the ministries it forms, the outreach it gets involved with, the tasks it seeks to accomplish, the moments of fellowship it hosts—the church must have the mindset that what it is doing is for Christ. If the church lives expecting that Jesus will return, then whatever the church does, it expects for Jesus to show up and be present. In seminary, my evangelism professor told us, “A church, no matter the size, that partakes in evangelism seeking to make Christ present, will be a church that wants Christ to be present in its life, ministry, and mission.” That church knows there will be a time when Jesus shows up, but it is also living as Jesus is present now. The church that Paul is seeking to establish is a church that not only expects the arrival of Jesus but knows that Jesus is present with them at this very moment.
Church, are we a church that is expecting Jesus? Are we a church that is living as if Jesus is present in our life today? Are we a church that is willing to help others understand how Jesus shows up anytime, anywhere, and when we least it expect it? Are we a church that is willing to place little Jesus’ around the community or to even have little Jesus’ in our cars, places of work, and homes? Church, are we willing to do what we can today to make sure that the promise of Jesus’ return is passed on to the next generation? What can we be doing to live in ways that reflects the presence of Jesus Christ?
The third truth highlights the reality that the church is not composed of perfect people, but actually with people who have a past. Luke notes in Acts 1:15-17, “In those days Peter stood up among the brothers and sisters (together the crowd numbered about one hundred twenty persons) and said, ‘Brothers and sisters, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus, for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.’” There are a few things to highlight from this truth.
First, Peter, who has become the spokesperson for the 120, reminds those present of the actions of Judas as if they have forgotten. Judas is the one who guided enemies of Christ to the garden so that Christ’s arrest could take place. Judas is the one who betrayed Jesus with a kiss. Judas is the one who put greed above faith, being paid thirty pieces of silver. Judas is one of many who put Christ on the cross. Peter reminds those present of the horrible and sinful thing Judas did.
Second, while sorting of blaming Judas for the crucifixion of Christ, Peter shares that what Judas did was a fulfillment of scripture that was prophesied long ago through David. For example, Psalm 22:16, written roughly 1,000 years before Jesus’ birth, vividly describes a scene where the hands and feet of the “Righteous One” are pierced. This perfectly aligns with Jesus’ Roman crucifixion. In Psalm 34:20 we read another prediction: while it was a common Roman practice to break the legs of the crucified to hasten death, none of Jesus’ bones were broken. This fulfilled the scriptural mandate that a righteous person’s bones would be protected. Also, King David prophesied in Psalm 22:18 that the garments of the persecuted figure would be divided and that lots would be cast for them. The New Testament records Roman soldiers doing exactly this with Jesus’ tunic at the cross. Shifting to the Book of Isaiah, we read in Isaiah 53, often called the “Suffering Servant” prophecy, that the Messiah would be “pierced for our transgressions” and “crushed for our iniquities”. Also in Isaiah 53, it was foretold that the Messiah would be counted among the wicked. This was fulfilled when Jesus was crucified between two criminals. And let’s not forget the three predictions of his own death that Jesus shares to his disbelieving disciples. Although Peter is acknowledging Judas’ wrongdoing, Peter is not completely putting the blame on Judas. The crucifixion of Jesus had to happen to fulfill scripture. Judas, unfortunately, was simply the vessel to begin the processes of prophecy.
Third, and lastly, Peter says something that not too many followers would care to admit. Peter said, “Judas was one of our number and shared in our ministry.” Peter openly declares—out loud, in front of those waiting and expecting Jesus’ return, who have committed their life to Christ—that Judas, who became a criminal and a sinner, was one of them. Jesus called upon him. Jesus said to him “come follow me.” Jesus walked next to Judas. Jesus had meals with Judas. Jesus talked to Judas and Judas talked to Jesus. And Jesus performed miracles in the presence of Judas knowing that Judas would become a witness for and of the gospel. And Peter knows this and doesn’t want others to forget about this. Judas shared in the same ministry as the 120. Although he had a past—a sinful past—he was still a member of the ministry of Jesus.
At this moment, before the Holy Spirit is received and those in the room go forth “making disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that [Jesus had commanded them]…” (Matthew 28:19-20), Peter is doing his best to help the people to see past one’s sins, to offer forgiveness, and to acknowledge that Jesus calls all to follow him. Sinful or not, perfect or not, healthy of not, fully believing or not: all can follow Jesus if they choose. Judas is part of the story. Judas is part of the story of Christ just as much as Zacchaeus is, as much as the woman adulterer is, as much as those diagnosed with leprosy are, as much as the sinners around the table are, as much as the woman at the well is, as much as the Rich Man who wanted to inherit eternal life is, and as much as Peter, who denied him three times, is. And the list goes on. Peter wants those present to realize that even those they choose to exclude still belong to Jesus.
In a recent podcast regarding the fate of Judas, the host stated, “Jesus knew what Judas was going to do from the start; but, yet, he didn’t push him away or even question him. Instead, he invited him to follow him…. Jesus knew the actions of Judas but more importantly, he saw into Judas’ heart.” And this heart wanted to reverse what it had committed.
What I think Peter is doing here is not necessarily drawing attention to the person of Judas per-se, but to the fact that the church is going to be composed of people who have a past. The 120 are going to go forth encountering people whose past may have been glorious, whose past may have been traumatic, whose past may have been successful, whose past may have been nothing but failures, whose past may have been something to boast about, whose past may have been something they want to ignore, and whose past has been used to better the future or in which has been held against them. You know what, I have a past. I bet you have a past. Just because you have a past that differs from the now doesn’t mean that Christ doesn’t love you or care about you any less. Christ still claims you!
Church, the early church wasn’t established with the motive to only attract perfect and sinless people. The early church sought out people who wanted to believe in Jesus and have a new life. The early church wasn’t built to exclude people but to include people. The early church wasn’t built to hate people but to love people. The early church wasn’t built to harness regret but to extend forgiveness. The early church wasn’t built to leave the sinners outside and only welcome in the saints. The early church was built for people like you and me: people who aren’t perfect, who don’t have everything together, who make mistakes, who sometimes don’t know what is happening, who are hurting, lost, and scared at times, who pray “Lord, turn my unbelief to belief,” and who simply want to do their best to live a better life today than they did yesterday. That’s the church. That’s the body of Jesus Christ.
Are we okay with being a church that is composed of imperfect people, who don’t agree on everything, who think differently, and who have opinions, but yet are able to come together to worship Jesus Christ?
Conclusion:
Bringing this message to a close, I return to Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton, although a Founding Father of this nation, wasn’t perfect: he made mistakes, he wasn’t always liked, he spoke when he probably shouldn’t have, and he did some things that he isn’t proud of; but, yet, what he did changed this Nation. Hamilton had a past, but he used it to make himself a better person. It is said that Hamilton would attend church praying for the expected Jesus to search his heart. And throughout his life, Hamilton had to wait: he waited to be heard and seen.
The story of Hamilton is relatable to the early church and to the church of today. We are called to be a church that is in waiting: a church that is patient, a church that is willing to listen, and a church that is able to act when necessary with intentions of keeping the church alive. We are called to be a church that expects Jesus to return: a church that performs ministries, tasks, and hosts gatherings with Jesus in mind. And we are called to be a church that has a past and is filled with people who have pasts so that we can create a better today and tomorrow.
The early church wasn’t perfect, but it did what it could to stay alive. And did it ever stay alive! It did what Jesus called and needed it to do. It became a place and group of people that simply sought to live a better life in Christ. Church, I’m not calling us to be perfect, but what I am calling us to do, is to be the church that Jesus needs us to be. What do you think that looks like today? What are we waiting for as a church? What are we expecting as a church? And how are we, as a church, going to move on from our past to live in the present? The early church set the foundation, but now it’s our turn to make small shifts in our faith so that we can begin building the church that Christ needs us to be for him, for each other, and for everyone else who walks through our doors. This is just the beginning…
Let It Be So…
Holy Communion:
Closing Prayer:
Let us Pray… Dear Jesus, help us to be a church that is willing to wait and be patient but also eager to do what we can to be alive. Help us to think of you in all that we do as a church. And help us to be a church where we don’t exclude based on one’s past but include for the sake of helping change someone’s life. O Lord, we want to be your church today and always. In your name we pray. Amen.
Benediction:
Church, for the next several weeks we are going to embark on a journey focused on the rise of the early church; and our hope is to use what the early church started so that we can continue to be a living church today. Your challenge is to answer this question: “What do we need to do to be a living church with a big heart today and tomorrow?” May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; and May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26). In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit go forth being the church God needs all of us to be. And all God’s people said, Amen. Amen. Amen.
[1] Delman, Edward (September 29, 2015). “How Lin-Manuel Miranda Shapes History”. The Atlantic. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
[2] “Non-Stop” from the musical Alexander Hamilton, sung by Leslie Odom, Jr.
[3] They waited for the Spirit, which we no longer have to, giving an example of their obedience. But yet, they had to wait.