Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Acts 1:1-5

Acts 1:1-5
English Standard Version (ESV) 

  In one of my favorite scenes from a book, the children in the Chronicles of Narnia series are discovering, in the end of the very last book, that the Kingdom of God gets better and better.  It gets higher and richer and more alive the deeper they go, and they never outgrow it -- there is always more to pull them deeper.
  This is the truth of the Gospel -- it always gets better.  We have never plumbed the depth, for there is always more to the love of God.  When we begin to grasp the story, it gets more amazing the more we comprehend it, for as our minds and faith mature, the story gains more nuance and reveals richer storehouses of love.
  Think of the disciples, all of them unworthy of reaching the highest levels of established religion at the time -- they are invited to be disciples of the greatest teacher ever.  They witness his miracles, they listen to his teaching, they have discussions about the riches and mercy of God.  They are his friends, and when they think it has all ended, he rises from the dead and displays triumph over death and sin.  Then, when they think there are no more wonders, he ascends to heaven, and he promises greater things still -- the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
  If we take our faith seriously, as we read through the pages of Scripture for the first, second, fifth, tenth time, each time more treasure awaits.  Each time there is more for us to behold, to take in.  Each time, the Holy Spirit calls us deeper, and the love of God is more amazing still.

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