Chapter 1

The account of the Acts of the Apostles begins with the same address as Luke’s gospel, “Theophilus.” It is uncertain as to whether these accounts are addressed to an individual, Theophilus, to the general public as the name means “lover of God.” It mean be addressed to both, nonetheless, the intent of the Acts is the same as was recorded in the Gospel According to Luke, that an orderly account of all that has taken place may be put forth as the telling of God’s mighty acts in the world first through the humanity of Jesus and then through the humanity of the Apostles who witnessed the acts of God in Christ Jesus.

The Testimony of the Apostles

The apostles are given a job; they are to be witnesses to what has done through Jesus. The content of that testimony is laid out. They are to be witnesses to all that they have seen and heard from the days when Jesus walked among them. They bear witness predominantly to the crucifixion and then God’s revelation and confirmation that all that Jesus said was true, the resurrection from the dead. We hear repeatedly through the preaching of the apostles, “. . . this Jesus whom you crucified and God raised from the dead . . .” This is the foundation of the faith that is arising among the communities of Jerusalem and the world around. The second part of their testimony has to do with power of that message upon the lives of those who receive the message.

A third part of the testimony that the apostles deliver is that of the coming and the work of the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised to them. They reflect John the Baptist’s message, “. . . John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit . . .” The fulfillment of that promise in the coming of the Holy Spirit constitutes an important pivot in the telling of the story of the church’s growth.

The Ascension of Jesus

Jesus’ return to heaven constitutes an important focus of the apostles as it marks the point at which Jesus passes off the baton to those who following. In his life time, Jesus brought healing and ministry through the revelation of God’s power in him. Now in the days ahead that power will be transferred in the coming of the Holy Spirit through which God’s power will be active once again in and through human agency; this time the apostles will become the agents of God’s might acts in the world. Once more God will be incarnate in them, in the church. The “body of Christ” will be incarnate in the world through the church; the followers of Jesus whom God send out bring the good news to the world. The ascension becomes the turning point when the baton is passed.

The Apostles

Luke accounts all who were present in the upper room after the ascension: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. In addition Luke accounts that Mary, mother of Jesus was present. Their time was spent in prayer.

The Twelfth Spot is Filled

Luke accounts for the fact that the place left by the death of Judas Iscariot needs to be filled. Luke also gives us indication that the “believers” in Jerusalem numbered about 120 persons. The dialogue constitutes the first of times that Peter preaches. He speaks of Judas from point the fulfillment of the scriptures. Peter accounts that David foretold the one “who was numbered among us” as the one who would be “guide” to those who arrested Jesus. Peter claims the Holy Spirits place in foretelling of the incident.

Peter speaks of a field that was acquired by Judas bought with the reward of his betrayal. He also accounts specifics in the naming of the field, Hakeldama (Field of Blood). The field’s name is explained in the accounting of Judas’ death, “. . . falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out.” (vs.18) This is the only place in the telling of the story that such graphic details are laid out. They appear probably as the etymology of the naming of this field. Luke also makes reference to another quotation from the Book of Psalms regarding the desolation of the place. This may be one of those instances where the text backs up the naming of a place. Somewhere someone asked, “Why is that place call Hakeldama?” These words come as explanation. In Luke’s accounting of the death of Judas it is recorded that Judas hanged himself.

The fill the vacant place among the apostles two names were put forward by the community. This was observed as a necessity because witnesses to the resurrection were necessary. The two name put forward were: Joseph called Barsabbas also known as Justus, and Mattias. The process by which the selection was finalized involved first praying about the decision. They prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.”

Several import parts come out of this process. First, the church sought God’s input. They actually asked God what he wanted. Second is the bias of the church present in the time of the account. The church and writers of the account were very hard of Judas. They often paint him as the outcast, yet in the accounts of denial, was his denial of Jesus any worse than that of Peter or the others who abandoned Jesus? In the last year another of the apocryphal Gnostic Gospels appear, the Gospel of Judas in which the account of Judas was far more favorable pointing the necessity of someone to act as aid in the ultimate handing over of Jesus. Even Jesus points to the necessity of his demise in the four canonical gospels. His death was part of the plan. The crucifixion was God’s will and all who participated took their parts in the act including us the readers of the present day. The Gospel of Judas simply accounts Judas in playing his part in the ultimate will of God.

Following the prayer of the apostles they cast lots to determine God’s will in the matter. This is not a new method in the processes of determining God’s will in the world. The accounts of the elevation of Aaron to the position of High Priest in the wilderness tell of the Urim and Thumin. These were dice placed in the possession of the High Priest. They were used to determine God’s choice in “yes” and “no” questions placed before God by the High Priest. Through the casting of the dice God spoke and called Matthias the place of apostle in the ministry of church.

The process of discernment raises an important element – God wants to be part of the discussion making process of the church. The two closest examples of this process of discernment are present in the call of pastors to the ministry and the election of bishop in our synods.

· The call of Pastors: Our process of candidacy begins at the decision to pursue theological preparation for the ministry. All candidates are called to apply and they enter a process of discernment that entails presentation of written documentation as to why the individual feels “called” to the ministry. This discernment and examination determines whether the individual is allowed to enter the seminary and at various points throughout to move to the next step in preparation. Once ordained, the process continues with every call. Names are provided by the Bishop’s office to the congregation’s call committee. They begin the process through prayer and interview. Their decision is passed to the church council and through prayer and interview their decision is passed to congregation. Through a third time of discernment and vote their decision becomes the candidate to be called.

· Election of the Bishop: The process is called the ecclesiastical ballot. Any who were present in the election of last bishop could observe the amount of prayer that was called for in the process. Prior to each ballot the assembly was called to pray and asked God’s guidance in the selection. The first ballot put forth names and each successive ballot narrowed down the list, each time selecting the highest frequency of votes until someone rose to majority. The assumption in the process is that God wants to be involved in the process and will guide us through the process of election.

In very case the process is one that is designed to give God voice in the decision. The important assumption in the process is that God wants to be asked and to be heard in affairs of the people of God. It is an assumption I believe that is often not understood. It is of critical importance in the working of the church that God has an active part in the dealings of human community, especially in the church, the Body of Christ.

Friday, December 18, 2009