East5A23.    Acts of the Apostles 6:1-7.   Among the early Christians there was favoritism that sprang up naturally in the community in Jerusalem where all goods were held in common without any private ownership to be more generous in the distribution of goods to those who were more Hebrew than those who had a more Greek-speaking background.  As a settlement, deacons were chosen to serve the more physical, material needs in the community in order to allow others to devote themselves more fully to the spiritual needs.  “The word of God continued to spread, and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly; even a large group of priests were becoming obedient to the faith.” The Spirit of Pentecost was very productive.

John 14:1-12.    The Apostles were felling lost at the prospect of not having Jesus physically present with them.  Jesus calls upon them to trust in him to get the job done.  As they are with him on earth, they will be with him in heaven.  In the physical world the way to go is marked physically with road markers.  In the spiritual world the way to go is living one’s life daily in Christ.  Jesus was saying to Philip that we recognize God’s presence in our everyday human smallness.  Our God is right here, loving us, present to us.

1 Peter 2:4-9.  Recognizable only to the eyes that perceive what is spiritual, we can be seen in this world to be living in the same house where God lives.  We “are ‘a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you (we) may announce the praises’ of him who called you (us) out of darkness into his wonderful light.”  We know we are God’s people because we live as his, each and every day with him in our very midst.