Thoughts for the Day

The Council’s Letter to Gentile Believers

Then the apostles and the elders, with the consent of the whole church, decided to choose men from among their members and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leaders among the brothers, with the following letter: ‘The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the believers of Gentile origin in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings. Since we have heard that certain persons who have gone out from us, though with no instructions from us, have said things to disturb you and have unsettled your minds, we have decided unanimously to choose representatives and send them to you, along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to impose on you no further burden than these essentials: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.’

So they were sent off and went down to Antioch. When they gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. When its members read it, they rejoiced at the exhortation. Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the believers. After they had been there for some time, they were sent off in peace by the believers to those who had sent them. But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, and there, with many others, they taught and proclaimed the word of the Lord.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

The Council of Jerusalem was held circa 48-50 CE to discuss the question of whether Gentile converts were required to be circumcised and obey the Law of Moses with all its purity rules required by the Pharisees. This decision not to impose such a hardship on non Jewish converts was a huge step forward in opening the new faith to the Greek and Roman world, and the Council's thoughtful way of ensuring that the Pisidian Antioch church categorically knew of the decision was to help its significant growth in the early years.

Change in the Church has never stopped over the centuries, and sometimes small changes have helped. 45 years ago the Diocese of Gloucester began to think about licensing women as full-time Deaconesses. Discussion went on - would they wear blue robes; what work would they do; and what training would they have etc. I was unaware of it when I joined a local training group and was sent away, 8 months pregnant, to a Selection Conference. I was shocked to hear later that the subject had come up in Diocesan Synod concerning the need to house me. "Would the Deaconess' husband be paying rent," was asked. The Diocesan Secretary made a dry comment about whether this meant they should charge Vicar's wives as well. I only learnt years later the big change had been to accept me as a full time worker with such a young family, other Dioceses' waited until children were at secondary school.

As the numbers in church attendance decline rapidly in the west are there some traditions that need changing, in your opinion? Are their questions you should be asking of your local church authorities? Finally can you pray continually for your local, and for your national Church?

Lord Jesus Christ,
You call Your Church
to listen to Your voice.
You call us to speak to today's world,
through speech,
through technology,
through action,
to friends, family and congregation,
passing on the simple message of
God's love for all people.
Amen.