I absolutely love the Book of Acts.  How amazing must it have been to be there on that day at Pentecost.  Imagine, you’re sitting there in church and all of a sudden the Holy Spirit fills the place like never before and pours down on the people gathered together.  In fact, to the non-believers the people filled with the Holy Spirit looked drunk.  They laughed and said, “They must have had too much wine.” (Acts 2:13)  Now, I’m not sure if these believers normally got drunk on occasion, because Peter prefaced his next remarks by saying, “These men are not drunk as you suppose.  It’s only nine in the morning.” (Acts 2:15)  Peter then goes on to quote the prophet Joel about what is going on and about the Holy Spirit’s coming and about everyone’s need for salvation through Jesus Christ.  By the end of the day about 3000 people were saved and baptized. (Acts 2:41)  That was a great day at church.  Not only did those new believers receive Christ and were baptized, the church began gathering together what they had and shared it with one another.  (Acts 2:44-46)  This is where the church really began acting like the church.  Transformation occurred on that day and in the days that followed.  Wouldn’t it be great if more days in our lives and in our churches were like that day at Pentecost?

Christ said that he came, not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.  (Matt 5:17)  However, on the night before Christ was crucified, the Gospel of John records the words of Christ when he gave them a new commandment.  As Jesus and the disciples were sitting around the table after Judas left to betray him, Jesus took the opportunity to teach them one more thing.  In the final moments before he was carried off by soldiers – Jesus taught them about love.

A new command I give you; Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all me will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.  John 13:34-35

One of Christ’s last acts on earth was to teach his disciples about loving one another.  In his classic way, Jesus not only told them to love one another – he showed it by washing their feet.  As disciples of Christ – we’ll be known by our love.  How are you loving those around you these days?  It’s our love for one another that speaks loudest about the one who came to give us life.  May we show love to one another so Christ may be glorified and others might come to know him.

Today’s scripture reading transitions from the Gospel of Luke to the Gospel of John.  John’s description of Jesus as Word and Light are awesome.  Here are a few passages that I love:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things are made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.  John 1:1-5

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  John 1:14

Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.  Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.  But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.  John 3:19-21