Acts 10:44-48

“Then Peter said, ‘Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?’” vss. 46c-47

It must have been freeing to be a leader in the apostolic community of the first century. Within the space of a few hours Peter broke the long-established law about associations with Gentiles, and then made a huge decision about who was worthy to be baptized. It appears that he was simply flying by the seat of his pants, though he would have said he was being guided by the Holy Spirit. In reading this we can’t help but marvel at the contrast with the way decisions are made by church leaders in our time. Whenever an idea or change is proposed that is different from the current practice, the most frequent response is, “Well, we’ve never done it that way before.” And when the proposal is not dropped but pursued, it’s the signal for what may be decades of committee meetings, scholarly papers, and ultimately a decision of the governing assembly. For some reason religious changes are heartily resisted by those affected. But sometimes we do find faith communities that are open to the direction of the Holy Spirit. Leaders of such congregations, when presented with an idea that could mean change, will often say, “That’s an interesting proposal. Let’s try it and see what happens!” While there are risks in such an atmosphere, it’s also a place where the Holy Spirit is alive and well.

Thought for the Day: What provokes change in my congregation?