Monday, January 13, 2025  

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Today's Scripture
Acts 8:14–17

Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. (NRSV)

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Reflection

The ubiquitous term “Good Samaritan” might lead us to believe that Samaria was a town of do-gooders, always ready to help a stranger. But this modern understanding obscures what was known at the time of Acts — Samaria, the hill country in between Judaea and Galilee, was viewed with suspicion. Samaritans practiced a different kind of Judaism, making them the Jews’ ancient enemies.

When followers of Jesus are forced to flee Jerusalem to avoid persecution and arrest, some make their way to Samaria, where they perform miracles and preach the good news, leading many Samaritans to be baptized. Other apostles respond first with prayer and then with action: they lay hands on the Samaritans, helping them to receive the Holy Spirit and breaking down old divisions in the process.

The book of Acts chronicles the arguments in the early church (and there were many), but time and again, the apostles are unified by God’s Spirit. We can only imagine that the experience of the Spirit must have been so visceral, and the miracles so powerful, that they could not resist the call to follow Jesus together.

God’s Spirit is not constrained by us, our divisions, or our expectations. The Spirit blows at will, into homes and lives and offices of friends, enemies, and rivals alike and even (or especially) into places that may not seem very “spiritual.” We can join the early followers of Jesus, first by praying and then by acting so that we, too, are part of the Spirit’s work in our world.

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Prayer
Loving God, you are always doing something new — in our lives, in our city, and in our world. Help us to be open to your Spirit and to see you at work in the lives of all we encounter. Amen.

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Written by Amy Pagliarella, Parish Associate for Caring Ministries

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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