The Third Week of May
- Hannah Jones-Nelson
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
We Read…
It’s no surprise that as we continue in the Easter season (the days following Easter Sunday, leading up to Pentecost), a major theme for our readings is newness. From Peter reflecting on the new understanding of clean and unclean, to Revelation’s declaration of God making all things new, to Jesus’s institution of a new commandment, we see a lot of newness in the readings for this week. When we have Jesus in our lives, our lives will look different. The old is gone, and the new has come. We see this theme throughout the whole Bible! God makes us new, God makes us whole, God gives us full life that is centered on God.
Acts 11:1-18
The apostles and the brothers and sisters throughout Judea heard that even the Gentiles had welcomed God’s word. 2 When Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him. 3 They accused him, “You went into the home of the uncircumcised and ate with them!”
4 Step-by-step, Peter explained what had happened. 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying when I had a visionary experience. In my vision, I saw something like a large linen sheet being lowered from heaven by its four corners. It came all the way down to me. 6 As I stared at it, wondering what it was, I saw four-legged animals—including wild beasts—as well as reptiles and wild birds. 7 I heard a voice say, ‘Get up, Peter! Kill and eat!’ 8 I responded, ‘Absolutely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
Psalm 148
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from heaven!
Praise God on the heights!
2 Praise God, all of you
who are his messengers!
Praise God, all of you
who comprise his heavenly forces!
3 Sun and moon, praise God!
All of you bright stars, praise God!
4 You highest heaven, praise God!
Do the same, you waters
that are above the sky!
5 Let all of these praise the Lord’s name
because God gave the command
and they were created!
6 God set them in place always and forever.
God made a law that will not be broken.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you sea monsters
and all you ocean depths!
8 Do the same, fire and hail,
snow and smoke,
stormy wind that does what God says!
9 Do the same, you mountains,
every single hill,
fruit trees, and every single cedar!
10 Do the same, you animals—
wild or tame—
you creatures that creep along
and you birds that fly!
11 Do the same, you kings of the earth
and every single person,
you princes and every single ruler
on earth!
12 Do the same, you young men—
young women too!—
you who are old together
with you who are young!
13 Let all of these praise the Lord’s name
because only God’s name is high over all.
Only God’s majesty
is over earth and heaven.
14 God raised the strength of his people,
the praise of all his faithful ones—
that’s the Israelites,
the people who are close to him.
Praise the Lord!
Revelation 21:1-6
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 I heard a loud voice from the throne say, “Look! God’s dwelling is here with humankind. He will dwell with them, and they will be his peoples. God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more. There will be no mourning, crying, or pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. 5 Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look! I’m making all things new.” He also said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 Then he said to me, “All is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will freely give water from the life-giving spring.
John 13:31-35
31 When Judas was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Human One has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32 If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify the Human One in himself and will glorify him immediately. 33 Little children, I’m with you for a little while longer. You will look for me—but, just as I told the Jewish leaders, I also tell you now—‘Where I’m going, you can’t come.’
34 “I give you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, so you also must love each other. 35 This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you love each other.”
We Think…
What stands out to you in these verses? Does anything confuse you or not make sense?
How do these verses compare to your own experience in life or the church? What are you considering? What questions come to mind?
Why does Peter say we can’t make something unclean if God has made it pure?
Think about Jesus’s new commandment in John 13 - How has Jesus loved us? What does this mean for how we are called to love others? Is this an easy thing to do?
We Feel…
What emotions are you experiencing today? How are you making space for these feelings?
Where have you seen God today or this week? What is pointing you to God (maybe it is something in creation, a friend or adult that cares for you)?
What has God made new in your life? In your heart?
When has it been easy to live out Jesus’s commandment to love each other? When has that been hard for you to do?
Why do you praise God? How do you praise God?
We Believe…
Acts 11 tells us about an interesting interaction between Peter and a group of Christians. They confronted him about eating with those who were considered unclean. In the old law, this would mean that Peter also became unclean (and then he couldn’t be in the holiest spaces). But Peter’s experience with God changed how he viewed these laws on cleanliness. God tells Peter that if God declares something pure, Peter can’t make it unclean. Peter is not more powerful than God. We are not more powerful than God. When Jesus touched the unclean, he didn’t become defiled. Instead, he made them clean. It went against everything the people were used to at the time! But God is in the business of reorienting our lives and our understandings of the world. We are not more powerful than God, so if God has declared something good, new, or holy, we can’t say it isn’t.
We Practice…
How do people know that you are a disciple of Jesus? Take a few minutes this week to reflect on your life, words, actions, and time, and think about what you are doing, saying, and choosing that point others to Jesus. How do people around you know that you love Jesus? Jesus tells us that the world will know we’re his disciples because of our love. How are you loving the people around you? How can you intentionally show Jesus’s love in your life this week? Write it down, share it with a mentor, and practice it. At the end of the week, reflect on how this intentional choice to love helped you share Jesus and also grow in Jesus.