News for the week of February 22-28, 2024

It looks like Vancouver winter is back this week with the return of the rain. I trust that it isn’t dampening anyone’s spirits and that the week is going well for all.

All of a sudden, we’ve arrived at the end of February. I’m always amazed at how quickly the calendar turns. As I mentioned in the last newsletter, this will also be the final week in our series on the book of Acts. It’s been great to go through Luke’s account of the birth of the church and the missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul. But all good things must come to an end—and of course, there are valuable lessons to glean from other parts of Scripture as well.

In recent weeks we’ve looked at several individual passages, some a bit shorter and some a bit longer. This Sunday’s message will be different, in that it will scan across the final 8 chapters of the book, recounting Paul’s imprisonment in Judea and his journey to Rome. We won’t have time to dig into the details, but we’ll have a chance to think about some of the big themes that unfold as we consider a larger chunk of the overall story. This may feel a little odd, since it’s not how most sermons unfold today. But it’s actually quite appropriate. When the NT letters were first written and shared in the church, it was customary to have someone read an entire letter or book from end to end in a single meeting. (I’m sure our Scripture readers are glad we don’t follow that example!) So, we’re doing something Luke might have expected his readers to do when he penned the Acts of the Apostles.

If you haven’t had a chance to do it yet, I recommend taking a little time to read (or at least scan) over Acts 21-28 before we come together. As I said last week, it will add richness to the message and will fill in some gaps where we have to move quickly across the landscape. I’ve certainly been challenged and encouraged in my preparation, and I’m hoping you’ll find the same as we walk through Luke’s account.

I should add that I’m planning for a brief question-answer discussion time after this Sunday’s service. This will be an opportunity to talk a little about questions or insights that may come up in this week’s message, or over the past weeks as we’ve made our way through Acts. It will be an informal time, not a class or lesson, and there’s no pressure on anyone to join. But occasionally I’ve heard people say they appreciate the chance to discuss our messages, and this seems like a good time to talk together. We’ll start after people have time to stretch and get a coffee, and will go for 30-40 minutes or until everyone runs out of things to talk about.

Looking further ahead … beginning on March 3 we’ll go into a brief 1-month series exploring some biblical themes that help us to understand the death and resurrection of Jesus, culminating in our Easter Sunday service on March 31. Then in April, we’ll turn to another biblical book—but I’ll say more about that in the coming weeks.