Today’s scripture is Acts, chapter 3:1-10.
This passage is the church having to decide what the Ministry looks like; what happens in church ministry after it's after Pentecost.
Peter and John are the leaders of the new community of Believers. The end of chapter 2 is a lovely picture of a church which is worshipping God,is breaking bread together, and shared all things in common. It’s a holistic, beautiful Community but entirely internally focused. It's all about the people who show up at the house to worship God all about the people who are there in the world.
This is not the reality. They don't get to live in that Sanctuary. They don't get to stay there. They can't live inside the walls of the communities. If they want to be a part of the ministry of Jesus they have to go out and have to be part of the world. That means getting dirty and means getting in the midst of the muck, in the mire, and meeting people where they are. It's so challenging because what they want to do is hang out with each other and eat bread and drink wine and laugh and have a good time and worship God together and live in a safe Community.
That's not where ministry is happening. The disciples are called to go out and to minister to the crippled man at the gate. Peter and John meet him and they talked to him and all they offer him is healing. There's lots of ways people are crippled in this world, people who are suffering and in pain in this world. How do we as followers of Christ offer healing to them?