Acts 1:1-3; 6-11 - In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up, after He had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom He had chosen. He presented Himself alive to them after His suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. ... So when they had come together, they asked Jesus, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." And when He had said these things, as they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as He went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven."
This devotion pairs with this weekend's Lutheran Hour sermon, which can be found at LHM.org.
In the ancient Roman Empire, it's said a commander would throw the Roman flag into the ranks of the enemy and then order his men to recapture it, ready to die to retrieve it. When a flag is activated in the hearts and minds of the people, when it's been bled for, died for, saluted, served, and sacrificed for, it becomes more than ornamental material. The material matters because it's endowed with meaning.
This truth also captures the connection between earth and heaven, as it's described in the Bible. As one Bible scholar said: heaven and earth are two halves of God's creation, but not like two halves of an orange, but like two parts of a flag—the visible cloth and the unseen meaning. These parts—the material and the meaning—are meant to go together. The invisible meaning infuses the material, fills it with promise and purpose. The visible material becomes a witness to what it stands for.
Over the next several weeks on The Lutheran Hour, we're going to be listening to the book of Acts. I invite you to listen with us. As you listen, keep this view of heaven and earth in mind—how the meaning and the material are meant to go together. The earth, the whole visible creation, you and I included, we aren't merely ornamental. We are the flag of heaven, created to be the visible representation of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—the sign of belonging, material God has activated; fabric the Son of God has bled for, died for, sacrificed for; witnesses the Spirit endows with promise and purpose.
But this flag has been desecrated, robbed of its meaning, treated as though it were merely material.
The good news in the book of Acts is that the risen Jesus has won it back. We threw God's flag into the ranks of the enemy, but Jesus won it back with His blood. Then He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, not to leave the material behind, but to raise God's flag, to restore its old glory, to make matter matter again—you, your body, your business and neighborhood, your contacts, conversations, and communities—they all matter, because Jesus will return to end the enemy's occupation, to raise the dead, raise the standard, raise the flag. When? It's not for us to know the timing of the campaign, Jesus says. But He is enlisting us in the resistance. He's made us the emblem of heaven, God's visual representation, endowed with His promise and His purpose—His witnesses.
WE PRAY: Dear Jesus, send us Your Spirit, that we may be Your witnesses. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Rev. Dr. Michael Zeigler, Speaker of The Lutheran Hour.
Reflection Questions:
1. How does concern for knowing "the times or seasons" of God's kingdom still distract today?
2. The book of Acts doesn't answer when the Kingdom will fully come, but it does show us how it will come, incrementally, while we wait for Jesus to return. What are some signs of the Kingdom shown in Acts 2?
3. How does entrusting the future to God set us free to focus on our present witness for Jesus?
Today's Bible Readings: Deuteronomy 32-34 Luke 8:26-56
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