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Foods to Enjoy

May 10
Posted by Pastor Howard White in Devotionals

Acts 10:9–16

9 About noon the next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat; and while it was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw the heaven opened and something like a large sheet coming down, being lowered to the ground by its four corners. 12 In it were all kinds of four-footed creatures and reptiles and birds of the air. 13 Then he heard a voice saying, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is profane or unclean.” 15 The voice said to him again, a second time, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” 16 This happened three times, and the thing was suddenly taken up to heaven.

We usually think of Paul as the missionary to the Gentiles, the non-Jews.  In this passage from Acts we have described the revelation to Peter that there was no longer any need to distinguish in dietary habits between what was clean and unclean.  Among other things, Jews would not eat pork, and they would not mix dairy products with the meats they would eat.  This set the stage for Peter evangelizing the Gentiles, too. (more…)

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It Is About Being Bold

Apr 13
Posted by Pastor Howard White in Devotionals

Acts 4:31

31 When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.

It was back in 1988 when the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America was born from three other Lutheran groups.  The first leader of this larger national group was Pastor Herb Chilstrom.  He was from Minnesota.  He suggested to us pastors to do three things as the new church was formed.  He asked us to read, and re-read regularly, Luther’s Small Catechism.  He told us to have a picture of the Earth as taken from space so that we would keep in mind our human calling to care for the Earth.  He invited us to read the book of the Acts of the Apostles and to appreciate the boldness of those early followers of Jesus.  This Acts 4:31 passage made me think again of Bishop Chilstrom’s advice.  You can see in my office a framed piece of artwork that reminds me of his advice on a daily basis. (more…)

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The Earliest Church and Us

Apr 12
Posted by Pastor Howard White in Devotionals

Acts 2:42–47

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.  43 Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. 44 All who believed were together and had all things in common; 45 they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

What happened because of Jesus’ resurrection?  A much larger community of believers was born.  No longer was it just Jesus, his disciples, and some others.  This passage describes the earliest church in Jerusalem.  Soon there would be thousands of believers from all over the Mediterranean world, including the places we now know as Israel, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria.  What is interesting to me is what the earliest church was devoted to. (more…)

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Paul and Barnabas Can’t Get Along

Feb 07
Posted by Pastor Howard White in Devotionals

Acts 15:36–41

36 After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Come, let us return and visit the believers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. 38 But Paul decided not to take with them one who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not accompanied them in the work. 39 The disagreement became so sharp that they parted company; Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. 40 But Paul chose Silas and set out, the believers commending him to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

It is hard to know what was really going on in this episode in the early church.  What is clear is that the resolution of the dispute between Paul and Barnabas was for them to separate themselves from each other.  In fact, the book of Acts never mentions again their working together.  That is sad, but it is not uncommon. (more…)

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Paul Was a Changed Man

Jan 10
Posted by Pastor Howard White in Devotionals

Acts 22:2–5

2 When they heard him addressing them in Hebrew, they became even more quiet. Then he said:  3 I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated strictly according to our ancestral law, being zealous for God, just as all of you are today. 4 I persecuted this Way up to the point of death by binding both men and women and putting them in prison, 5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. From them I also received letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I went there in order to bind those who were there and to bring them back to Jerusalem for punishment.

Paul had his own “religious experience,” and it changed his life.  This passage from Acts depicts his addressing the Jews in Jerusalem, years after that experience.  Paul had stirred up the crowds in Jerusalem with his preaching.  Some wanted to imprison him, or do even worse to him.  They considered this early group of Christians to be a threat to them.  Acts 22 is his testimony to the crowds.  It begins with his description of how he treated those early Christians prior to his spiritual experience of the risen Christ.  That experience had changed him. (more…)

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Paul is Attacked

Aug 12
Posted by Pastor Howard White in Devotionals

Acts 14:19–20

19 But Jews came there from Antioch and Iconium and won over the crowds. Then they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. 20 But when the disciples surrounded him, he got up and went into the city. The next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe.

As a person reads this text from Acts, it is important to remember that Paul was a Jew, too.  It is Jews stoning a Jew.  It causes me to think about Shiite Muslims attacking Sunni Muslims, or vice versa.  I don’t understand the hate and the violence that grows out of religious faith.  But, I will admit to wishing that I saw passion for the faith being expressed more often by people I know.  I hope for passion without the hostility, and certainly without the violence. (more…)

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Women as Leaders in the Early Church

Aug 05
Posted by Pastor Howard White in Devotionals

Acts 18:24–28

24 Now there came to Ephesus a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria. He was an eloquent man, well-versed in the scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord; and he spoke with burning enthusiasm and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the Way of God to him more accurately. 27 And when he wished to cross over to Achaia, the believers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. On his arrival he greatly helped those who through grace had become believers, 28 for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the scriptures that the Messiah is Jesus.

I really don’t know much about Priscilla and Aquila, but they have been called the most famous missionary couple in the New Testament and in the early Church.  Of the several times they are mentioned, Priscilla is mentioned first on five occasions.  Clearly, she was a leader in the early Christian church.  I want to focus on this text because a young woman recently emailed me after looking at Trondhjem’s website and seeing that we have a woman pastor.  (more…)

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Church: Then and Now

Aug 02
Posted by Pastor Howard White in Devotionals

Acts 2:41–47

41 So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. 44 All who believed were together and had all things in common; 45 they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

This is one of my favorite passages of scripture, but it is one of those appointed for today.  It provides a picture of the earliest Christian community in Jerusalem.  It describes a people who share their possessions with each other based on need.  They were at the temple together; they ate food together.  They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to sharing in the Lord’s Supper, and to prayer.  I don’t wish to go back 2,000 years, but I would like to bring into our times that sense of Christian community. (more…)

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Conversion of St. Paul

Apr 04
Posted by Pastor Howard White in Devotionals

Acts 9:1–6

Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5 He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”

This is the chapter in the  book of Acts that recounts for us the conversion of Saul, who becomes Paul, the great evangelist to the Gentiles.  He had been a persecutor of those early followers of Jesus, and now he was to become one of them.  It begs the question, “Do we still believe today that a conversion can truly happen?” (more…)

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Call to Moses

Mar 07
Posted by Pastor Howard White in Devotionals

Acts 7:30–34

30 Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush. 31 When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight; and as he approached to look, there came the voice of the Lord: 32 ‘I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses began to tremble and did not dare to look. 33 Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. 34 I have surely seen the mistreatment of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them. Come now, I will send you to Egypt.’

An adult Moses had fled from Egypt to Midian.  There he met and married Zipporah, the daughter of Reuel.  He lived there 40 years before he heard the call from God to return to Egypt.  It would appear that Moses was 60 years old before he heard the call. (more…)

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