Author: Administrador

Acts 2:42-47 summarizes the daily life of the earliest Christian community in Jerusalem. The passage is fairly easy to understand in terms of the picture it describes. Its challenge comes in discerning how to apply it. Is the life of this community to be taken as a model for Christian life today? If so, it … Continue reading “Acts 2:42-47 Commentary by Scott Shauf”

Peter tells an audience in Jerusalem that the resurrected Jesus reigns at God’s right hand, and that Jesus’ ministry continues through his followers, in the power of the Holy Spirit. He delivers the sermon on the day of Pentecost, immediately after the Holy Spirit arrives. Why, then, does the lectionary assign this passage during Easter? … Continue reading “Acts 2:14a, 22-32 Commentary by Matt Skinner”

Moments of recognition in film and literature almost always stir an audience. Characters stumble into realizing whom they really love or who has committed a crime, and from those points storylines head in new directions. We know from our own lives that recognitions–those “aha!” moments we experience–create pivot points. When recognition happens, things cannot stay … Continue reading “Acts 2:14a, 36-41 Commentary by Matt Skinner”

The book of Acts is the narrated story of God’s mighty acts among early communities of believers (in Judea and in the diaspora). God promised to pour out God’s Spirit without favoritism in the last days. God promised to send God’s Spirit upon a group of disciples gathered in a second story room. And like … Continue reading “Acts 2:14a, 22-32 Commentary by Mitzi J. Smith”

According to the prologue to Luke’s Gospel, Luke-Acts constitutes an orderly written account addressed to “Theophilus” so that he might know the surety (asphaleia) of the matters he received by word of mouth (Luke 1:3-4).  Luke combines these two words surety and know again at Acts 2:36. As Peter continues speaking plainly (apophthengomai) at Pentecost, … Continue reading “Acts 2:14a, 36-41 Commentary by Mitzi J. Smith”

Today’s passage is part of Peter’s sermon following the original, powerful experience of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The experience of the Spirit began with a sound like a strong wind and tongues of fire extending to all members of the early Christian community as they gathered in the upper room (2:1-3). The Spirit then … Continue reading “Acts 2:14a, 22-32 Commentary by Scott Shauf”

This week’s passage includes the brief introduction to Peter’s Pentecost sermon (2:14a), the concluding statement of the sermon (2:36), and the subsequent response of his audience (2:37-41). It both provides us with the story of the early church’s first moment of growth and models for us the way to respond to the proclamation of the … Continue reading “Acts 2:14a, 36-41 Commentary by Scott Shauf”

Divided tongues like fire!? Violent, howling wind!? It is one thing to receive a promise, quite another to be thrust into the midst of its fulfillment.  There they are that small band of believers who constitute the earliest community of Jesus. With a head count of 120 (Acts 1:15), they comprise ten times the number … Continue reading “Acts 2:1-21; Philippians 4:4-7 Commentary by Audrey West”

It is fine to preach on this text as the story of the birthday of the church. We want to remember, however, that for Luke the church is not the end of the story. The church is the vanguard of the Kingdom, of the realm of God that is both coming and yet to come. … Continue reading “Acts 2:1-21 Commentary by David Bartlett”

One could preach many sermons on this marvelous text making a whole variety of points. Our denominational emphases will lead us to a wide range of ideas that need to be emphasized in preaching this text. It is a problem for us that the Pentecost story in Acts 2:1-2:47 is cut in half by the … Continue reading “Acts 2:1-21 Commentary by Richard Jensen”