Father, as I come to sit before You, may the many thoughts of this day fade if they impede my progress. Use what You will, myself included. Amen.

Acts 5:12-16 (<<click here to read the passage)

One thing about our house that I am not satisfied with is that by our front door all we really have is a stoop. Alright, you might say it’s a large stoop, but I think it would be a fair stretch to say that it is even a small porch.

I’ve seen a lot of homes in our area that have large wrap-around porches. They are large enough for swings and chairs. Often, they provide places to hang planters of beautiful flowers in season. Of course, the question would be, do people really use their porches for anything but decoration?

Rev. Rod Buchanan, a pastor acquaintance of mine, shared this in a sermon about growing up in the 40s and 50s:

We lived in a large city, Indianapolis, but our home, like many others, had a front porch… We had chairs and a swing. I can still remember being on grandma’s porch swing and watching people walk by on the sidewalk. Everyone said hello because everyone knew each other. Sometimes they would stop and talk, or even come up on the porch and sit a spell, and grandma would bring out lemonade. Almost all the homes had porches, and people sat outside in the evening since they did not have to air-condition. Friends would stop by unannounced to visit. There was a connectedness among neighbors and families.

In today’s text, Solomon’s portico (colonnade) is referred to. According to the ancient historian Josephus, Solomon’s Portico was a double-columned porch on the east side of the Temple near the court of the Gentiles. It was about 23 feet wide, and the columns were about 40 feet tall. Basically, it was a big fancy porch.

Why did Peter and the other disciples return to this location? On the one hand, it is a likely location for teachers to gather with their disciples to discuss the Scripture. According to John 10:23, Jesus taught his disciples there, so Peter and the disciples are continuing the practice of Jesus by gathering on the Temple Mount. Perhaps that is the reason Jesus went there – it was simply a great place to find religiously inclined people! (Reading Acts)

I cherish the folks who have been so faithful to join us for our virtual worship service since the beginning of the pandemic (almost 2 years now) – they are a vital part of our churches’ congregations. But I will say meeting one another face-to-face has great benefits.

Interpersonal communication is difficult, though by no means impossible, in a virtual setting. But we literally see our fellow worshippers; all kinds of things can happen. We laugh, we cry, we encourage, we share, we call on Christ’s name via many different means – the body of Christ comes alive!

Lord Jesus, may we take full advantage of our time together. May our virtual congregation make some extra effort to interact with one another. And may our in-person congregations not miss the great benefits of being together face-to-face! Amen.

Feb 6th, 2022, Sun, 6:06 pm