Read:
Acts 20:17-38

When lead pastors Andy and Pavi announced that our next sermon series was going to be from the book of Acts, I was excited to see what God might show me. Having returned from my very first mission trip to Turkey earlier this year, I had a new appreciation for the courageous lives of the early disciples and particularly of Paul, as he spread the gospel in the area of the world I had just visited. 

The book of Acts is filled with accounts of courageous preaching, incredible healings, countless conversions, and intriguing life stories of shipwrecks, escapes from danger, and emotional departures. One departure that stands out to me is in Acts 20. Paul is leaving the city of Ephesus where he had spent years presenting the gospel and loving the people. On the day he set sail, Acts 20:38 tells us, “They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again.”

In light of our current crisis, I know that many of us desire to be together and see each other’s faces again. Our longings are not all that much different than what the early disciples experienced, having enjoyed true fellowship and wishing for more.

Question:
Who do you long to see face-to-face? Is there something you can do to let them know how much you miss them?

Linda Buchan
Coordinator – Volunteers, Marriage & Family, THG