Not A Little Comforted (Acts 20:12)

 


Friday, 22 August, 2025


Psalm 118:1-18

2 Samuel 22:31-51

Acts 20:1-16


Not A Little Comforted (Acts 20:12)


 And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted.


This event today’s lesson from Acts should probably be more widely taught in seminaries – if you like to preach long sermons, you better know how to perform resurrections!


A thought that popped up while reading it today, though, was how it occurred “on the first day, when we were gathered to break bread.” That is, even back in the time of the apostles, the Church gathered on Sunday to celebrate Holy Communion. And I have to wonder about how we approach the idea of miracles during worship in our day.


St Paul had an actual bodily resurrection happen at his service. During ours, we have talking, singing, listening, and times of silence. If we trust God’s promise that he will minister to us in our gathering (and we can), then why wouldn’t anything supernatural happen?


It might not be visible and flashy, but who of us doesn’t know at least of the feeling of a warmed heart and that sense of spiritual refreshment of having gone to church? Not to mention the many anecdotes of life-long churchgoers having a sudden epiphany during an otherwise routine liturgy? And it need not be restricted to Sunday morning – our spiritual tradition gives room for Morning and Evening Prayer services every day of the week, and even that is just the beginning. Our God of comfort is ready to send us out “not a little comforted”; we only need approach him in faith.


What is your sense of God’s comfort? What were you doing last time you sensed it?


God of no little comfort, you proved your loving grace to us in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ: assure us of your comfort in our worship wherever and whenever we call to you.

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