Real listening

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. — Acts 2:42

Marriage jokes come to mind when it comes to listening. The jokes bring a question that should stop us all. Are we really listening?

Here in Acts, Luke inspires us to listen to the apostles’ teaching about who Jesus is, and how life with Jesus is.

When we listen to who Jesus is and how Jesus is today? When we learn of freedom from bondage, hope from despair, life from death? Whoa! This really is awesome. This really is affirming, empowering, liberating, and leveling. This really is light into darkness.

Luke isn’t sharing pie-in-the-sky idealism. Luke is saying what happens when you sit in a pew to worship. The thing is to do what I just said, to sit in a pew to worship.

Someone is too loud. The hymn is long and dry. The fake flowers on the altar should be dusted, or at least changed more than a few times a year. And don’t even get started on talks about the budget.

But those things aren’t worship. Those things are just things! Worship? Sitting with Jesus? Hearing the Son of God’s words reach into our hearts and maneuver the compass of our souls into action for just causes, charity, and way too deep and way too wonderful love? Now that—yes, that—is listening to Jesus. Really listening to Jesus leads to action, joy, and even more joy.

Yes, listen. Really listen to our Savior, not ourselves.

Then it gets exciting.

PRAYER: I may come to worship stained, sullen or sorrow filled. But Lord, silence me so that I can hear You, not me. Amen.