Eutychus!

Reflection: We don’t often hear the name Eutychus mentioned as we talk about the church and/or recount biblical stories.  But today we learn that he was a young man who was listening to the apostle Paul talk well into the night on the Sunday (i.e. the first day of week the day of the resurrection of Jesus).  Apparently the young man fell asleep (no Monster drinks to keep him awake!) and fell and hit the ground and died.  When Paul say this happen he put his body over the man and put his arms around him and then uttered, “Don’t be alarmed, he’s alive!” 

As we have said before the supernatural became natural in the book of Acts, as the power of God was released in the work of the apostles and gathered community on a regular basis. They were not surprised when extraordinary miracles happened and grew to expect to happen when there was a need they could not meet from human resource alone. 

As the church today tries to reclaim the spiritual potency of the early church, here in North America we would do well to look at other areas of the world where God’s kingdom is coming in great power.  Similar deeds are being reported in Africa where the missional church is reaching new believers at an astounding rate.  Just last night I was at a meeting where I learned that the Lutheran church in Tanzania has a goal to reach 30 million believers in 5 years.  Now that is a big vision for Kingdom movement! 

We often sent missionaries to Africa to reach the lost and unreached people groups there.  Now we are learning from them how to do mission work in North America.  Quite an irony don‘t you think?  Jesus told his followers that they would do greater things than He would do? I am sure that was quite shocking to them too, as they spent 3 years seeing the amazing work that Jesus did in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, who would be their comforter, counselor, the deposit in their hearts assuring them they were God’s sons and daughters.  The Holy Spirit would also empower them to do the things Jesus did!  The Holy Spirit is no less active today where He is welcomed, relied upon and called upon for ministry in Jesus’ name.  May we continue to do the Greater Things Jesus talked about, together in God’s power and might so the world may know Jesus is Lord! 

Psalm 21

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1 O Lord, the king rejoices in your strength.

    How great is his joy in the victories you give!

2 You have granted him the desire of his heart

    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah

3 You welcomed him with rich blessings

    and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.

4 He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—

    length of days, for ever and ever.

5 Through the victories you gave, his glory is great;

    you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.

6 Surely you have granted him eternal blessings

    and made him glad with the joy of your presence.

7 For the king trusts in the Lord;

    through the unfailing love of the Most High

    he will not be shaken.

8 Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies;

    your right hand will seize your foes.

9 At the time of your appearing

    you will make them like a fiery furnace.

In his wrath the Lord will swallow them up,

    and his fire will consume them.

10 You will destroy their descendants from the earth,

    their posterity from mankind.

11 Though they plot evil against you

    and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed;

12 for you will make them turn their backs

    when you aim at them with drawn bow.

13 Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength;

    we will sing and praise your might.

2 Chronicles 11:1-12:12

11 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mustered the house of Judah and Benjamin—a hundred and eighty thousand fighting men—to make war against Israel and to regain the kingdom for Rehoboam.

2 But this word of the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of God: 3 “Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah and to all the Israelites in Judah and Benjamin, 4 ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not go up to fight against your brothers. Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing.’” So they obeyed the words of the Lord and turned back from marching against Jeroboam.

Rehoboam Fortifies Judah

5 Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and built up towns for defense in Judah: 6 Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, 7 Beth Zur, Soco, Adullam, 8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, 9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, 10 Zorah, Aijalon and Hebron. These were fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin. 11 He strengthened their defenses and put commanders in them, with supplies of food, olive oil and wine. 12 He put shields and spears in all the cities, and made them very strong. So Judah and Benjamin were his.

13 The priests and Levites from all their districts throughout Israel sided with him. 14 The Levites even abandoned their pasturelands and property, and came to Judah and Jerusalem because Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them as priests of the Lord. 15 And he appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat and calf idols he had made. 16 Those from every tribe of Israel who set their hearts on seeking the Lord, the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to the Lord, the God of their fathers. 17 They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam son of Solomon three years, walking in the ways of David and Solomon during this time.

Rehoboam’s Family

18 Rehoboam married Mahalath, who was the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of Abihail, the daughter of Jesse’s son Eliab. 19 She bore him sons: Jeush, Shemariah and Zaham. 20 Then he married Maacah daughter of Absalom, who bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza and Shelomith. 21 Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than any of his other wives and concubines. In all, he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines, twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters. 22 Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah to be the chief prince among his brothers, in order to make him king. 23 He acted wisely, dispersing some of his sons throughout the districts of Judah and Benjamin, and to all the fortified cities. He gave them abundant provisions and took many wives for them.

Shishak Attacks Jerusalem

12 After Rehoboam’s position as king was established and he had become strong, he and all Israel with him abandoned the law of the Lord. 2 Because they had been unfaithful to the Lord, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam. 3 With twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen and the innumerable troops of Libyans, Sukkites and Cushites that came with him from Egypt, 4 he captured the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem. 5 Then the prophet Shemaiah came to Rehoboam and to the leaders of Judah who had assembled in Jerusalem for fear of Shishak, and he said to them, “This is what the Lord says, ‘You have abandoned me; therefore, I now abandon you to Shishak.’” 6 The leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The Lord is just.”

7 When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, this word of the Lord came to Shemaiah: “Since they have humbled themselves, I will not destroy them but will soon give them deliverance. My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak. 8 They will, however, become subject to him, so that they may learn the difference between serving me and serving the kings of other lands.”

9 When Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem, he carried off the treasures of the temple of the Lord and the treasures of the royal palace. He took everything, including the gold shields Solomon had made. 10 So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned these to the commanders of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal palace. 11 Whenever the king went to the Lord’s temple, the guards went with him, bearing the shields, and afterward they returned them to the guardroom. 12 Because Rehoboam humbled himself, the Lord’s anger turned from him, and he was not totally destroyed. Indeed, there was some good in Judah.

Acts 20:4-16

4 He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. 5 These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. 6 But we sailed from Philippi after the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.

Eutychus Raised From the Dead at Troas

7 On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. 9 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. 10 Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” 11 Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. 12 The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.

Paul’s Farewell to the Ephesian Elders

13 We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement because he was going there on foot. 14 When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. 15 The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Kios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus. 16 Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.

I will go in the strength of the Lord God; I will make mention of your righteousness, of yours only. Psalm 71:16 (NKJV)

Christ was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God. 2 Corinthians 13:4

With the power of your word, O God, you spoke the universe into being and raised Christ from the dead. Help us always to act with the knowledge that our strength comes from you. Amen.