Lutheran Seminary's God Pause "Moved by the Promise" Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Wednesday, 7 January 2015 - Scripture: Acts 19:1-7

Lutheran Seminary's God Pause "Moved by the Promise" Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Wednesday, 7 January 2015 - Scripture: Acts 19:1-2 Now, it happened that while Apollos was away in Corinth, Paul made his way down through the mountains, came to Ephesus, and happened on some disciples there. The first thing he said was, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? Did you take God into your mind only, or did you also embrace him with your heart? Did he get inside you?”
“We’ve never even heard of that—a Holy Spirit? God within us?”
3 “How were you baptized, then?” asked Paul.
“In John’s baptism.”
4 “That explains it,” said Paul. “John preached a baptism of radical life-change so that people would be ready to receive the One coming after him, who turned out to be Jesus. If you’ve been baptized in John’s baptism, you’re ready now for the real thing, for Jesus.”
5-7 And they were. As soon as they heard of it, they were baptized in the name of the Master Jesus. Paul put his hands on their heads and the Holy Spirit entered them. From that moment on, they were praising God in tongues and talking about God’s actions. Altogether there were about twelve people there that day.[The Message]
Often scripture is used to argue both for and against infant baptism. While our scripture reading today isn't often one of the passages cited, interestingly, it seems to say that sometimes even adult disciples do not fully understand entirely what baptism is about. Paul asks these disciples, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?" They replied, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." I love that their answer is so human and so honestly real. They don't even pretend to understand the mysteries of God.
And yet God can and does act in their lives. Just because we don't totally understand something does not mean that God's hands are tied. It is the same with us. God can and does act in us and through us. We don't have to totally understand the ways of God to be instruments of God. Today may you allow yourself to be utilized by God.
God of mystery, thank you for working in and through us even when we don't always understand your ways. Amen.
Julie M. Blum
Lead Pastor, Maple Leaf Lutheran Church
Seattle, Wash. 
Master of Divinity , 1998
Acts 19:1 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the interior regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples.
2 He said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?" They replied, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."
3 Then he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" They answered, "Into John's baptism."
4 Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus."
5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied—
7 altogether there were about twelve of them.[The Revised Standard Version]
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