Reading: Matthew 1:18-25, Acts 1:12-26, Psalm 2, Genesis 3-4

Recall:
Matthew 1:23: "Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel," which means, "God is with us."

Acts 1:13-14: When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.

Reflect:
"God is with us." I never tire of hearing that concept. Jesus is "God is with us." By learning and experiencing everything I can about Jesus, I learn what it means to be in relationship to God.

At the very beginning of the church, already the women were being relegated to the sidelines, at least in the description of the event. They went unnamed, except Mary. But they were THERE. And they all were praying, devoting themselves to prayer. If we look to Acts as a primer on church life, I guess a foundational aspect must be prayer. Before the preaching started, before the crowds came, before the church grew, there was prayer.

Respond:
Forgive me God for being so quick to ignore my prayer life. I have the promise that you are with me through your spirit, yet I often neglect the opportunity to spend time with you.

I will make prayer a part of every day. I will make prayer a vital element of our church and its ministry by teaching and championing it and making space for it in everything that we do.