Acts 6 shows how differences and disputes were resolved in the church’s early days. The Hellenist (converts whose language was Greek), complained that their widows were not getting a fair share of the church’s social services. The apostles’ solution to the problem shows how changes of practice are not only possible but necessary for the health of the church. The solution shows two important dimensions of church life: prayer and service; and that living our Christian vocation requires a balance between the two. Each of us is personally called to prayer, to a dia
logue of worship with God; and we are also called to
service. No matter what we do in life, our work affects others in some way. We should be of service to our neighbors; and provided we have an attitude of respect, no task we do is a menial task.
Prayer and preaching the word was of primary im
portance to the apostles; but service to the widows
and the needy in the community was also vital, so
they appointed seven trusted men to attend to it, and
initiated them by an evocative ceremony. As a result,
the disciples in Jerusalem increased in numbers.. We
may wonder how this kind of growth in the church
could be revived in our day. Is the word of the Lord
still spreading or the number of disciples increasing?
In St Peter’s letter, the church is imagined as a spiritu
al temple, with ourselves as living stones making up a
living house of God. When we say the ‘thy kingdom
come.’ This implies taking some responsibility for
spreading the word and doing something to build up
the church? We can work for God’s kingdom by our
daily conduct and attitudes.




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