Acts 10:44-48 (NRSV)
Read Acts 10:44-48 on biblegateway.com
Verse 44While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. Verse 45The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, Verse 46for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said, Verse 47"Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" Verse 48So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.
Devotion
Hector Tobar's account of the 2010 Chilean mine disaster, "Deep, Down, Dark," recounts how 33 men were trapped for sixty-nine days beneath 2000 feet of rock. By their third day, angry at mine owners, longing for home, facing a hopeless plight, Sepulveda, the front-loader operator, yells out, "I want to pray." He is not alone. He's a Jehovah's Witness; most of them are Catholic; but they turn to Henriquez, a devout Evangelical, to lead them. He drops to his knees. The men, humbled, do likewise. Henriquez simply prays, "We aren't the best men, but, Lord, have pity on us." One man remembers his excessive drinking. Another his harsh words to his daughter. "Consider this moment of difficulty of ours. We are sinners and we need you. We want you to make us stronger and help us in this hour of need ... Please, Lord, take charge of this." These men of different faiths stood ready to be made right with God and with one another.
Prayer
Dear Lord, from the frailty of our own lives, we come to you seeking reconciliation in this fractured world of ours—reconciliation with you and with one another. Amen.