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Read Acts 2:1-21. As soon as the disciples were anointed by the Holy Spirit, they could no longer keep to themselves in the upper room. They went out into the crowded city and shared the Good News with people from near and far in their own, native languages. One thing this tells us is that there are no prerequisites for receiving the Gospel. No one had to learn Hebrew or Aramaic before they were deemed worthy of the message of redemption through God’s grace.

What conscious or subconscious prerequisites do you place upon people before you are willing to share your story with them or offer care to them or find compassion for them? What “languages” do you need to learn to better share the Good News of Jesus Christ? Is it the language of younger or older generations, the language of hope for someone who feels hopeless, the language of assurance for someone who is anxious or fearful, the language of presence for someone who feels lonely or isolated, the language of silence for someone who longs to be heard?

In prayer, open yourself to the breath of God, allowing the Spirit to infuse you with a determination to see the image of God in every person, every creature, every part of creation.

Read Psalm 104. This psalm is a song of praise for God’s generosity in providing for all of creation. It also points to the interconnectedness and balance of the created order. Sun and rain and wind work together to provide sustenance for every living thing. People sleep while lions hunt and lions sleep while people work. The song paints a picture of the cycle of life and the breath of God as part of that cycle. Even death gives birth to renewal. And then we get to vs. 35. “Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more.” This may sound like a call for God to punish the psalmist’s perceived enemies. I wonder if, instead, it is a declaration that there is no place for sin or wickedness in the world when it is operating as God intended it to.

How can you tell when you are functioning according to God’s intention in terms of your relationships, your mental or physical health, your work, or your practice of faith? Is there now, or has there ever been a time in your life, a sense of balance? What practices help you to restore that balance and recognize the interconnectedness of the various parts of your life?

Today, spend some time in silence, focusing on the gift of breath, and on the sights, scents, sounds, and sensations around you.

Read 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13. If ever there was a time to absorb this passage, it is now. Paul proposes that unity in diversity is central to the common life of Christian community. Think of someone with whom you struggle. It may be someone whose perspective on a particular issue conflicts with yours. It may be someone who has harmed you or someone you love. It may be someone you have never met or someone you know very well.

If we are all, indeed, part of one body, what is it that connects you with this person? What function might this person have in the body? What function might you have in the body? What gifts do each of you offer? How can we better hold our values and principals in tension with Christian love and unity?

In prayer, thank God for the gift of diversity that gives us so many opportunities to learn from one another.

Read John 7:37-39. As followers of Jesus, we often think about coming to him to receive the living waters. We long to receive this gift that cleanses, refreshes, and quenches our thirst. “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me,” Jesus says. It is an open invitation to return as often as we need. It is a life-giving spring that never runs dry.

We pay less attention to the end of vs. 38, where we read, “Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.” This line reminds us that the living water of Jesus is not meant to flow into us, where we can bottle it up for ourselves. Instead, it is meant to flow through us and into the world, where others can partake of the peace, the love, the joy, and the hope that is found in Jesus. It is meant to be shared.

In what areas of your life do you feel thirsty? What would it look like to come to the living waters, to have the living waters flow both into and through you? Who, in your life, might be thirsting for a word of hope, for a sense of peace, or for an experience of joy?

Today, in prayer, commit yourself to being a channel through which the living waters might flow.