On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. – Acts 14:27

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 22, 2017): Acts 14

Christmas. It won’t be long now until we hear reports of where Santa and his sleigh have been spotted across the world. NORAD will track the movements of the Jolly Old Elf as he makes his way to homes all over the planet, rewarding those on his good list, and apparently leaving coal for those on his naughty list. (I have to admit, I was far from a perfect kid growing up, I seemed to tend to rebel against everything, and not once did Santa leave me coal for my stocking; so he must be pretty tolerant. Of course, maybe this is the year.)

Our Christmas traditions today are a far cry from the original events that we are trying celebrate. On that night, it was just the angels singing to some shepherds. The Magi with the gifts didn’t show up until much later; they never did make it to the manger, no matter what the story is that our Christmas Carols might try to tell. The church and altar on that night were found in a stable in Bethlehem, the Town of David. At that moment, there was only one church. For that Christmas Service, the only ones who showed up were Mary and Joseph, some animals, and the aforementioned shepherds. No one else came. I am not even sure that any hymns or carols were sung. They just came and quietly looked at the babe who would save the world.

Decades later, things had drastically changed. Paul, once known as a persecutor of this church that honored the child of the manger, was just finishing what has become known as his First Missionary Journey. Paul and Barnabas had traveled through the area of the North East Mediterranean bringing the news of this Child of the Manger. And they had planted churches. They would plant more. But for now, they called the church at Antioch together to report all that had been accomplished in the name of Jesus.

The original Greek of this passage hints at something that we sometimes miss. The word translated as “reported,” or “rehearsed” in the King James Version, ἀναγγέλλω [anaggellō], is the imperfect form of the verb. What that might indicate is that Paul and Barnabas may have gone around the area repeating the report of their activity to various groups in the area. But the word translated as “church,” ἐκκλησία [ekklēsia], is singular. There may have been many gatherings, but there was only one church.

It is still a truth that we should hold tightly. At that first Christmas, there was only one baby and one stable and one manger that represented the beginning of the Christian faith. In Paul’s Antioch, the gatherings may have multiplied, but there was still only one church. Today, even with our multitude of buildings, gatherings, and denominations, there is remains just one church. The church that grew out of the manger in Bethlehem. And we again come to honor the Babe of the Manger.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Acts 15