@FirstChurchofJerusalem
Today's Early Church Wisdom
“I shall not hesitate also to put into ordered form for you, along with the interpretations, everything I learned carefully in the past from the elders and noted down carefully, for the truth of which I vouch. For unlike most people, I took no pleasure in those who told many different stories, but only in those who taught the truth. Nor did I take pleasure in those who reported their memory of someone else’s commandments, but only in those who reported their memory of the commandments given by the Lord to the faith and proceeding from the Truth itself. And if by chance anyone who had been in attendance on the elders arrived, I made enquiries about the words of the elders—what Andrew or Peter had said, or Philip or Thomas or James or John or Matthew or any other of the Lord’s disciples, and whatever Aristion and John the Elder, the Lord’s disciples, were saying. For I did not think that information from the books would profit me as much as information from a living and surviving voice.
~ Papias of Hierapolis (c. 60–130 AD) From the Preface to his lost ‘Expositions of the Sayings of the Lord’
This week's Psalm is Psalm 31 'My Rock, My Shield, My Song'

Stay Close!

Keep your eyes on Jesus

I remember once being on a mission to a foreign city. The country was unstable and under martial law. Armed soldiers stood on the streets. I needed to get to a particular location, but I didn't know the way. A taxi driver came to my aid. He said, "Follow me" and then drove off fast. I hit the gas and took off after him. We tore across the city. He cut things fine, just missing trams, just making the lights, just missing pedestrians. This meant that, following in his wake, I cut things even finer, but I knew that I had to stay close if I was to fulfil my mission. Jesus tells us exactly what this guy told me. Firstly, He says, "Follow Me," and then He says, "Abide in Me." He knows that we need to stay close if we are to complete our mission in life. Sometimes it'll be easy. We'll be strolling with Jesus, just as the two disciples walked with Him on the road to Emmaus. Other times it will be tough, sometimes very tough. But if we stay close, all will be well.