St. Luke describes the beginnings of the Church something like a rock dropped into a pond. The ripples from larger and larger circles. The first ripple is the conflict between the Greek and Hebrew speakers found in Acts 7. Out of that experience new models of leadership develop. St. Luke calls them the “deacons.” The rest of the book of Acts shows how the ripples eventually extend to the known world. Our lesson from this — God uses everything. Even that which seems negative like the racial tensions in Jerusalem God uses to promote the growth of the Church. When we experience something negative we need to keep alert to how God is bringing about something new.
