Great Plains Daily Devotional for 1/13/2020

Acts 10:44-48 

While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said, “Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.

Recently, when watching “Bones” (Season 1, Episode 16, “The Woman in the Tunnel”), I was amazed by certain similarities between that story and the story in Acts 10. In Acts 10, the Lord speaks to Peter and teaches him to accept the invitation to visit a devout group of worshipers who are gathered at the home of a centurion named Cornelius. When Peter tells them about Jesus, these people worship God as led by the Holy Spirit. It then became Peter’s job to tell the story to the followers of Jesus back in Jerusalem and convince them to accept these people, in whom God was already working, as a part of the fellowship of believers.

In the TV series, the team from the Jeffersonian performs a similar function to bring acceptance to Harold, the mayor of “Mole Town.”

The story begins as three members of the Jeffersonian team are being lowered down a ventilation shaft to recover the remains of a woman found at the bottom. At the bottom, the team discovers that this person is not an old skeleton but belongs to someone who has recently died.

When the team looks up from their work, a dark man runs away at full speed into the darkness. “Bones” runs after him until the team catches up. Booth grabs the man roughly and begins to demand information from the man.  “Bones” insists the Booth relax and speak to this person with respect. Booth begins again and things go smoothly until “Bones” discovers bloody clothes and a video camera that had belonged to a woman who had recently disappeared among these tunnels among the possessions of this man. Harold is taken into custody.

With great difficulty, and many reminders to each other, the Jeffersonian team gains Harold’s trust. He then describes a blond he has seen beyond the perimeter of his community. His description of her was the crucial bit of information that solved the disappearance. 

Justice was done when the murderers were found. Harold was found to be trustworthy and returned in honor to his underground community, to the tune of a song containing this phrase; “Don’t hide, shine a little light. Give up on your pride.”

-- Elly Biederman
Certified Lay Speaker, Plattsmouth (Neb.) First UMC
ellybiederman@gmail.com
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Prayer for Reflection

Isaiah 42:1-9
Psalm 29
Acts 10:34-43
Matthew 3:13-17