REFLECT: Priscilla and Aquila…be sure to read their names with a thick Italian accent. In Acts 18-19, we meet what is undoubtedly one of the most memorable power couples in the Bible. I know this because when I was a young Christian ministries student searching for a model of a strong couple in ministry together, people would always point to this Italian Jewish dynamic duo. They would point out how the order in which people were named in the first century was a sign of prominence and social status. They would note that while Luke gives Aquila rightful first-place initially in Acts 18:2-3 when he introduces them, every time thereafter Priscilla’s name is listed first. Because you know…behind every good man… 

Advocating for women aside, what I’m continually struck by as I read these verses is how even the Great Apostle Paul needed friends. He needed co-workers. He needed help in accomplishing the work God had given him to do. As gifted as Paul was, he couldn’t do the work alone. There was too much to do. And perhaps more importantly, God’s design from the beginning had been to create a community of Jesus-followers, who together, in how they lived, would reflect the ways of God.

RESPOND: I don’t know about you, but I’m grateful we aren’t meant to live this life of faith alone. We’re supported by, buoyed by others. We share in the work together to make Christ known. And that is a great joy, and a great relief. When you think about what God has called you to do, who has He given you as a support? Who can you rely on to share your load or stand up for you in an important moment, or simply offer encouragement to you? This Thanksgiving week, as we take a moment to consider what we are grateful for, how might you let those co-workers, friends, or supports know how grateful you are for them? And how can their presence embolden you to live a life more faithful to Christ? I am reminded of Hebrews 12:1, Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  If I listen carefully, I’m pretty sure I hear a pair of thick Italian voices cheering me on.

READ: Acts 18:1-3; 18, 26; Romans 16:3-4
1After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them…18Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sisters and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila… 26He [Apollos] began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately…3Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. 4They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.