Apollos talks to the moon and back

Dan Harper November 24, 2024 3 2

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Acts 18: 24 (NRSVA)

24 Now there came to Ephesus a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria. He was an eloquent man, well-versed in the scriptures.

A bedtime staple for many toddlers, and maybe beyond, is to talk about ‘loving to the moon and back’. And after a long difficult day of child wrangling, the peace and quiet of a loving hug is what you want, not a child talking to the moon and back. 

It could be argued that being able to talk your way to the moon and back is a very useful life skill, as when you talk yourself into trouble, you should be able to talk your way out of it.

Whilst the reading does not directly tell us that Apollos talked himself into trouble, the suggestion is that as a man of great learning and a thorough knowledge of the holy texts this likely will have been the case.I can picture him sitting in the synagogues of Alexandria and Ephesus talking away. I see him discussing, and maybe arguing, the finer points of the Day of the Lord in the Prophet Malachi, or the symbolism of the animals named as entering the ark in the flood narrative, or any other part of the Jewish holy texts.

At this time academic thought wasn’t moved forward through writing papers, but through talking, discussing, and almost certainly arguing. Full, frank, friendly, and fierce discussion about things that matter. Whilst the finer points of theological discourse might not have a direct effect on our day to day lives now, they are important and it is important that they are properly discussed by those who have read and studied and talked about them to the moon and back. 

It is unlikely that your, or my, day ahead will involve working through questions of textual evidence for important scriptural ideas, but each day does have important moments. And it is how we talk and engage in those moments as people trying to emulate Christ that matters. Maybe even talking about Christ.

You and I have been given different gifts of communication, and we are to use those gifts. Not all of us are gifted academics, like Apollos, but that doesn’t mean we can’t communicate God’s grace. You might be a skilled songwriter, so write songs of God love. You might delight in late conversations about things that matter, do that knowing your faith matters. You might find it hard to put things into words but can paint, so take your artistic gift and use it to speak of God’s love. 

Let us pray:

God, help me to speak of you in ways that are authentically me. Sharing your grace to the moon and back.   

Amen