Acts 1:17 …he was one of our number an

Acts 1:17

…he was one of our number and shared in this ministry.”

Have you ever lost a friend?
Not through death though it does feel like a bereavement.
A friend who journeyed with you.
One who shared the ministry with you.
You faced challenges and celebrated successes together.
Praying together, pondering God together, dreaming, longing for what is in the future.
Then that friend walked away.
Have you ever had that experience?
If you have then you understand this verse.
2 becomes 1 or in this case 12 becomes 11.
The 12 represented the 12 tribes of Israel.
Now there is a lost tribe.
It is an experience of woeful emptiness.
Wondering if all that you shared was worth nothing to the person who walked away.
What you had is torn up and made nothing, it will never have life again.
There can be loneliness long after.
What you are reading this morning is telling you that these are ancient experiences certainly as far back as 2000 years ago but since the beginning of time actually.
And yet even in this verse I see hope not despair if you look again….
“our number” “this ministry”
Whether you were a 2 become 1 or a 12 become 11, it was not just your number, it was ‘our’ meaning they were part of that and by walking away they too have suffered the loss of what you once had. You are not only the victim and you can and will move forward. That person did not walk away from you alone but from what you were part of and who put that number together? it was God. The person walked away from what God had arranged. You are still you!
Secondly, it was again a ministry God put together. It was not yours, you don’t own it. The disappointment is real but you didn’t create what the person walked from. It belongs to HIM!
I hope that brings some comfort.