Acts 1:12-26

“All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers” (v14).  The twelve apostles (now eleven) were not descendants of priests or heads of important families; instead, they were people who had been walking with Jesus (v21).  In the upper room, they prayed side by side with devout women, and this mixed group was the nucleus of the Church about to be born.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (v8).  The Church is not a network of related families or a cultural tradition; it is a living Body, the gathering of all who love Jesus and live by the Spirit.