Good News for All: Acts 13:42-47

Acts 13:42-47

As Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people urged them to speak about these things again the next sabbath. When the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.

The next sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy; and blaspheming, they contradicted what was spoken by Paul. Then both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you. Since you reject it and judge yourselves to be unworthy of eternal life, we are now turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,

‘I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles,

    so that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

After the proconsul believes, Paul begins to preach and his ministry really begins to take off.

Exciting stuff. Paul, beginning with his tribe, wins many of them over. Jewish converts are the first Christians.

But then something happens.

The circle widens.

And "the other" is welcomed as well.

Can you think of a time in your life when good news was spread beyond the usual places and resentment stored up among the people who thought the good news was only for them?

Or a time in history?

Or in politics?

Or even in religion?

It didn't take long for the good news that seemed to be for the Jewish people to be spread. And while it seems perhaps that Paul's anger at the jealousy of these Jewish Christians is the trigger for this, Paul reminds us that all along God's intent is that the good news is not one group's to hold on to.

It is good news for everyone.

Lord, you have called me to be a light to your good news. Let me share that light with everyone I meet. Amen.

Blind: Acts 13:5-11

Acts 13:5-12

When (Barnabas and Saul) arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John also to assist them. When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they met a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet, named Bar-Jesus. He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear the word of God. But the magician Elymas (for that is the translation of his name) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? And now listen—the hand of the Lord is against you, and you will be blind for a while, unable to see the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he went about groping for someone to lead him by the hand. When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.

Paul knows a little something about being blind, so it strikes me as perhaps not surprising that his first act of power as an Apostle of Christ is to strike a false-prophet blind.

And thereby showing how blind the man was to begin with!

This text is so rich with imagery. And sight (or the lack thereof) imagery is, at least for me, some of the richest there is in the New Testament.

This false prophet is stuck blind enough that he can't see the sun...because he can't see the Son!

Because he is trying to keep others from seeing the Son.

And so Paul, a former blind man himself, uses what he knows of blindness to help the Son be seen.

And notice that he tells the false prophet that his blindness is only for a while.

Grace still abounds.

If you are like me, blindness strikes you from time to time. Sometimes we can't - or won't - see what is right in front of us.

And sometimes our blindness helps others to have their eyes opened.

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord, that I may see you more clearly. Amen 

Discernment: Acts 13:1-4

Acts 13:1-4

Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the ruler, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia; and from there they sailed to Cyprus.

And thus begins Paul's travels...

But there's something else in this passage that I've never noticed before and it intrigues me and perplexes me.

It is the line: "the Holy Spirit said."

What?

I'm used to see "The Lord said," or "Jesus said."

I'm used to seeing the Holy Spirit as the silent part of the Trinity.

As wind or breath that flows as it will.

As tongues fire lighting the heads at Pentecost aflame.

As a dove.

But speaking?

Has the Holy Spirit spoken to you?

I can't think of any other place in the New Testament where I've seen this. (so if you have, please let me know in the comments)!

And that inevitably leads to: how do you know if the Holy Spirit speaks to you?

Which leads to how do you discern God's desires or will or hope for you?

These are rhetorical questions for me. I know lots of Christians might have immediate answers to them. But I have never had a place where I felt the Holy Spirit clearly, plainly and simply spoke to me and told me what to do.

Discerning is almost always more complicated than that.

Sometimes, perhaps God's will is easy to figure out. We do have those moments in our lives where right and wrong are clearly defined. Paul seemed to in this story. 

However, while I'm glad that the Holy Spirit was clear about Paul's path, in my experience when I find my own path to be that clear, it usually means I'm not taking God's action in my life seriously enough.

Does the Holy Spirit speak?

Maybe discernment causes us to train ourselves to listen to the Spirit's words coming out of mouths that are near and dear to us. 

Where are the places in your life where God is calling you to discern a way forward? And who are the voices that the Spirit is choosing to speak through to show you that way?

Lord, help me to discern the voices you have sent to speak your will and your love to me. Amen.

Thrown out of Whack: Acts 12:1-5

Acts 12:1-5

About that time King Herod laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church. He had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword. After he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. (This was during the festival of Unleavened Bread.) When he had seized him, he put him in prison and handed him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover. While Peter was kept in prison, the church prayed fervently to God for him.

In the midst of the birth of a church...

Death.

Suffering.

Sometimes it seems as if things are finally going your way...

The stars are aligned.

The Spirit is moving.

And then tragedy strikes.

Everything is thrown out of whack.

One of your leaders is killed. Another put in prison.

How do you recover?

On a smaller scale isn't this what happens in our churches everyday? In our homes everyday? In our lives everyday?

No path is without it's stumbles. And sometimes those stumbles seem insurmountable. When I was in Seminary, almost finished, on a path I thought was the one I was supposed to be on, I found out I was pregnant at an advanced age. And then I had a miscarriage.

It seemed to unfair. 

Wasn't I doing what God called me to do? 

Wasn't God's work supposed to unfold smoothly?

Apparently not.

Everything was thrown out of whack.

God's journey with God's people has been happening for thousands of years. And along the way, even the best of plans were often thwarted.

And yet we recover. We go on. God picks us up again and we begin again.

And again.

Whatever stumbles have tripped you up. Wait. Pray. Rest. Hope.

And see what God has in store next!

Lord, remind me that life unfolds on your timetable, not mine! Amen

The Way: Acts 11:19-30

Acts 11:19-30

Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that took place over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, and they spoke the word to no one except Jews. But among them were some men of Cyprus and Cyrene who, on coming to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists also, proclaiming the Lord Jesus. The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number became believers and turned to the Lord. News of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast devotion; for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were brought to the Lord. Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for an entire year they met with the church and taught a great many people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called “Christians.”

At that time prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them named Agabus stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine over all the world; and this took place during the reign of Claudius. The disciples determined that according to their ability, each would send relief to the believers living in Judea; this they did, sending it to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.

Now that the idea of what God's church is like and who is part of it has been determined in Acts, we go about seeing how it begins to spread and how it begins to work.

And here also we have the first use of the term "Christian."

Before that, Jesus' followers we called "People of the Way." (I admit that sometimes I wish we'd kept that name. It reminds us I think of the faith journey we are all part of, as well as Christ being the "way" the truth, and the life. Again, God wanting life for the world.)

It seems an afterthought sort of that we learn of the title "Christian," but everything else here seems quite intentional.

Leaders emerged: Saul (Paul), Barnabas.

Relief was given to those who were suffering.

And God's word continued to spread.

In the past 2,000 years we've been trying to make a formula out of this. Trying to keep the work going; keep providing relief; keep making leaders; keep spreading God's word.

Keeping looking for the "way."

We are still people for the way, and admittedly, sometimes that way doesn't seen clear.

Sometimes it seems the way is keep us more focused than the word itself.

But God has the way. God keeps the way before us always, even when we feel like we can't see it clearly in front of us.

Lord, help me to find the way before me. Amen.

Life: Acts 11:17-18

Acts 11:17-18

(Peter said) "If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?” When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, “Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”

What else is God about if not life and love?

And how are life or love complete if not shared beyond our ability to count? 

Way back in Genesis, God said to Abram about the blessing being given to him: "In you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

The life that God promised Abram was not meant for Abram and his family alone. Instead, God was making Abram a vehicle for blessing and life for the entire world.

And somewhere along the way, Abram's descendants seemed to forget that.

And sometimes I forget that.

We can look at the blessings in our life, but when we forget that those blessings aren't meant for us alone, we miss the bigger story. God's plan for the world is one of blessing for everyone.

Blessings to be shared.

God's plan for the world is life.

Those early Jewish Christians were surprised as to who that life was being offered. It wasn't who they expected.

And those blessings are still meant to be shared beyond our immediate view. Still meant to be shared beyond ourselves, our families, our congregations, our nation.

Shared so that all may know the richness of life.

Lord, bless me to be a blessing of life to the world. Amen.

Tribe: Acts 11:1-3

Acts 11:1-3

Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, saying, “Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?”

We are just plain tribal people.

We might not wear loincloths and hunt and gather anymore.

But we still tend to know who "our people" are.

It was true of the people in the Hebrew scriptures; true of the early church of Peter; and true today.

Most of the news each day bears that out.

We've got names for our tribes: Lutheran, Baptist, Catholic.

Republican. Democrat.

Communist. Socialist.

Liberal. Tea-Partier.

Blue Collar.

White Collar.

African American. Caucasian American. Asian American. Hispanic American.

American.

Non-American.

1 percenter.

99 percenter.

Straight.

Gay.

Transgender.

Female. Male.

Non-binary.

Gentile. Jew. 

Muslim.

Often we are part of more than one tribe. We include our family tribe.

Our congregational tribe.

Our school tribe.

Our business tribe.

The thinking permeates almost every part of our culture.

And has done so from day one practically.

The early Jewish Christians were threatened by Peter's inclusion of Gentiles.

This year, the state of Mississippi passed a "Religious Freedom" bill for those threatened by homosexuality.

A certain political candidate promise to legally exclude Muslims from entering the American tribe.

Daily I realize that by living where I do, I exclude interactions with all manner of folks different from myself.

It's part of my life.

But Peter learned better. He learned from a Lord who constantly reached out beyond his tribe. 

Who constantly reached out to the other.

Who saw the other as "us."

Lord, help me daily to see beyond the walls of my own tribe to love the other as myself. Amen.

Astounded: Acts 10:44-48

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.

I think it is easy with these last verses of chapter 10, to get caught up in how or who the Holy Spirit does or does not work or touch. Or how baptism does or doesn't work. I think we could piece this apart to look for theology and dogma regarding baptism and faith.

Or, like the believers who came with Peter, we could be astounded.

Astounded that God doesn't do things the way we'd necessarily do them.

The way we'd expect them.

The way even sometimes that we WANT them.

Does God astound you?

Do you wonder in amazement at each day?

At each breath?

At the very life that bubbles up from you?

Are you astounded when enemies make peace?

When tragedy leads to hope? 

When death brings about life?

The Holy Spirit enlivens just like your very breath enlivens you.

It enlivens even those you might not even notice or think about.

Or even those you might not like.

This past week there were lots of places after the Orlando shooting where enemies made peace. And when hope came from tragedy. When death brought about new life.

And that is astounding.

It's easy to forget that sometimes when the news seems consistently hopeless. 

But don't forget to be astounded every day by a Spirit who is life itself.

Holy Spirit, blow your life into me that I may be astounded daily by your works! Amen.

Acts 10:23-34

So Peter invited (Cornelius' men) in and gave them lodging.

The next day he got up and went with them, and some of the believers from Joppa accompanied him. The following day they came to Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. On Peter’s arrival Cornelius met him, and falling at his feet, worshiped him. But Peter made him get up, saying, “Stand up; I am only a mortal.” And as he talked with him, he went in and found that many had assembled; and he said to them, “You yourselves know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or to visit a Gentile; but God has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without objection. Now may I ask why you sent for me?”

Cornelius replied, “Four days ago at this very hour, at three o’clock, I was praying in my house when suddenly a man in dazzling clothes stood before me. He said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon, who is called Peter; he is staying in the home of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ Therefore I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. So now all of us are here in the presence of God to listen to all that the Lord has commanded you to say.”

Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality.

Even the greatest among us has something to learn.

Cornelius would have been considered great among his tribe. A leader, a centurion. Not a man to be trifled with.

Peter was great among Jesus' followers. A leader as well.

Two men, two very different backgrounds.

Two men, two very different religions.

Two men from very different parts the world.

Brought together by one God.

By one Spririt.

Teaching each other.

Learning from each other.

Expanding their views of the world with each other.

In our communities, we also come together from different backgrounds. Sometimes from different beliefs. Sometimes from very different tribes.

And we can choose to learn from each other.

Or we can choose to stay where we are in our beliefs and our practices.

Which way are we being called to?

Lord let your Spirit teach me and open my heart and mind to ideas and views that will bring me closer to you and to your people. Amen.

Acts 10:9-15

About noon the next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat; and while it was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw the heaven opened and something like a large sheet coming down, being lowered to the ground by its four corners. In it were all kinds of four-footed creatures and reptiles and birds of the air. Then he heard a voice saying, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is profane or unclean.” The voice said to him again, a second time, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” 

What things are you holding onto that you need to let go of?

Traditions are tricky. They are usually started for the best of reasons. Sometimes those reasons are even reasons that came directly from God and were important for the survival and vitality of God's people.

But does that mean they stay around forever?

There were good reasons the Hebrew people were told not to eat certain foods as they left Egypt and began their journey to the promised land. The Torah had many laws and instructions for the Hebrews that were vital for their survival.

And those laws came from God.

But as we began our journey as early Christians, those laws no longer had the same urgency.

Isn't it often easy and tempting to hold on to things even when they are no longer urgent or necessary?

We are, I believe, still holding onto traditions (that we have sometimes labeled "laws") beyond their expiration date. 

It's hard deciding which those are. It's hard doing the work required to find out.

Yet I believe that is exactly what the Holy Spirit enables us to do.

What are things we are holding onto that we need to let go of?

Lord of life, teach us to let go that which is holding us back from seeing the new life your Holy Spirit is bringing into this world. Amen.

Acts 10:1-8

In Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian Cohort, as it was called. He was a devout man who feared God with all his household; he gave alms generously to the people and prayed constantly to God. One afternoon at about three o’clock he had a vision in which he clearly saw an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius.” He stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” He answered, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa for a certain Simon who is called Peter; he is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the seaside.” When the angel who spoke to him had left, he called two of his slaves and a devout soldier from the ranks of those who served him, and after telling them everything, he sent them to Joppa.

Acts 10 is important.

It's important because, although Cornelius isn't the first Gentile to become part of the people of the Way (as early Christians were called), he is the one that will lead Peter to a new way of seeing Jesus' followers.

Because up until now Peter has been fairly traditional in how he thinks Jesus' followers should be brought into the fold.

Up until now, Peter's been all about the insiders.

And quite suspicious of the outsiders.

But we already know that the time for the outsiders is coming. We know because right before these little vignettes about Peter - and coming again soon - is the story of Paul.

Who was the apostles to the outsiders.

We've been pitting outsiders against insiders from the very beginning. And even one of the biggest names in the church was guilty of wanting to keep things "as we've always done them," by keeping the Christian movement as a Jewish movement.

But revolution was coming then. Coming from an ultimate outsider: a Roman centurion. One who was part of a legion from Italy itself.

Not a nice Jewish boy from Jerusalem.

And even before we learn anything about Peter's feelings about this Gentile, we learn about the Gentile himself. That he is devout and generous. He is a worshiper of God.

How did that happen?

That's the question maybe that we get stuck on when it comes to insiders and outsiders. How is it, we often are faced with, that people who are outside our tribe are actually an awful lot like us?

There are a lot of outsiders today who are devout and generous just like Cornelius, and yet not part of our tribe. And I think that just maybe we are again being called to revolutionary way of seeing them.

And opening our doors and our hearts to them.

Who might they be?

Lord, let me see no longer insiders and outsiders, but instead simply your children. And help me to recognize the mercy that is needed by us all. Amen.