We continue to look at how God calls us to be deeper in God
and be transformed throughout the Easter season, and beyond. We’ve seen that our
past is integral to who we are at this moment, and important to becoming the
beloved child of God we are. God uses
every part of our story to love us into more and more perfect union. We may
think that we have nothing of use, or that our life has been too ‘terrible’ or
‘bad’ to be redeemed. That is not the story of Easter. All creation is
resurrected in God’s love.
In the readings for this Sunday, we discover Peter defending
himself to the other leaders after a visit to the Roman centurion at Caesarea.
Talk about being out of your comfort zone! Peter, as a good and law-abiding Jew,
was at first appalled at the idea presented in his vision in Joppa. ”There was something like a large sheet
coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close
to me. As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey,
reptiles, and birds of the air. I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up,
Peter; kill and eat.’ But I replied, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or
unclean has ever entered my mouth.’” (Acts 11:5-8) God responds “What God has made clean, you must not call
profane.” (Acts 11:9)
Peter relates that as he is still figuring out what this
vision means, “At that very moment three
men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house.”(Acts 11:11) They have been sent by Cornelius, a
Roman and a centurion, living in Caesarea. Cornelius, as both a Roman and a
soldier, would have been the last person Peter would willingly have visited.
However, “the Spirit told me to go with
them and not to make a distinction between them and us.” (Acts 11:12)
Peter realizes the vision isn’t about animals to eat. It is
about people. Perhaps he remembered Jesus’ long ago call when he promised, ‘you
shall fish for people.’ (Matthew 4:19) He goes with the visitors. Caesarea is
about 30 miles north of Joppa on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, so it was
not just a quick trip around the corner.
Peter’s story was changed at that moment. His story took a
new direction. God’s story of Love for all creation met Peter’s preconceived
ideas about who was in and who was out of God’s family. The story of Cornelius
and his household changed.
The vision of early church’s mission expanded when Peter
explained the vision and visit to the leaders in Jerusalem. He states, “If then God gave [the Gentiles] the same
gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that
I could hinder God?” (Acts 11:17) His testimony convinces the other leaders
who “were silenced. And they praised God,
saying, ‘Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to
life.’” (Acts 11:18)
As the number of those following ‘the Way’ grows, Jewish and
Gentile followers sprout up in “Phoenicia,
Cyprus, and Antioch…a great number became believers and turned to the Lord.” (Acts
11:19) Barnabas goes “to Tarsus to look
for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch…and it was in
Antioch that the disciples were first called ‘Christians’.” (Acts 11:25-26)
Paul and Barnabas have become involved in a new chapter of God’s story of love
and inclusion.
Rather than creating
more divisions, God seeks to bring unity to all creation. Psalm 148 calls
for every part of creation to praise God. The concluding stanzas exclaim, “Let them praise the Name of the Lord, for
his Name only is exalted, his splendor is over earth and heaven. He has raised
up strength for his people and praise for all his loyal servants, the children
of Israel, a people who are near him.” (Psalm 148:13-14)
Last week we were reminded that “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all
tribes and peoples and languages” (Revelation 7:9) will form the Kingdom of
God. The reading from Revelation this week tells us God is creating “a new heaven and a new earth…[and] making
all things new.” (Revelation 21:1, 5) This mandala by Hildegard of Bingen
shows all of creation celebrating God.
As Easter people, we are part of that new creation. Our
story, the one we thought was entirely our own, is suddenly revealed as being
part of God’s total Story! That Story is
based very simply on Jesus’ words in the Gospel “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should
love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you
have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)
Love is the new mandate. Love for all. We don’t have to ‘do’
anything, except Love. God is love and
that is the new creation we are to live into. It may challenge our ideas
about what our story is and what part we play in the new creation. It’s easy to
overthink the details, when all we really need to do is accept God’s love and
be God’s love to those in our homes, work places, and elsewhere.
Where can my story be God’s story of love today?
What ‘new creation’ is God creating in my life?
Take time to read Psalm 148 and think about all of creation
praising God. How can I join into that chorus?
