Easter 7: Truth: Peter

 On this last Sunday of the Easter Season, we’re looking at Peter. He is such a relatable New Testament figure. In turns brashly bold and fearfully failing, he often looks before he leaps and speaks before he thinks—much like me.

In the Easter stories, we hear of him running to the tomb after the women’s report and finding it empty. Later he decides to return to Galilee to the familiar task of fishing. This is found in John 21:1-14. Seven of the disciples are at Lake Tiberias and decide to go fishing. However, they didn't catch a thing that night.

Morning brings an amazing surprise when they see a stranger on the shore who asks if they caught anything. He then suggests, Let your net down on the right side of your boat, and you will catch some fish. The resulting haul is so big they cannot get the net into the boat. The ‘favorite’ disciple realizes It's the Lord! Peter leaps into the water and paddles to shore leaving the others to drag in the net.

Jesus already has a meal prepared. After eating, Jesus has a somewhat odd conversation with Peter about ‘feeding sheep.’ In this way, Peter is forgiven and reconciled for his denial of Jesus after his arrest. Jesus ends by simply saying, Follow me!

Are you an impetuous, jump into the sea, follower or a more careful, drag the net to shore, type? God honors both and everything in between.

The Sunday Gospel (John 17:6-19) is part of Jesus final prayer with and for his disciples before his arrest. He is commending the disciples to God’s protection and power. He notes, all mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them…protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.

Jesus continues with a warning of the cost of discipleship—the cost of following. He states, the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world…As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.

Following Jesus, as Peter has already learned, is not easy. It can be way too easy to deny him than to acknowledge relationship to Christ. It can be tempting to try to save your reputation, or even your life, instead of standing up for God’s justice and truth. It can be far too easy to try and get God to do things the way we want, rather than wait for God’s timing and way.

Jesus even warns Peter of what will happen in the end. He tells his friend, when you are old, you will hold out your hands. Then others will wrap your belt around you and lead you where you don't want to go. Tradition says that Peter was crucified (upside down) in Rome, but the Biblical record doesn’t tell us anything concrete.

We know, from Acts, that the forgiven Peter became the leader of the followers in Jerusalem and preached a powerful sermon on the day of Pentecost (next week). We know he baptized the Roman centurion Cornelius and he is credited with a couple of letters to the early churches. His path was not easy, but his obedience can be an inspiration.

Like Peter, we are invited to “Follow.” That takes many forms. It can be church work or activism. It can be full of power or poverty, joy and grief. “Follow” is how we live out our daily lives, trying out best to love one another and honor God in each other.

Where will following Jesus lead you? The road may not be clear, so simply trust the One who knows the route. 

You are invited to follow the THY KINGDOM COME meditations on the Women’s Ministry Website through Pentecost.

Easter 5: Our Story Meets God's Story

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?

Easter 3: Call and Response

As we travel through the Easter season from now until Pentecost, I invite you to explore with me the adventure of discerning God’s call by looking at the Sunday lessons from the RCL (Revised Common Lectionary). Each of us in on the path of finding their way to being who God created us to be. It’s not so much about ‘doing’ the right thing, as becoming more and more in line with the One who formed us. As Jeremiah 1:5 notes, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.”

This Sunday we hear about the call of Saul, a Pharisee and persecutor of the early church. Jesus meets Saul on the road to Damascus and blinds him so he can really see. In the Gospel we hear the story of Jesus meeting the disciples by the Sea of Tiberius, and giving Peter the commission to ‘feed my sheep’.

Neither Saul nor Peter could have guessed that God had formed them to be leaders in a brand new religious ‘movement’. Before meeting Jesus, Peter would have told you he was a fisherman, like his father before him. Saul would have proudly announced (as he does in some of his letters, and in his testimony before the Sanhedrin in Acts 23) that he was a Pharisee, son of a Pharisee.

These are really just job descriptions, though. I could say that I am an administrator and organizer, but that is not necessarily who I am in God’s eyes. God formed Peter and Saul with Love and asked them to respond to that Love by telling the story of God’s Love. In fact, that is exactly what God wants from each of us. God simply wants us to respond to God’s Love and share that Love! Sounds simple, doesn’t it? To just love as we are loved. 

Sometimes it isn't so simple. Saul had to be struck blind and Peter had to be reconciled to Jesus before they could even begin to respond to the Love of God. Many of us have to go through dry and difficult times in order to respond fully to God's love.  

Being knocked off your donkey and losing your sight may not seem like very loving actions, but sometimes God has to get our attention before we can hear the call and respond. Saul doesn’t even recognize that he is talking to God. [Saul] “asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The reply came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.’” (Acts 9:5-6)

Saul is taken to Damascus and for three days he lies blind, being prepared by God. Then Ananias, a disciple in Damascus, is sent to Saul. He is rather hesitant, “But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.’ So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength. For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.’” (Acts 9:15-20)

Saul was anti-Jesus to begin with and Peter was awash in guilt after his denial of Jesus in the courtyard of the High Priest (Matthew 26:33-35, Mark 14:29-31, Luke 22:33-34, John 13:36-38). Having denied Jesus wouldn’t seem to make Peter a very good candidate for God to use, does it? Peter doesn't even seem very loving.

In the Sunday reading from John 21, Peter and some of the other disciples head back to Galilee after the Resurrection. After a night of fishing, they see someone on the seashore who asks about their catch and instructs them to try once more ‘on the right side’. Reminiscent of an earlier encounter with Jesus, (Luke 5:4-11) they catch a massive number of fish.

After breakfast, “Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ And he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.’” (John 21:15-17)

Like the three times Peter denies Jesus, three times he is commissioned to ‘feed my sheep’. Jesus asks Peter, ‘do you love me?’ Each time Peter responds that he does. In fact, he even gets a little frustrated after the third time. ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Despite his previous denials, and other impetuous actions, Peter is called to Love and care for those God loves. 

At my daughter’s home recently, I saw a lovely crocheted coverlet. It made me consider the way that we are formed and made and created, bit by bit. The crocheted piece didn’t start out as a lovely swirled pattern. It started as a strand of yarn and a pattern. Think of yourself as the yarn and God’s love as the pattern. Gradually, over time, the yarn begins to form something beautiful and recognizable. In the same way, over time, we are more and more fully formed into recognizable instruments of the Love of God. Peter and Saul had a lot of work to do before they were ready to be church leaders called to ‘love my sheep’. God has a lot of work to do in me before I am totally recognizable as a bearer of God’s love.  

In our day-to-day jobs, we are called to be the Love of God. How does that play out in my role as administrator or writer? How does it happen in a classroom or factory? How can you be God’s love in your particular daily grind? How can you see God’s love in those around you? 

Pentecost: Expectations

Last time I offered the suggestion that although the season of Pentecost is often called “Ordinary Time” it really isn’t ordinary at all. It is a time for growth and change in the natural world; and should be in our lives as well as we allow the Holy Spirit of Pentecost to invade our lives.

Laurie Brock, as noted last time, stated, “Comfort keeps us locked in the rooms of our own expectations.” I think that is an interesting comment. What does it mean to you?

For me, it is a reminder that I can want things to be a certain way, and that makes me resistant to change. It’s a normal human response. We like things to run smoothly and easily and don’t like to have a lot of turmoil in our lives; so we create a list of expectations of how life is going to be.

We might have the expectation that Christmas will be a fun, family time where everyone gets exactly what they want. That may or may not be the reality.

We could have the expectation that when we graduate we’ll find a perfect job and stay there for our entire career. More and more often, job change, is the norm.

We may have the expectation that we’ll meet the perfect person and live together in ‘good old-fashioned Leave it to Beaver’ style. Lives today are a little more complex than portrayed on TV.

We sometimes have the expectation that God will respond to our every prayer with a smooth-running life. God isn’t a fairy godmother to grant our every wish.

If all our carefully crafted expectations don’t create the comfortable serenity we desire, we can get discouraged and depressed. Yet we still live as though our expectations are going to happen. Every Christmas, we hope it will be better. Every relationship or job will be ‘the one’.

Where does God enter this equation of wanting to have a smooth, comfortable life that fulfils our own expectations of the perfect life? As we’ve seen in the lives of several men and women of God during the Easterseason, God is all about change and creating something new. God isn’t about maintaining the status quo or making us all comfy and cozy.

The wind of the Spirit of God blows through our expectations and brings about something much better. It’s not always obvious what God is doing in a situation, and it can be terribly uncomfortable. God may be bringing about healing in relationships by the interactions at holidays. God is helping us grow each time we have a new job or meet someone new. God doesn’t wave a magic wand and make everything smooth. God invites us to step out onto the waves of life and grow in our trust in God.

In the Gospels (Matthew 14:22-33) we hear about the disciples out in a boat on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus is not with them because he stayed behind to pray. When a storm comes up they are terrified and then they see Jesus walking on the water. He invites Peter to come to him on the waves.

“Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’” (Matthew 14:29-30) Peter found himself trapped by his own expectations based on previous experiences. He did not expect the water to support him. He was unable to see past his own expectations of what happens when you are in and on the water.

Jesus, “caught him.” Jesus catches each of us when we allow our expectations to trap us into thinking that something won’t change, or a situation couldn’t possibly work out. To Peter and to us Jesus says, “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

You’ll notice in the story in Matthew, “when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.” Once we are able to release our personal expectations and let God act, we very often discover that the gales of our fearfulness die down as well.

That is what God is always asking us to do. We are invited out of the comfort created by our own expectations. We are encouraged to let go of the fear that keeps us trapped in those expectations, simply because we don’t know what’s on the other side, or what might happen. We are invited to step out in faith and walk to and with Jesus in a great adventure.

What are your expectations of living as a Christian?

Are you ready to step out of the boat?

When the Day of Pentecost Had Come

Today you will probably hear this reading if you go to church. Stop for a few minutes later and consider how radical the message Peter preached was to the Jews in Jerusalem that morning. No wonder they thought he was drunk! Is your faith radical enough that people think you are out of your mind?

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? ⁹Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.’ All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ But others sneered and said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
 “In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
   and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
   and your old men shall dream dreams.
Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
   in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
     and they shall prophesy.
And I will show portents in the heaven above
   and signs on the earth below,
     blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
The sun shall be turned to darkness
   and the moon to blood,
     before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
²¹ Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth,^* a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know—this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power. For David says concerning him,
“I saw the Lord always before me,
   for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken;
 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
   moreover, my flesh will live in hope.
For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
   or let your Holy One experience corruption.
²You have made known to me the ways of life;
   you will make me full of gladness with your presence.”

‘Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne. Foreseeing this, David^* spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying,
“He was not abandoned to Hades,
   nor did his flesh experience corruption.”
This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at^* the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you both see and hear. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,
“The Lord said to my Lord,
‘Sit at my right hand,
   until I make your enemies your footstool.’ ”
Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah,^* this Jesus whom you crucified.’

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, ‘Brothers,^* what should we do?’ Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.’ And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.’ ⁴¹So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (Acts 2)

God in Control

For the past month we’ve been talking about how it feels when your life feels out of control and we’ve discovered that the solution is not tying another knot in the rope, but rather the answer is, often, actually letting go and falling into the loving hands of God. So what would it be like if we let God be in control from the beginning?

Rahab and Peter are Bible people who had their lives changed when they let God take over. When they stepped out of their comfortable zones, they discovered that God was more than able to accomplish more than they expected.

At first, Rahab seems like an odd person for God to use at all. Then you realize that God rarely uses the person we’d choose. Rahab is introduced in the 2^nd chapter of the Book of Joshua as a ‘harlot’. She is, it turns out, a woman with a heart for God, though. She hides the Israelite spies and tells them, “I know that the Lord has given you the land…for the Lord your God is he who is God in the heaven above and on earth beneath.” (Judges 2:9-11)

Believing that God was in control led Rahab to act treasonously (in the eyes of those in Jericho). By trusting in God, instead of people, she saved her family’s life (Joshua 6:23). Eventually she married one of the spies and became the mother of Boaz, who was great grandfather of David (Matthew 1:5)! I found this story so intriguing that my book Rahab’s Redemption is based on these few little hints in the Bible. Sometimes we can learn more by reading between the lines to discover the faith of the women in the Bible.

God asks Peter repeatedly to step outside of his comfortable box. One such time is recounted in Acts 10. The Roman Centurion Cornelius is told by an angelic vision to “send men to Joppa, and bring one Simon who is called Peter...” (Acts 10:5). For Peter, a Jewish man, to go to visit a gentile was unheard of. However, Peter himself has a vision and tells Cornelius, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit any one of another nation; but God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without objection.” (Acts 10:28-29)

Peter hears Cornelius’ testimony of his own vision and understands, “God shows no partiality, but in every nation any one who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” (Acts 10:34-35) He then preaches the Gospel to the centurion and all his family and friends who are converted and baptized.

 

 

Just this week, while reading an online meditation (d365.org), I came to this prayer which gave me pause and, for me, summarized the theme of these past weeks: “God, deliver me today from self-preservation so that I might believe you without reservation. Amen.”

Both Rahab and Peter didn’t consider ‘self-preservation,’ which would have dictated that they remain obedient to the laws of man. Instead they were obedient to the Spirit of God. By being willing to step out in faith, Peter converted an enemy. Rahab had to step out of her comfort zone in order to rescue the spies. In doing that she found welcome and learned the meaning of living a life of faith in God.

May we each listen more to the Spirit that says, ‘Have no fear. Come, follow me’ and less to the little voice that says we have to follow certain rules in order to ‘be safe’ or ‘successful’. Take Paul’s claim as your own, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7) and live boldly with God in control!

Next time, we’ll start our final series of this Pentecost journey that started with living into the joy of Psalm 100 and learning to Abandon Self to God with Charles de Foucauld. We also saw how ministry grows like a seed and ‘we know not how.’ Each step along the way has been another way of looking at how we can live faith-filled lives with our Loving God in control.

Transfiguration

I’ve been thinking a lot about “Transfiguration,” partly because last Monday was the Feast of the Transfiguration. You can find the Gospel account in Matthew 17:1-8, Mark 9:2-8 and Luke 9:28-36. Instead of focusing on Jesus whose “face shone like the sun and his garments became white as light”, I’ve been thinking about the reactions of Peter, James and John who were with Jesus.

At first, they probably thought it was rather special that they were chosen to go with Jesus to pray while the other disciples stayed behind. Maybe they expected some private training in prayer or being a better disciple. Maybe they thought he was going to explain some of his more cryptic comments recently.

However, what happened on the mountain was outside of their experience entirely. They did not get some private prayer mantra. They did not get private disciple lessons. What Peter, James, and John got was a vision of the Glory of God, previously reserved for Moses and Elijah who, lo and behold, were there too!

Imagine for a minute that you are a Galilean fisherman living in first century Palestine under Roman rule. Not too long ago you met Jesus, an itinerant rabbi. There was something about him that warmed your heart and made you leave everything to go with him. No longer can you say ‘I am a fisherman’ because that’s behind you. You do say, “I am Jesus’ disciple,” but you aren’t completely sure what that means. With Jesus and a few other men you’ve been traveling around Galilee. He’s been healing the sick and feeding thousands with a bit of bread and fish. Jesus also sometimes says some pretty astonishing things, and you wish he’d explain them.

Remember, about a week before the Transfiguration, Peter blurted out, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God,” but got rebuked for scolding Jesus who started trying to explain to all the disciples that the Kingdom of God comes at a cost—even the cost of a cross. Jesus had said, “Whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

Your training in the Torah has, of necessity, been a bit skimpy. The best rabbis gather in Jerusalem, not provincial Galilee. The local rabbi is not the greatest scholar and belabors points when he preaches. Being a fisherman means you haven’t really had much time to sit around discussing the finer points of the Law and Prophets, anyway. Trading with the ‘pagan’ merchants who come to the Sea of Galilee to buy fish for their clients across the empire means that you have been exposed, like it or not, to un-Jewish ideas. Sometimes it is even hard to hold onto your identity as Jewish in the face working and trading and making a living.

You do, however, know about Moses and Elijah. They are the pinnacle of what it means to be a Jew. Moses is the great deliverer and giver of the Law, while Elijah stood up for God against Jezebel and all her priests and later was taken up into heaven by the flaming “chariots Israel and its horsemen’ (2 Kings 2:11-12) Now here you are on this mountain with Jesus and there are Moses and Elijah-long dead, but not dead now. It’s a pretty amazing and awe inspiring event! No wonder Peter again blurts out the first thing that comes to mind, “…if you wish, I will make three booths here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” I like this image of the Transfiguration because it shows the three disciples adoring the vision rather than flattened to the ground by the event.

The next thing that happens is even more astonishing for the trio of former fishermen. They are surrounded by a cloud and hear “a voice from the cloud…’This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased, listen to him.” Probably in that moment they were totally overwhelmed, but later as they thought about it, they would have recognized that it was the same cloud that overshadowed Moses when he received the Law on Mount Sinai and that led the Children of Israel through the wilderness. 

Glimpses of God’s Glory make us want to hang onto the moment so it will last. How often do we attend a retreat that is very moving and inspirational and find that it is very hard to ‘come back to earth’ when we get home and find the laundry piled up and the kids squabbling? (You may recall that the same thing happens to Jesus and the three disciples-see Matthew 17:14f)

We are not told if Peter, James and John were different when they came down from the mountain. Perhaps, like Moses of old, their faces shown for a while, too. I am sure that they were transfigured in their hearts. That didn’t make them perfect. Peter, after all, later denies he knew Jesus. The experience, like any transfiguring change, became part of their hearts and souls and the way they lived, if only for brief moments when the event was remembered.

Transfiguration experiences do not have to be as dramatic as seeing Moses and Elijah and hearing a voice from a cloud. Deep insight during a time of prayer, an especially moving worship service, the unexpected beauty of nature, and many other things can all be times when we experience being in the presence of God. As Elizabeth Barrett Browning says, “Earth's crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God; But only he who sees, takes off his shoes - The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.” (Aurora Leigh)

Have you experienced God’s fire or God’s cloud? Have you heard God’s voice? You are blessed. God’s glory is all around. Let’s look for it, instead of just picking blackberries.

Peter and Herod

For the past month we’ve seen how the Holy Spirit worked mightily in the young church. (If you've missed any, check them out in the archive for July and August.) Philip baptizes the servant of the Queen of the Ethiopians who takes the Gospel back to Ethiopia, an arch-enemy of the new movement is converted when Saul has a vision on the way to Damascus, Peter himself shares the good news with Gentiles in Cornelius’ house and then the church makes dramatic growth in Antioch under the direction of Saul and Barnabas. This is all very wonderful and it seems that everything is going well. The Gospel is being preached further and further into the Roman Empire. Men and women are turning to God and there is very little opposition (at least on the surface).


Meanwhile, back at the ranch, (i.e. Jerusalem) as they used to say in really old Westerns-there is still opposition from the Jewish leaders and the secular head of state. Herod Agrippa (grandson of Herod the Great, who was King when Christ was born) “laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church. He had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword.” (Acts 12:1-2) This must have sent shock waves through the community, but Herod’s next act is even more devastating. “He proceeded to arrest Peter also.” (Acts 12:3) The arrest was made during Passover, so Peter is put in prison with “four squads of soldiers to guard him” until after the Holy Days. Herod was taking no chances on the leader of this ‘sect’ escaping.

Herod had not counted on the Holy Spirit, however. We are told the “church prayed fervently to God for [Peter].” (Acts 12:5). And their prayers were answered. “The very night before Herod was going to bring him out, Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while guards in front of the door were keeping watch over the prison. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him, saying, ‘Get up quickly.’ And the chains fell off his wrists. The angel said to him, ‘Fasten your belt and put on your sandals.’ He did so. Then he said to him, ‘Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.’ Peter went out and followed him; he did not realize that what was happening with the angel’s help was real; he thought he was seeing a vision.” (Acts 12:6-9)

How would you have felt if you were Peter? Imprisoned by the King and expecting the same fate as James, you suddenly see an angel telling you to follow him. The painting above by Bartolome Esteban Murillo shows Peter as he is awakened by the angel, Peter thinks he is seeing a vision of what will happen and it isn’t until they are outside the prison and “the angel left him [that] Peter came to himself and said, ‘Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hands of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.’” (Acts 10-11)

When Peter shows up at the “house of Mary, the mother of John Mark…a maid named Rhoda came to answer. On recognizing Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the gate, she ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the gate. They said to her, ‘You are out of your mind!’ But she insisted that it was so. They said, ‘It is his angel.’ Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the gate, they saw him and were amazed. He motioned to them with his hand to be silent, and described for them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he added, ‘Tell this to James [the Lesser] and to the believers.’ Then he left and went to another place.” (Acts 12:13-17)

I can understand the doubt of those gathered in Mary’s house praying. They knew that Peter was in prison. How could he be at the door? Sometimes when something we pray for actually happens, we don’t or can’t believe it at first. 

The response by the authorities was not as joyous. “There was no small commotion among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. When Herod had searched for him and could not find him, he examined the guards and ordered them to be put to death.” (Acts 12:18-19) It does seem a bit unfair that the guards were put to death, but that is what we are told in the Bible. Herod then goes to Caesarea where “an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.” Sic simper tyrannis (cartoon courtesy of thebackpew.com). “But the word of God continued to advance and gain adherents.” (Acts 12:24)

What a contrast. Herod tried to take all the glory and all the power for himself. He died in his pride. Peter knew that God is in control and believed the angel was showing him a vision of his release. Then he realized it was real and he was free. He went to another place to rejoice and to preach the Good News. I imagine his testimony was even deeper because of his experience in prison where everything about his life was out of his control and he could only depend on his faith in Christ. Sometimes it takes a time of having our life out of our control for us to look to God for the answers.

The church in Jerusalem prayed for the release of Peter-and it happened. Have you ever been part of a prayer group or prayer circle that prayed for something-and it happened? How did you feel when you (and the group) realized your prayer was answered?  Did you attribute the success to your prayer or to something or someone else or even some 'coincidence'? It has been said that coincidences are God acting anonymously. Too often often we leave prayer as the last resort and are surprised when God answers.  

Jesus tells the disciples, and us, “Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.” (Matthew 21:22) We ask for things and help from our parents and friends, expecting and believing that they will do what we ask. How much more will our loving Father give us what we ask?

Next week is Labor Day. We come to the end of the summer and look forward to the events of fall. School is starting and churches are gearing up their programs. The weather, we pray, will begin to cool and to abate. We still have several chapters of the work of the Holy Spirit in Acts to look at. I hope you are getting new insights into the Book of Acts and the life of the early church.

Lens of Labels

For the past couple of months we have been looking at the action of the Holy Spirit in the lives the early church. You can look through the topics of the since June to see some of the posts. First, of course, was the ‘sound of a great rushing wind’ that signified the arrival of the Holy Spirit and transformed humble men and women into brave evangelists.

Peter, an unlearned fisherman, preached the first sermon of the new church and converted thousands. His actions were frowned on by the authorities, but even after experiencing prison and questioning, he maintained his convictions.

The church faced challenges and met them by ordaining the first deacons, among them Stephen, who boldly preached and converted people in Jerusalem. He also faced the Jewish council and was condemned to death by stoning. Then persecution assaulted the believers. This might have spelled the end of a human movement, but God works differently. Due to the persecution, believers left Jerusalem and carried the message of salvation. Philip was one of those who evangelized far and near. He went first to Samaria, then to the eunuch from Ethiopia and then to the coastal towns along the Mediterranean.

Last week we saw how Saul, the young Pharisee from Jerusalem, was changed into a believer while on his way to Damascus. We heard how Ananias, in response to the urging of the Holy Spirit, ministered to Saul, despite his reputation. Transformed and converted, Saul preached the Good News in Damascus and then in other areas. “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was built up; and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit it was multiplied.” (Acts 9:31)

The Holy Spirit is not a respecter of socio-economic, ethnic, national, or any other man-made boundary as Peter learns in Acts 10. Humans on the other hand, like to attach labels to one another. Too often these labels divide us or make us look scornfully at someone different than we are or with different beliefs. Last week Saul was blinded and "something like scales fell from his eyes" when Ananias visited him. The labels we give each other are a filter or a lens that distorts our view of the face of God in one another. The early church was not immune to the Lens of Labels.

Peter was happy as the leader of the church in Jerusalem. Sometimes, he traveled to other Jewish communities like Lydda and Joppa (see Acts 9:32-43). In Joppa, he healed a woman named Tabitha (or Dorcas). “It became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. And he stayed in Joppa for many days with one Simon, a tanner.” (Acts 9:42-43)

Joppa is on the coast of the Mediterranean, south of Caesarea about 25-30 miles. Unbeknownst to Peter, the Holy Spirit was on the move in Caesarea. “In Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian Cohort…He was a devout man who feared 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 10:1-8) The trip for the slaves and soldier would have been an all day, or all night, trek.

Meanwhile, God prepares Peter with a perplexing vision. “About noon the next day…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.’ This happened three times, and the thing was suddenly taken up to heaven.” (Acts 10:9-16)

God tells Peter that all things are clean, even animals Jews were forbidden to eat, based on Levitical laws. By extension, all persons are holy and clean, too, even those we might consider 'unclean' or even our enemies. Peter doesn’t understand the symbolism until the emissaries from Cornelius arrive. They “were standing by the gate. [and] called out to ask whether Simon, who was called Peter, was staying there…the Spirit said to [Peter], ‘…get up, go down, and go with them without hesitation; for I have sent them.’ So Peter went down to the men and said, ‘I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for your coming?’” (Acts 10:17-21)

The trio form Cornelius explained, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.” (Acts 10:22-23) Their response, perhaps, made all the pieces click into place in Peter’s mind. Ordinarily the Jewish fisherman would not have considered going to a Gentile home at all, esp. one that housed a Roman army officer. The occupying Roman army was not popular with the Jews and was to avoided if at all possible.

However, perhaps still wondering at his vision, Peter invites them into Simon’s house for the night. In the morning, he and “some of the believers from Joppa” head for Caesarea where “Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.” (Acts 10:24)

The Galilean fisherman and the Roman centurion find themselves face to face, brought together by God who wants to bridge differences and bring all creation to faith. They share their visions and then “Peter began to speak to them: ‘I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” He goes on to preach Jesus Christ and the resurrection ending by saying, “He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” (Acts 10:34-43)

It is then that God affirms Peter’s testimony when “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.” (Acts 10:44-48)

Notice that 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.” Sometimes it is easy to categorize people by our human descriptions. ‘Gentile’, ‘pagan’, ‘unbeliever’, ‘Protestant’, ‘Catholic’, ‘reformed’, ‘barbarian’, ‘slave’, etc. are only some of the ways Christians have labeled one another through the centuries.

God gave Peter, and us, a new definition “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” Peter realized "God shows no partiality." Perhaps, like Peter, we are called to reach out to those outside our circle, outside our comfort zone. Is there someone you avoid because they are 'different', or don't believe the same way you do? Remember, in God's eyes, they are clean and holy, too. Can you try to see this person through God's eyes, instead of through the lens of labels?

Next week, we'll see how the Gospel begins to spread widely throughout the Gentile world, causing the early believers to reevaluate their beliefs about the 'goyam'.

Beggar at the Beautiful Gate

First, a personal prayer of thanksgiving to God who triumphs over wind and fire, and thanks to firefighters putting themselves in danger to protect life and property at all the wildfires burning across the Southwest US, esp. outside Sierra Vista, AZ.

An interview was recently discovered and translated, dating from not long after the first Pentecost. Below is the transcript. (Acts 3)


Ezra: This is Ezra bar Amos reporting from the Temple in Jerusalem. I have with me Benoni bar Jonah. Tell me what happened, Benoni.

Ben: It was the hour of Mincha. Each day someone in my family brings me to the Beautiful Gate.

Ezra: Why does your family bring you here?

Ben: It started when I was a child. My mother would come to pray in the Court of Women for healing of my lameness. She left me at the entrance so I would not defile the Temple with my infirmity.

Ezra: So you are lame? You look perfectly healthy to me.

Ben: I was born with a deformed leg and foot. Until this afternoon I have never walked.

Ezra: Pardon me for being skeptical, but you were just leaping around inside and dancing.

Ben: Let me tell you what happened.

Ezra: You have been begging at the Beautiful Gate for years, then?

Ben: Yes, since I was a child. Today was different though. I was in my usual place. Most people don’t even look at me. Some toss a coin my way as a mitzvah before entering the Temple.

Ezra: Mitzvah is a good deed.

Ben: Yes. I saw a pair of men approaching. They were obviously not from Jerusalem.

Ezra: How do you know?

Ben: When you sit where I have for over 40 years, you know the local worshippers and you recognize the foreigners.

Ezra: Where were these men from?

Ben: I would say Galilee. Anyway, I held up my hand. “Perform a mitzvah, give alms for the lame beggar.”

Ezra: Quite a wheedling voice you have.

Ben: Yes, well, I won’t need it again.

Ezra: Then what happened.

Ben: The men stopped and looked at me. The older man said “Look at us.” I sat up straighter, expecting a coin…

Ezra: Well?

Ben: “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus of Nazareth stand up and walk.”

Ezra: What?

Ben: That is what the big man said. Then he took my arm and pulled me to my feet. It felt like fire was running down my legs. When he released my arm, I thought I would fall. But I didn’t! I stood by myself! For the first time in my life!

Ezra: Pretty amazing.

Ben: Yes! I was so excited that I raced through the Court of Women into the Temple! Everyone heard me shouting. “Praise God! I am whole! I am healed!” I don’t really know what I said. It was exhilerating to walk and run on my own legs.

Ezra: What happened to the men?

Ben: I raced back to hug and thank them. People started running toward us. The men turned and walked toward Solomon’s Portico. I stayed beside them.

Ezra: Why did they go to Solomon’s Portico? I thought they were going to worship.

Ben: Maybe they were trying, like me, to get away from the crowd. Men were arguing. Some said, “It’s the beggar who always sits at the Beautiful Gate.” Others laughed at them. “It cannot be him. This man is not a cripple.”

Ezra: But the crowd stayed with you.

Ben: Yes. That’s when the older man, Peter is his name, turned to face them and started speaking. Gradually the crowd quieted down as he talked.

Ezra: What did he say?

Ben: I will never forget it. He started out with my own unspoken question. “You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk?”

Ezra: So it wasn’t these men who healed you?

Ben: No. Peter gave credit to the Living God. “The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has glorified his servant Jesus. You rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead.”

Ezra: Raised from the dead?

Ben: Even I have heard the rumors that the rabbi Jesus was seen by many in the city after he was crucified and buried. Peter went on to say, “To this we are witnesses. And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.”

Ezra: Did you believe in this Jesus?

Ben: I do now.

Ezra: Did Peter say anything else?

Ben: Yes. He challenged the crowd to repent and quoted Moses who promised, “The Lord your God will raise up for you from your own people a prophet like me. Everyone who does not listen to that prophet will be utterly rooted out from the people.”

Ezra: That’s pretty harsh.

Ben: Peter said Jesus is the fulfillment of what Abraham meant when he said “In your descendants all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Peter challenged the crowd saying, “When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you, to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”

Ezra: Where are these men now?

Ben: They were arrested by the Captain of the Temple guard because the Sadducees ordered it.

Ezra: How does that make you feel?

Ben: I am sorry. I wanted to hear more from them. So did many of those in the crowd. I plan to seek out those who speak about Jesus and learn more.

Ezra: Thank you for your time. This is Ezra bar Amos reporting from Solomon’s Portico at the Temple in Jerusalem.

Benoni and 5000 others became followers of Jesus that day. Peter was moved by the Holy Spirit to heal the beggar and lives were changed. Peter did not take credit for the miracle, but pointed directly to Jesus and God. That is what we, too, should do.

Have you ever felt moved to do something in the name of God, but held back because you were afraid or embarrassed about what others might think? Lives are changed when we allow God to work through us.

Next weekend is the 4th of July when we look at how the Spirit moved in the establishment of our nation.


On July 10 we’ll see what happens when Peter testifies before the Sanhedrin, as we continue our look at this great story of the actions of the Holy Spirit in the lives of men and women of the early church and gain inspiration from them.

Peter's Sermon

Happy Father's Day to all the men in our lives who have impacted us with love, care, guidance, discipline, and all the things that make us wise adults. Happy Father's Day to the men who have been a glimpse of God the Father to each of us. Give thanks for them.

We’re looking at the men and women, changed by the Holy Spirit, found in the Book of Acts. The first one we meet is Peter. Like many of us, Peter struggled with understanding his place in God’s plan.

As Jesus’ disciple, we see him boldly proclaiming “You are the Christ, Son of the Living God.” (Matthew 16:15), but the next minute he is rebuking and being rebuked by Jesus. (Matthew 16:22-23). We see him bravely stepping out on the water (Matthew 14:28) but sinking “when he saw the wind…he cried out, ‘Lord save me.’” (Matthew 14:30). He denies Jesus in the courtyard of the high priest (Matthew 26:69-75). However, when fishing after the Resurrection he “sprang into the sea” to get to Jesus on the shore. (John 21:7-8)

In Acts 1:15-22, he appears to have taken on leadership of the group when he suggests “one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us…must become with us a witness to this resurrection.”


It is Peter who addresses the crowd in Acts 2:14-17. His first words are a refutation of the rumor that he and the others are drunk. “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh…’”

He goes on to make an amazing and perhaps inflammatory claim. “Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know…you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power...” (Acts 2:22-24)

Peter’s first sermon has an amazing affect on the crowd. Rather than turning on him as a blasphemer or madman, “those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added.” (Acts 2:41) The uneducated fisherman from Galilee was changed by the Holy Spirit and spoke with power not with fear. Unlike the vacillating, frightened man in the courtyard of Caiphas, Peter knew and believed “God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:36)

Aren’t we like Peter? We can be bold and brave with our faith one minute, cowering and uncertain the next. What is different about Peter after the Resurrection and esp. after Pentecost?

Peter was transformed by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. He spoke boldly and he remained in the community of faith. “Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people.” (Acts 2:47)

We are not supposed to be alone in our walk with God. John Wesley once said, “There is no such thing as a solitary Christian.” Friends in faith are a living example of the lesson found in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12. “Two are better than one…For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help…A threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

I have a church family, I belong to church ministries, and I have a small group of close Christian women who I meet with regularly for support. They are important to my continuing Christian walk. We pray for each other when things go badly, “rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12:15). Do you have Christian friends who can support you and encourage you?

God does not mean for us to ‘go it alone.’ That is why we were given the Holy Spirit and the community of faith. Like Peter, we vacillate. Like Peter, we can be bold and proclaim our faith. Brothers and sisters in Christ can help us grow in the Lord as we help them. We can be like the first converts who “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (Acts 2:42)

Next week we will see what happened to Peter and John as they continued to act in the power of the Spirit of the Living God. Meanwhile, I challenge you to find a small group of fellow Christians to walk with on your journey. It will make a difference.

Check out the new "Prayer" page, too on this blog, and join in praying for those in need.