Crazy Good News

Acts 12:1-17

James, one of the twelve, had been put to death. Peter had been arrested and placed in prison. Things were looking bleak for the early church. But then an angel from the Lord led Peter from the jail and set him on his way in freedom. What follows, according to our reading from the book of Acts, is a rather comical scene. "When (Peter) knocked at the outer gate, 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" (Acts 12:13-16).

This isn't the first time in the New Testament that a woman has tried to share good news only to be doubted. The women who carried the joyous news of the resurrection were scoffed at, too, until Jesus appeared and authenticated their story. Here a maid named Rhoda announces the presence of Peter, but the others think she is crazy. I understand. Sometimes the news is so good that we can hardly believe it so instead we take a cynical approach. When will we ever learn? This is the gospel we are dealing with, the good news of Jesus Christ. Are not all things possible in and through him? Is God not capable of raising the dead and of freeing the prisoner? What else might God be doing in our world that cries out for our trust? What messages of grace do we miss simply because we don't believe?

Rhoda the maid is one of my favorite minor characters in scripture partly because she adds levity at a very serious moment by being so real and authentic. But she is also a favorite of mine because she believes, and in believing she allows herself to experience great joy. Today I want to believe! Today I want to experience the joy that comes from faith in what God is doing! Today I want to go beyond the cynicism and doubt of the world, it's institutions and it's agents, and to embrace the goodness of what God's work in Jesus Christ as best I can. Who's with me?

Prayer: Lord, open my heart to your good news and help me to receive it with joy, for it is in Jesus' name that I pray. Amen.

A Simple Gesture

Acts 12:1-17

To me some of the most fascinating aspects of scripture can be found in the smallest details. Take the following for example. Peter has just been saved from prison by an angel of the Lord. His appearance to many of the believers is so astounding that they can hardly believe it and their response is apparently loud and boisterous. Then, we read, "(Peter) motioned to them with his hand to be silent, and described for them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison..." (Acts 12:17a). Just how crucial is it for us to know that Peter silenced the others with a wave of his hand? All things considered this would seem to be a detail of very little importance.

Maybe, and maybe not. I have said on more than one occasion that writers like Luke (who also wrote the book of Acts) were not inclined to waste words. If they share a detail with us we should be attentive to it. Why then would Peter gesture to quiet the others? For one thing, what he had to say, the news that he wanted to share with them, was far more important than the hubbub they were causing. Peter's gesture told them to hush up. I think it is telling us the same thing. We have a great number of concerns competing for our time and attention. The word of God should not have to be one of them. When the word of God is present we should let go of everything else that is going on.

My senior high school English teacher would sometimes drop a long metal bar in the classroom. The loud clanging was intended to get us to stop talking and to listen to him. The word of God deserves even more attention. Peter's simple gesture told his friends just what it tells us, to listen and hear the good news. God is at work in the world and we've got to be quiet sometimes or we are going to miss it.

Prayer: O God, by whose hand we are guided through life, forgive us when we fail to listen to you. Quiet the other sounds around us so that we may know your will and the good news of your Son, in whose name we pray. Amen.