No Stopping It

Acts 4:13-31

The book of Acts is clear; the good news of the gospel cannot be contained, and our reading for today is yet another example of this reality. After healing a man in the temple Peter and John were brought before the Jewish leaders who questioned the Apostles’ motives. After sending Peter and John out of the council the leaders conferred. According to Acts, “They said, ‘What will we do with them? For it is obvious to all who live in Jerusalem that a notable sign has been done through them; we cannot deny it. But to keep it from spreading further among the people, let us warm them to speak no more to anyone in this name’” (Acts 4:16-17).

The leaders might as well have tried to extinguish a fire with grease. There would be no slowing the work of the church. Indeed, by the end of this passage Peter, John, and the other believers are asking for the strength they will need to continue the work they have been given. And, “When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness” (v. 31). It was Pentecost all over again!

When I read the book of Acts I cease to fear for the future of the church. There have been conflicts and schisms and controversies for centuries on end. Powers have risen in every age with the aim of silencing the gospel and in each case they have failed. For this reason I find it imperative that people of faith stop trying to save that which cannot be lost. God will preserve the church; our job is to serve God with faithful obedience wherever we may be, doing the work to which God has called us, suffering when necessary, but rejoicing at all times. Yes, there will be difficult issues to confront. Yes, there will be times of transition and upheaval. Yes, we will find ourselves faced with new circumstances that require new forms of expression and which are not to our liking. But God has made it abundantly clear that no power on earth nor in heaven can silence the gospel message of hope and salvation. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord, help us to let go of our fears about the future and to trust you wholeheartedly. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

In the Eye of the Beholder

Acts 3:1-11

Our reading from Acts today is about a healing performed by Peter and John on their way into the temple. According to Acts, “a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple” (Acts 3:2). There is significant irony in the setting of the event, for a man whose condition would make him seem anything but beautiful has been placed next to a gate known for its appearance. The gate, no doubt, was intended to the glory of God; the man would seem to detract from the splendor of the place simply by his presence, and because he was lame his moral character would also have been questioned by many making him even less attractive.

What happens next, however, turns the scene upside down. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth Peter commands the man to rise and walk. The man who had been lame leapt to his feet ­­–– now strong and sturdy –– and offered praise to God. What Peter did shamed even the wonder of the Beautiful Gate and made clear what it is that God considers to be beautiful: life, compassion, community, love. Through the actions of Peter and John the setting of the story turned out to be not so ironic after all, indeed it became clearly appropriate.

Where are the “Beautiful Gates” of our world, our communities, our neighborhoods? What do they say about our compassion for others? What do they say about the value of human life? What truth might they reveal to us if we only have eyes to see?

Prayer: Lord, help us to serve you by regarding the needs of others and trusting you to work through us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

We Need An Advocate

Acts 4:1-12

John 16:1-15

When I was in about the sixth grade my mother and I attended the trial of a man charged with armed robbery. We had been told by a friend that this particular case would be interesting because the defendant had chosen to represent himself in the proceedings. The man was eventually found guilty, supporting the adage that anyone who acts as his or her own lawyer has a fool for a client.

Our reading from Acts this morning describes the events that take place when Peter and John are brought before the elders and priests of Israel. The disciples are there to explain what they have been saying and doing in the temple. The writer of Acts tells us that Peter was “filled with the Holy Spirit” and began to address the gathered leaders (Acts 4:8). It might have appeared that Peter was representing the disciples himself, but in fact he was being guided by God’s Spirit in what he said. Jesus alludes to such in our reading from John’s gospel today. “…It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7). The early church did receive the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, and it was by this presence that Peter was emboldened and enabled to speak. In other words, Peter had the best council in the room.

We, too, should allow for God to work in and through us. When we are faced with a challenge to our faith, or questioned about what we believe, or overwhelmed by doubt and fear the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, is with us providing us guidance and council. We need not depend on ourselves or on what we can prove because we, too, will have the best council possible.

Prayer: Lord, may your Holy Spirit guide us throughout our lives that we may live as your people without fear or hesitation. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Details

Acts 3:1-10

There are times when I have to wonder at the inclusion of certain information in a scripture text. It happened to me with our reading from Acts for today. “But Peter said, ‘I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.’ And he took him by the right hand and raised him up…” (Acts 3:6-7a). Peter and John are on their way to the temple for prayer. As they go they pass a man, lame from birth, who is begging for alms. Peter’s response is to heal the man, after which Peter takes him “by the right hand” to help him stand up. My question is why is it important for us to know that Peter lifted the man with his right hand? I assume it is pertinent in some way or else Luke, the writer of Acts, would have left it out.

I’m sure there are some interesting theories about this. Perhaps the right hand was symbolic of the right hand of fellowship being offered by the church to all who would accept Jesus. Perhaps Luke wants us to know that it was not the left hand, which has sometimes been associated with darkness or evil. I don’t know. What I do know is that it is in such details that we find God’s grace played out, in scripture and in our lives. These events didn’t happen in Never-never Land or over the rainbow, they happened on real streets in real cities where men and women sometimes use their left hands and sometimes their right. And God was there—really and fully there. And as we journey into the world today, into a culture that sometimes seems driven by details and statistics, God will be there as well—really and fully there. This is a point worth remembering, a detail worth pondering.

Prayer: Lord, be with us this day in all that happens, reminding us that no detail escapes your attention. In Jesus’ name. Amen.