10:34 Then Peter began to speak to them: "I truly understand that
God shows no partiality,
10:35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is
right is acceptable to him.
10:36 You know the message he sent to the people of Israel,
preaching peace by Jesus Christ--he is Lord of all.
10:37 That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee
after the baptism that John announced:
10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and
with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were
oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
10:39 We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in
Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree;
10:40 but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear,
10:41 not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as
witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the
dead.
10:42 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.
10:43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes
in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."
We all are called to be "witnesses" for Jesus. We might examine what
it means to be a "witness" for Jesus in 2004. Do we bear witness to
the resurrection? PH in OH
Peter's sermon, delivered at the home of Cornelius, a Roman army
officer, is a summary of the essential message of Christianity.
Everyone who believes in Jesus, whose life, death, and resurrection
fulfilled the words of the prophets, receives forgiveness of sins
through his name.
v. 41 - God allowed Jesus to show himself - "not to all the people
but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank
with him after he rose from the dead." Isn't that partiality?
Granted, Peter is talking about God including the Gentiles into the
fold, but it seems Peter is still a little bit "elitist."
But, I doubt I'll preach THAT - it's just interesting.
I'm pondering the "witness" aspect. Usually we think of "witnessing"
in a Christian perspective as a testimony or telling someone about
Christ. However, a witness is one who saw.
Our human understanding is so fragile, though, that what we REALLY
witness and what we THINK we witness are often quite different
events. I recall a car accident we were in once - 4 of us in the
car, and we couldn't even agree on what color the other car was.
Is one who persists hard-heartedly in their sin, a witness to
Christ?
Sally
We need different witnesses because of different background,
personal and corporate histories, we see through different
worldviews. Perhaps that is why one author divide theologies into 5
theological worlds. Just musing on that part. Is being a witness
basic to faith or is it a gift? "All the prophets tesify about
him..." sermon title "2nd Hand witness". Nancy-Wi
Definitely timely in light of continued rage toward people of Arab
descent. Yes, Jesus died for the members of Al Qaeda(sp) and other
terrorists--of all races--around the world. In Christ, racial and
political barriers are destroyed.
Rabb_eye in IL
What I love is the verse that they killed Jesus on a tree, But God
raised him. What all in our world seeks to destroy, but God raises
us to life instead, sometimes through the very instruments of
destruction.
I rejoice in Easter! I can't wait!!
Rachel
This passage ties into the fear theme we're discussing under the
Matthew text. "Anyone who fears God and does what is right..."
Fearing God is a big jump for the Christmas/Easter folks. How to
communicate the meaning and value of fearing God? I'm working on it,
even at this late hour... (and it's a georgeous day out, and
shouldn't I go out for a walk instead???)
DGinNYC
I am using this text as a call to our common story as people of
faith. I am going on the assumption that the basic story of our life
dictates our reactions in the present. So, therefore, we need to
adopt the common story of Jesus as the basis for what we do and how
we act.
Interesting Christological issues here, but I am in my first year of
seminary so all these issues are fresh in my mind. I am awed by the
fact that Jesus speaks to us in different ways depending on our
"nation," and we express that faith in different ways. Maybe we need
to focus on harmonizing instead of unifying. Things that catch my
attention today is what kind of judge is Jesus? It seems he was
pretty hard on the good church people who were self- righteous. Also
the last verse on forgiveness is calling to me. I haven't seen a lot
of material that I think is good on forgiveness--God's forgiveness
of us, or our forgiveness of others. One more thought-- isn't it
interesting what Peter is saying in verses 34 and 35 when he later
seemed to disagree with Paul about how much Jewish law Gentile
Christians should embrace. Ramblings from Carolyn, UMC pastor in NC
The Baptism of our Lord is one of the major Baptismal Days in the
Episcopal Church, and we will celebrate three baptisms. I am leaning
toward preaching this account from Acts, as I think I can make a
stronger connection with our lives today, especially in the context
of the baptismal event.
This is what Epiphany means, isn't it? We are witnesses -- not just
those folks who happened to actually be there when Jesus lived and
breathed. I think this is a common malady: that we are too far
removed from it, from when Jesus actually walked the earth livin'
and breathin'. It HAS become a memorial rather than anemnesis --
like the difference between being at the live concert or listening
to the CD. No matter how good the sound quality, it just doesn't
convey the passion and atmosphere of being there as the event
happened.
So what does the conversion of Paul tell us? Paul was THE most
unlikely person that the risen Christ would target for conversion --
and not only conversion, but as a leader, evangelist, "canon
theologian" -- what trust Christ put in him.
Paul would literally be the Hitler of our day. What a conversion.
What a turn-around.
And though Jesus had died, it was the risen Christ that appeared to
Paul. The experience was just as real as if Jesus was alive. The
"grace" conferred, for lack of a better term (and there is no better
term for Paul) was the same as those who walked with Jesus had. This
same grace is available to us today. We CAN meet the risen Christ
today. It WILL pack the same wollop. THis is no "CD experience" but
is a front row seat to the concert of a lifetime.
Anyone with me out there? Preacherlady
Preacherlady: Ditto on the power of this text in the context of
Baptism. (We are also having three on Sunday!) And since we are a
"St. Peter's" parish, I love this account of Peter having the great
epiphany ... the great "AHA!" that (drum roll ....) GOD SHOWS NO
PARTIALITY!!! Do right, fear God. Period. No theological litmus
test. No Christological final exam. Consider ( I will probably tell
my congregation) what the world would look like if we WERE free to
"fear God and do right" -- if we could raise these three little
children God has blessed us with today -- to show no partiality. No
Jew or Greek; male or female; gay or straight; black or white --
just a community of people fearing God and doing what is right ...
sounds like the Kingdom to me.
A final point -- check out the verses leading up to this text: did
Peter come to this great revelation on his own? No ... Cornelius
came banging on his door: an unclean Gentile, by everything Peter
had ever been taught. And yet he listened to the Spirit "doing a new
thing" and many were baptized because "God has shown me that I
should not call anyone profane or unclean." A Revisionist!
Abandoning the tradition! Why, if we let Gentiles in, what's next?
Peter, the poster child for "Universalism"???? Where will it end?
With a redeemed creation comes to mind. Shalom, Susan in SanPedro
I think I will preach this pasage too. Yes, we are celebrating the
baptism of Jesus, but this passage represents the culmination of
Jesus' baptism and his mission.
I wonder what examples there are in our lives of people being
converted when someone came knocking on the door? (i.e. Cornelius)
Times when we have been separated from someone by prejudice,
ignorance or even good theological conviction. Yet, when we are
forced into a real conversation we get an inkling that the Spirit is
up to something here. Any good stories?
Thomas in Concord
