using our gifts

Good evening friends,

I'd like to remind you to set your clocks ahead an hour before you go to bed on Saturday, so you'll be on time to hear Karen's sermon debut. I know she's going to do a great job and will appreciate your support. It takes a lot of courage to preach for the first time.

In our reading for tonight Paul uses himself as an example. He remembers his call and how, even though he made mistakes, God has worked powerfully through him to welcome the gentiles into the family of faith. From there he argues they shouldn't get discouraged that he's in prison, since that too will end up being a blessing for them. God truly can turn trouble into opportunity.

God bless,
Sam

Ephesians 3:1-13

This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— ²for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you, ³and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, ⁴a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. ⁵In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: ⁶that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

 ⁷Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power. ⁸Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, ⁹and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; ¹⁰so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 

¹¹This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹²in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him. ¹³I pray therefore that you may not lose heart over my sufferings for you; they are your glory.

a house of prayer for all peoples

Good evening friends,

Today's reading is a great reassurance for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider or outcast (probably all of us). God's plan in restoring the temple and bringing home the exiles of Israel and Judah goes wider than a chosen people. All people are chosen. Whoever wants to follow God and be part of God's family is welcome. There is a place for everyone.

God bless,
Sam

Isaiah 56:1-8

Thus says the Lord: Maintain justice, and do what is right, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed. ²Happy is the mortal who does this, the one who holds it fast, who keeps the sabbath, not profaning it, and refrains from doing any evil.

³Do not let the foreigner joined to the Lord say, “The Lord will surely separate me from his people”; and do not let the eunuch say, “I am just a dry tree.” ⁴For thus says the Lord: To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, ⁵I will give, in my house and within my walls, a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. 

⁶And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, all who keep the sabbath, and do not profane it, and hold fast my covenant— ⁷these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. ⁸Thus says the Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, I will gather others to them besides those already gathered.

in and out

Good night brothers and sisters,
We've heard some of the arguments for and against gentile inclusion. Here we hear the closing arguments and James's decision. How can we make sure to include all people today?

God bless,
Sam

Acts 15:12-21

12 The whole assembly kept silence, and listened to Barnabas and Paul as they told of all the signs and wonders that God had done through them among the Gentiles. ¹³After they finished speaking, James replied, ‘My brothers, listen to me. ¹⁴Simeon has related how God first looked favourably on the Gentiles, to take from among them a people for his name. ¹⁵This agrees with the words of the prophets, as it is written,
¹⁶ “After this I will return,
and I will rebuild the dwelling of David, which has fallen;
   from its ruins I will rebuild it,
     and I will set it up,
¹⁷ so that all other peoples may seek the Lord—
   even all the Gentiles over whom my name has been called.
     Thus says the Lord, who has been making these things ¹⁸known from long ago.”

¹⁹Therefore I have reached the decision that we should not trouble those Gentiles who are turning to God, ²⁰but we should write to them to abstain only from things polluted by idols and from fornication and from whatever has been strangled and from blood. ²¹For in every city, for generations past, Moses has had those who proclaim him, for he has been read aloud every sabbath in the synagogues.’

preaching and hearing

Good morning sisters and brothers,
First, a reminder that Sunday in worship we'll be celebrating graduates, so if you're graduating from any program, we'd love to have you to celebrate with us on Sunday.

God has clearly brought Peter and Cornelius together, despite many religious and cultural barrier. So today we see what God does now that they are together.

God bless,
Sam

Acts 10:34-48

³⁴Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, ³⁵but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. ³⁶You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. ³⁷That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: ³⁸how 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.

³⁹We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; ⁴⁰but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, ⁴¹not 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. ⁴²He 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. ⁴³All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

⁴⁴While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. ⁴⁵The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, ⁴⁶for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said, ⁴⁷“Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” ⁴⁸So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.

Spirit for everyone

Good morning friends,
God confirms that all people are welcome and called to faith in Christ by pouring out the Holy Spirit on the gentiles listening to Peter's words. Sometimes I feel like we've forgotten how to share God's love with others. Maybe that's because we think of faith as a private thing. Maybe we're afraid people will laugh at us. Or maybe we just aren't sure how to explain what we believe. When we look at Peter's words we notice they aren't complicated. We know the story of Jesus and the story of how God has been working in the church since the resurrection. More importantly, we can let that story overwhelm us today and look for how God's working in our lives. I pray God will lead us again to reach out with bold simplicity to share the word with people today.

Acts 10:44-48

44While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. 45The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, 46for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said, 47“Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.

the good news

Good morning sisters and brothers,
After a Spirit led adventure that brought him to a room full of gentiles, Peter offers the good news of God's love in Christ to his hungry audience. One thing I notice about the sermons we read in Acts is that they are simple and to the point. Peter explains that Jesus was expected by the prophets, that he was full of God's power during his life to heal and free people from Satan's evil powers, that human leaders crucified him, but God raised him up again. Jesus will be the one who judges everyone at the end of time and forgives us our sins. The message is simple and powerful, and it is for everyone to hear. When we share that message, God can work through us to save others. It doesn't take a theology degree, just a loving heart for God and for others. Hear God's message through Peter, trust God's love for you in Christ, and share that love with your neighbors.

God bless,
Sam

Acts 10:34-43

34Then Peter began to speak to them: "I truly understand that God shows no partiality, 35but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ-he is Lord of all. 37That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: 38how 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.


39We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; 40but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, 41not 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. 42He 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. 43All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

clean and unclean, part 3

Good morning everyone,
This morning's reading shows how Peter explained the good news to Cornelius and his friends and family. His presentation is very simple beginning with John's baptism and including Jesus' healing, death and resurrection. He also says, "All the prophets testify about him, that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness in his name." What stood out most for me in Peter's words is the focus on witness: disciples are called to witness to what Jesus did and to his resurrection.

In the early church when believers were baptized they received the Holy Spirit. Here, God leads the way again by giving the new gentile believers the Holy Spirit before they were baptized. God wants it to be very clear that gentiles as well as Jews are welcomed into the new thing God is doing through Jesus. God leads us to reach out to everyone because God truly shows no partiality.

Blessings,
Sam


Acts 10:34-48

34Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, 35but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. 37That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: 38how 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. 39We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem.
They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; 40but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, 41not 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. 42He 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. 43All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
44While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. 45The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, 46for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said, 47“Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.

clean and unclean, part 1

Good morning sisters and brothers,
If you are an advocate for equality in the church and society this is a chapter you can't do without. In those days the Jewish community kept itself separate from their gentile neighbors. Separation helped to strengthen ties within the community and protected the community from blending in with pagan society. Kosher law forbid Jews to eat food outside the law or share a table with people outside their faith. This outlook naturally became a part of the early church's perspective because it was a Jewish movement. None of the leaders of the church intended to start a new religion; instead they were bringing a new word from God to the faith of their ancestors like the prophets before them.

But God didn't just want to speak to Israel; God wants to bring the whole world into the family. Remember, the mission Jesus gives the apostles was to witness in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth. God knows that Peter and the church are going to have a hard time accepting gentiles into the fellowship. So the Spirit sets up carefully before revealing God's inclusive plan to the church. Cornelius is a gentile who worships Israel's God and clearly takes that seriously. God sets things in motion with a vision for Cornelius and a vision for Peter before bringing these two men together. We'll continue this amazing story tomorrow.

Blessings,
Sam

Acts 10:1-18

In Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian Cohort, as it was called. 2He was a devout man who feared God with all his household; he gave alms generously to the people and prayed constantly to God. 3One 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.” 4He 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. 5Now send men to Joppa for a certain Simon who is called Peter; 6he is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the seaside.” 7When 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, 8and after telling them everything, he sent them to Joppa.

9About noon the next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10He became hungry and wanted something to eat; and while it was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11He saw the heaven opened and something like a large sheet coming down, being lowered to the ground by its four corners. 12In it were all kinds of four-footed creatures and reptiles and birds of the air. 13Then he heard a voice saying, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.” 14But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is profane or unclean.” 15The voice said to him again, a second time, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” 16This happened three times, and the thing was suddenly taken up to heaven. 17Now while Peter was greatly puzzled about what to make of the vision that he had seen, suddenly the men sent by Cornelius appeared. They were asking for Simon’s house and were standing by the gate. 18They called out to ask whether Simon, who was called Peter, was staying there.