2004 Contributions:
Date: 3/27/2004
Time: 2:25:57 PM
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
Date: 4/5/2004
Time: 5:18:38 AM
Peter's sermon to Cornelius and his household tells a condensed version of the gospel story. Though he and the other apostles were not eyewitnesses to the Resurrection, they experienced the resurrected Christ and were able to share the power of the story with others. In this sense we are all witnesses to the Resurrection as we proclaim the good news.
Date: 4/5/2004
Time: 5:25:32 AM
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.
Date: 4/5/2004
Time: 1:25:43 PM
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
Date: 4/6/2004
Time: 3:17:17 PM
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
Year 2002 Contributions:
Date: 28 Mar 2002
Time: 07:43:45
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
Date: 28 Mar 2002
Time: 08:47:06
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
Date: 30 Mar 2002
Time: 11:24:45
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
Year 1998 - 1999 Contributions:
I guess nobody has chosen this passage to preach on Easter morning. I have been considering it. I am thinking of Peter's sermon to the household of Cornelius as one of the earliest tellings of a story that has been told over and over for nearly 2,000 years and yet has lost none of its power. Peter's sermon is as good an outline of the Gospel as any. With all the guests in church on Easter I feel it is a good time for a presentation of the basic message.
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
To Susan in San Pedro: Amen and amen! Doug in Riverside
Susan -- Your congregation is St. Peter's, but we're talking about Paul, right?
Preacherlady
Preacherlady,
I think your stuff will certainly preach...
And I think you're 'speaking' of Paul (his conversion) and Susan in San Pedro is speaking of Peter, which is what the ACTS text is recounting.
I think...
Susan in San Pedro (and Doug),
I've responded to your Universalism apologia over on the discussion site.
Kay,
Am I being good?
Preacherlady: mea culpa. When you wrote "this account from Acts" I assumed we were having the Peter-conversation with a Pauline twist. As Rick noted, I am talking about Peter and the Acts 10 drama. (Ditto on the "universalism" dialogue, Rick.)
Thanks, Doug! Susan in SanPedro
Ah, yes, the mind is the first to go...
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
Brothers and Sisters,
I'm confused at to why this passage is lifted up as an example of salvation and truth being in all religions. While we are told that all who do good are pleasing to God, we are also taught that all need to be reconciled to God through Christ. Here in Cornelius is a person who prayered, worshiped, and gave alms, was pleasing to God, and yet still needed his sins forgiven through Christ. This passage is also used to affirm homosexuality. I don't see this either, as this position assumes that homosexuality is pleasing to God. If the Scriptures teach that homosexuality is displeasing to God, than this passage contains nothing that implies homosexuality is pleasing to God. It seems to me that the one verse which is in harmony with diversity and pluralism is lifted out of context. This isn't a faithful handling of the Word of God.
In Christ. Dale Proulx
Brothers and Sisters,
I'm confused at to why this passage is lifted up as an example of salvation and truth being in all religions. While we are told that all who do good are pleasing to God, we are also taught that all need to be reconciled to God through Christ. Here in Cornelius is a person who prayered, worshiped, and gave alms, was pleasing to God, and yet still needed his sins forgiven through Christ. This passage is also used to affirm homosexuality. I don't see this either, as this position assumes that homosexuality is pleasing to God. If the Scriptures teach that homosexuality is displeasing to God, than this passage contains nothing that implies homosexuality is pleasing to God. It seems to me that the one verse which is in harmony with diversity and pluralism is lifted out of context. This isn't a faithful handling of the Word of God.
In Christ. Dale Proulx
Dear Dale: I believe only God is able to faithfully handle the scripture. The rest of us, hopefully, address the scripture with the guiding of the Holy Spirit. I am guided differently than you with God's blessing. Lon in Kalaupapa
Lon,
Yes, we depend on the Holy Spirit in order to properly understand the Scripture (illumination). Yet, are there not interpretations of Scripture which are simply wrong? If two interpretations of Scriptures are in complete disagreement with one another, is not one right and the other wrong? Surely, every interpretation isn't blessed by the Holy Spirit. You would have to demonstrate your interpretation before we could determine if it were faithful, or if you were simply reading your predetermined beliefs into Scripture. In Christ, Dale Proulx
Lon, I think that perhaps you have been affected by the Postmodernist worldview-EACH TO THEIR OWN INTERPRETATION AND TRUTH BECOMES PURELY SUBJECTIVE. We end up like Pontius Pilate asking "WHAT IS TRUTH?"
Chris. Sheffield.England.
Susan If everyone were obedient to God there would be GAL 3:28, AND DEFINITELY no Gay as obedience REPENTANCE and leads to change. Thats also according to my Seminary training! Chris. Sheffield
Susan If everyone were obedient to God there would be GAL 3:28, AND DEFINITELY no Gay as obedience leads to REPENTANCE which leads to change. Thats also according to my Seminary training! Chris. Sheffield
Dear Dale, I had a couple of questions for you about your response to this discussion. First of all, is there no room in your heart for any other way to God but through Christ? I know that for me that Christ is the answer and the way but I cannot believe that must be true for every sincere believer of Judaism, Islam or any other faith that strives to help people grow closer to the highest deity and to learn how to live together better in community here on this earth. The second question I would ask of you (very respectfully) is how do you reconcile so many points and stories that are contradictory? Do you ignore one and only preach the other, do you try to combine them as we do each year at Christmas when we have shepherds, angels, a star, magi, all crowded in a stable? I could list many but the 3 creation stories, Genesis 1 and 2 and Noah and the flood, clear commandment to not kill and then later regulations spelling out how the society should decide to kill someone. There is much to me that is very puzzling in the Bible, but there is much that gives me hope and courage to continue the struggle in trying to understand and live within what God has to say to me. It seems to me to always be dangerous when someone tries to say that one particular pericope is either the most important or the least important section. If we do not work to understand first of all the original context and situation, are we not guilty of making part of the Bible an idol? I hope I have not offended anyone but I do enjoy an honest sharing that allows for at least a tiny hope that their could be truth in what the other person has to say, and that they are always entitled to respect and courtesy. I'm sorry this ended up so long. I really enjoy this site. I have been challenged and helped a lot by all. Evelyn in MO
Evelyn, It would take pages and pages to answer your questions in full, but remember this: Jesus himself said no one can come to the Father but by him.
In all seriousness, the contradictions you've listed cease to be contradictions when the scripture is studied as the History of God's Revelation to His Creation. If you really want to discuss this, my e-mail address is: sandy@minister.com. Please remember, I do not subscribe to the post-modern idea that all opinions are equally valid. Some opinions have a stronger basis in fact than others and deserve greater respect. If we talk, that is MY opinion and one I adhere to.
God bless you, sandy
Chris and others,
In my opinion I don't think "what is truth?" is such a bad question to ask. I think the problem with Pilate was that he had already made up his mind that there wasn't any such thing as truth. He asked that question with a sneer in his voice, a closed mind and a closed heart. When the church and persons of faith stop asking that question, I think we risk closing ourselves off to God just as much as Pilate did. And if we ever make an idol of our version of truth, I think we are just as guilty as Pilate.
Chris, I too am seminary trained. My seminary training has been invaluable for my faith, not because it provided me with answers, but rather because it taught me how to ask meaningful questions. Those questions have opened me to all of the different ways God wants to act in my life and the different ways God wants me to act in the lives of others. The act of questioning broadens my experience of God far more than the set of answers I was initially taught in my faith experience.
If Peter the Apostle had not been open to a new truth which in part contradicted his Holy Scriptures, would the church of the time ever allowed the gentiles in? It is just a thought ... BTW, I believe that homosexual persons are the "gentiles" of our time. Our [supposedly] mostly straight church of today is in a similar place the mostly Jewish church of Paul's time was in --are we going to let these people in just the way they are? Are we going to demand that they adhere to our rules before we let them in? Are we going to let them in at all? What is it that God wants to happen here? How will we know? RevRake, Denton TX
Many scholars distrust much of the historical information in Acts. They consider Acts a glorified picture of the early church that downplays the tensions it had.
Many scholars distrust much of the historical information in Acts. They consider Acts a glorified picture of the early church that downplays the tensions it had.