On the Way to Wonder

Acts 14:1-7

Paul and Barnabas leave Pisidian Antioch and head east in Turkey to Iconium.  We see a similar pattern of going to the Jewish synagogue and sharing their truth with the Jews and Gentiles gathered there.  Again, as we have seen in Luke’s report in Acts, the audience is divided with those that embrace the news of the resurrection and Jesus as the promised Messiah verses those who violently oppose.  God even allows Paul and Barnabas to confirm their truth with “signs and wonders.”  That only aggravates the opposition that then plots to kill our heroes. Hmmmm.  Paul and Barnabas move on.

         Luke makes an interesting statement, “But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the others Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. (verse 2)”  There are some strong words here.  “Refused” implies an openness that the will of the person blocks.  Faith is a choice to embrace the truth shared with us but we have the responsibility to “test the spirits” for truth.  We do not have to believe something because the preacher or TV says so.  Using our spiritual roles to manipulate people has some ugly stories.  We have the ability, unlike many, to search scripture and to confirm new ideas.  Likewise being part of a body of believers with whom you can talk through ideas and pray is important.

         But the second big word I see is “poisoned.”  The nay-sayers, the resistant, poisoned the minds of others.  Poison kills.  I think of the parable of the sower who sows his seeds but some fell on the road and was trampled.  No faith.  Some fell among the rocks and couldn’t grow.  Some fell among thorns and thistles and got chocked out.  But seed, the word of God that fell on the good soil grew and multiplied.  So the question for us today is to reflect on what “poisons” our faith life? 

         Things that poison faith can be troubles that whisper, “God is not able.”  Perhaps you have a friend that always sees the glass half full and whines or grumps about everything.  For some people, nothing is done right or could be done better.  “Use it or lose it” is a quote we use in talking about exercising but I think it can also be used with faith.  Our faith muscles cannot grow if we allow them to atrophy by lack of use.  Likewise we can ask ourselves this morning if we are that “wet blanket” to other’s faith.  Are we energy depleting to be around.  That is not to say we must always be happy but it is to ask ourselves if we act like poison to the young in faith.

         Today we will face challenges but how will we handle them.  Will we set our minds to the negative or try to get to the truth?  Will we be poison to others or allow others to poison us?  Lord, help me to see your hand leading and guiding in the challenges I face today!  Blessings.

Acts 13:44-52

Paul and Barnabas are in are in Turkey.  Yesterday we read that they were invited to share at the Jewish synagogue on the Sabbath and were well received.  They are invited to preach the next Sunday and the synagogue is full of Jews and Gentiles.  A packed crowd!  Luke reports, “When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy.”  Yup, in the midst of success is also the little green eyed monster that stirs the pot.  People contradict, argue, abuse and generally oppose.  The Jewish leaders stirred up the situation and Paul and Barnabas were forced to move on.  It seems that Paul and Barnabas did not waste energy fighting with jealousy and demanding their rights.  They “shook the dust off their feet” and moved on.

         Jealousy divides and creates sides as we see in this story.  I find it interesting that Paul and Barnabas do not engage with jealousy but realize how jealousy closes the heart of the other and that the solution for them is to move on.  Perhaps we would say ignore.  Jealousy breaks relationships and closes ears.  Communication breaks down.  Most of us have that person or persons in our relationship network that develops green eyes about us.  Trying to win their favor may not be the best approach.  Arguing with them may be useless.  Examining our own hearts, actions, and  motives to make sure we are right before the Lord may be absolutely necessary.  In the end, engaging with jealousy is distracting and staying focused on truth is necessary.  Perhaps like in this story, God is allowing jealousy so that we are forced to move on in our thinking and living, if possible.

         Spend a moment now to reflect on relationships where you might be experiencing tension.  Confess where you might have been in the wrong.  Ponder if you are being sucked into an unresolvable downward spiral.  Maybe it is time to move on and see where God is leading you.  Blessings as the struggle is real!

Acts 13:13-25

Paul and Barnabas are moving west.  They next head to Turkey, Pisidian Antioch.  Again they start by sharing their story in the synagogue.  The tradition was that after the set readings, visitors were invited to bring a word of exhortation.  The door opened for them to share and they did!

         What follows in Paul’s speech sounds awfully familiar to how Stephen shared before he was stoned – with Paul watching!  Paul hadn’t forgotten.  Paul starts with the Egyptian period and Israel’s growth as a nation.  He slides past the judges and prophets to King David, “a man after God’s own heart” and someone God knew “would do anything I want him to do.”  Paul quickly jumps to Jesus, introduced by John the Baptist, Jesus crucified and resurrected.  The people are delighted and ask Paul and Barnabas to return the following week.

         My heart is touched today by the title Paul gives to David, “a man after God’s own heart.”  That title is loaded with meaning.  What picture does it bring to your mind?  Perhaps we think of someone courting “the love of his or her life” as being someone after someone else’s heart.  It implies a relationship that is covenanted for better or worse, richer or poorer, sickness and in health, under all conditions.  David was seeking a relationship with God that would be rock solid in all situations.  It does not speak to me of a relationship seeking the goodies and blessings of knowing someone important.  It does not speak to me of slave to master.  It does not speak to me of being a citizenship in a “better kingdom.”  David was after God’s heart.  Perhaps today we need to reflect on the flavor of our relationship with God.  Are we after God’s heart?

         Secondly God trusted that David would handle with integrity anything God gifted him with.  Not only was David after God’s heart, he was a man of integrity in his relationship with God.  So are we people of integrity?

         Lord, may I thirst for a deep, committed relationship with you and may I be found to be a person of integrity?  Help me to become that sort of person.  Blessings as you grow in faith!

Acts 13: 4-12

Luke now identifies Saul as Paul who starts his first missionary trip with Barnabas, the encourager, and their young friend John Mark.  Their first stop is the island of Cyprus.  They started by sharing their truth with the Jews, with people with whom they had a common language and a common culture.  Learning to tell our story with people who understand our background is a good place to start.  I don’t know about you, but just because I believe something or experience something, it takes me a few dry runs to figure out how to share it with another.  It’s ok to be a beginner.  Perhaps we can see that sharing our faith is a talent that grows.

         The proconsul, perhaps something like a governor or legal leadership person sends for them to hear what they are teaching.  The man who had an attendant, Elymas, whom Luke describes as a sorcerer, tries to undermine Paul’s testimony.  As we grow, our ability to share grows and sometimes draws attention to us by people who are interested and by people who oppose us.  Opposition does not necessarily mean we are doing something wrong.  Opposition challenges us to refine our story and perhaps help us identify weak points where we need to be clear.

         More importantly, though, is that Paul recognizes Elymas as evil.  Paul identifies deceit, trickery, and perverting the truth.  I think we would call it as being sly.  For parents who have had children in addiction and been pressured by their smooth talk to finance the addiction, this sounds all too familiar.  We look at both sides that justify war and need spiritual insight to find the true story.  Recognizing the disguises of evil is a sign of spiritual growth and wisdom.  Elymas became as blind physically as he was spiritually and the proconsul, upon seeing, believes in Jesus.

         As we reflect on this story today, let us ask ourselves if we are growing in our ability and in our willingness to share our spiritual truth of God’s hand in our lives.  Are we growing in our ability to recognize the different guises of evil?  It is so easy to tell a story in our favor and just slip a little with the truth.  Lord help us to be people of integrity and help us recognize evil deceiving us.  Blessings!

First Reading: Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23

 ²Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher,
  vanity of vanities! All is vanity.

¹²I, the Teacher, when king over Israel in Jerusalem, ¹³applied my mind to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven; it is an unhappy business that God has given to human beings to be busy with. ¹⁴I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun; and see, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.


 ^2:18I hated all my toil in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to those who come after me ¹⁹—and who knows whether they will be wise or foolish? Yet they will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. ²⁰So I turned and gave my heart up to despair concerning all the toil of my labors under the sun, ²¹because sometimes one who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave all to be enjoyed by another who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. ²²What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun? ²³For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest. This also is vanity.

Psalm: Psalm 49:1-12

 ¹Hear this, ^| all you peoples;
  give ear, all you who dwell in the world,
 ²you of high degree and low,
  rich and poor together.
 ³My mouth shall speak of wisdom,
  and my heart shall meditate on understanding.
 ⁴I will incline my ear to a proverb
  and set forth my riddle upon the harp. 
 ⁵Why should I be afraid in evil days,
  when the wickedness of those at my heels surrounds me,
 ⁶the wickedness of those who put their trust in their own prowess,
  and boast of their great riches?
 ⁷One can never redeem another,
  or give to God the ransom for another’s life;
 ⁸for the ransom of a life is so great
  that there would never be enough to pay it,
 ⁹in order to live forever and ever
  and never see the grave.
 ¹⁰For we see that the wise die also; like the dull and stupid they   perish and leave their wealth to those who come after them.
 ¹¹Their graves shall be their homes forever, their dwelling places from    generation to generation,
  though they had named lands after themselves.
 ¹²Even though honored, they cannot live forever;
  they are like the beasts that perish. 

Second Reading: Colossians 3:1-11

¹So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ²Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, ³for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.
 ⁵Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). ⁶On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. ⁷These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life. ⁸But now you must get rid of all such things—anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. ⁹Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices ¹⁰and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. ¹¹In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!

Gospel: Luke 12:13-21

¹³Someone in the crowd said to [Jesus,] “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” ¹⁴But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” ¹⁶Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. ¹⁷And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ ¹⁸Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ ²⁰But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ ²¹So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”

CHILDREN’S SERMON:  The Fox and the Grapes

A Fox one day spied a beautiful bunch of ripe grapes hanging from a vine trained along the branches of a tree. The grapes seemed ready to burst with juice, and the Fox’s mouth watered as he gazed longingly at them.  The Fox had to jump for them.

The first time he jumped he missed it by a long way. So he walked off a short distance and took a running leap at it, only to fall short once more. Again and again he tried, but in vain.  He sat down and looked at the grapes in disgust.

“What a fool I am,” he said. “Here I am wearing myself out to get a bunch of sour grapes that are not worth gaping for.”  And off he walked very, very scornfully.

Let us pray:  Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, my Rock and my Redeemer.

SERMON

Today’s text raises another question for Jesus.  It is the cry for justice.  Make my brother share the inheritance! People are coming with their problems and with their questions to Jesus.  Three men wanted to be disciples for our text a couple weeks ago.  They wanted to follow “but…” Jesus told them to focus on the voice of God, not the other distractions that kept them from obeying.  We then looked at Mary and Martha who actually welcomed Jesus.  Martha wants Jesus to make Mary help her but Mary had chosen that which could not be taken from her, sitting at Jesus’ feet. Luke so far has shared encounters with Jesus as people asked questions and Jesus answered the seekers, gave a parable and then the principle.

• What must I do to inherit eternal life?  Jesus told of The Good Samaritan. Go and do likewise.
• Teach us to pray!  Jesus gave us The Lord’s Prayer.  Ask, search and knock.

Today’s person seeks for justice – make my brother share the inheritance with me.  Make life fair and just.  Jesus tells a parable of a rich man who plans to build larger stores for his anticipated blessings.  Death knocks on his door.  Again we are encouraged to focus on relationship with God.

         Let’s dig in to this week’s text.  Perhaps it is a bit poetic that the Old Testament reading starts our thinking today in Ecclesiastes as Solomon, the wisest man, laments, “Vanity, vanity, all is vanity!”

IT’S NOT FAIR!

We know this cry.  Life is not fair and we want justice.  Ukrainians are victims of war.  They cry on our news broadcasts every night, “Help!”  We seem unable to stop the march of war.  The January 6 reports have been going on for weeks, trying to make a case for injustice and the survey results seem to show little change in our opinion.  We suspect another strain of Coved must be around the corner and are warned to vaccinate because innocent people will die.  We can go on and on.  “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.”  Our man, like the fox, sees a bunch of juicy grapes but they are just out of his reach.

      Our text opens as the person approaches Jesus as “teacher.”  Jesus responds, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?”  I have always pondered Jesus’ response.  He seems to be dismissing the seeker. Let’s think about it for a moment as I think Jesus’ response is significant. 

         First, this person addresses Jesus as authority, teacher, and Jesus responds as “friend”.  Could it be that the incarnation, God taking on flesh in Jesus, is not about judgment and is not about bringing justice to our life now.  Life is unfair.  Believing in Jesus is not about our faith bringing health, wealth, and prosperity for us in this earthly life.  Faith may not be about getting that bunch of grapes.  The fox’s wants do not create reality.  That does not mean Jesus is not God but Jesus’ is focused on the bigger picture, bringing salvation, eternal justice for all creation. 

         Are your feelings a bit hurt?  Mine are a little.  I want God to be there for me to make my life right and make my life make sense.  I am not voting for martyrdom or a painful death or rebellious children.  It makes me think of our family rule that you had to be able to see over the steering wheel of the car before we would allow them to drive on the dirt roads or in the game parks of Kenya.  We knew they were not ready for that responsibility but that did not stop the kids from begging.  They wanted the grapes.  The man wants his fair share and Jesus does not arbitrate but gives a parable.

         Secondly, I ponder if justice is something that can be taught and brought about by law.  Would the man have been truly satisfied if the courts had given him money?  I heard on a pod caste this morning, “Law reveals, it does not resolve.”  Paul wails in Corinthians, “The good I want to do, I don’t.”  And so it is not me but sin that is working in my flesh!  The injustice, the unfairness of the situation, is revealed as our man looks at his brother’s richness and perceives his own poverty but the problem is not the law but the sin, the greed in his heart.  Sin cannot be resolved by new laws that tilt the scales of justice more in my favor.  Sin can only be dealt with on the cross.

         Perhaps we need to think about those injustices that the Evil One loves to whisper about in our ears.  The whisper always draws us into comparison and somehow the “other” always seems to have been dealt the better hand of cards.  The grapes always look juicy.  The other’s ethnicity has it easier.  Their finances must be in better shape than mine. Dare we think their spouse is better than mine?  All these temptations swirl in our minds from time to time and we start singing the “woe is me” song.  Please do not forget that Jesus addresses this man as “friend.”  Last week we were encouraged to approach God as “Our Father.” And yet again we hear Jesus addressing our concerns as “friend.”  Again I hear the message that we are in this together.  God is not the fixer and we the recipient as his serfs.  We are his children and partners.  Some days it feels like a dubious honor and may feel unjust but let’s read on.

         As our friend, Jesus affirms that life is indeed unfair but that is not the fault of the law that sets the rules but that law reveals the greed of our hearts.  Real justice is not about our things but our hearts.

PARABLE

Jesus tells a parable to make his point clear.  A rich farmer is greatly blessed so decides to build bigger barns for storage.  God calls him a fool and says death will visit that night and then what is the value of the blessing?

         Danger, danger.  Did I see you point to the person in the other pew as the “rich farmer”?  We dare not dismiss this story as applying to the “other guy.”  Jesus is speaking to the offended person in front of him.  I would maintain that man is that rich farmer and does not even realize it as he begs for more that he is not yet ready to care for.  If he got that inheritance, he would have to build new barns!  I do not want us to slip pass this.  As a congregation share for one minute some of the blessings God has showered on Bethany and on your life. Turn to your neighbor and say, “I have been blessed with …..”

         The cry of injustice focuses on the other person and forgets our own blessings and the forgiveness for the times we have failed.  I want to make very clear that as we look at this, we also live in the news reports of the deaths of innocent people in mass shootings.  Please do not think that this text today justifies violence, murder and abuse.  Life is unfair and sometimes the pain of it feels like more than we can bare.  The pain of the death of a child for whatever reason, the random violence of war, or the family chaos in refugee situations or disease and accidents, all are not the will of God.  Sin is horrible and must be dealt with.  Better laws does not get to the root of injustice, it only reveals its ugliness.  The life we do not have always looks like a juicy bunch of grapes just outside our reach.

         Danger, danger again.  The farmer is a fool also because he takes credits for the blessings of the harvest.  The word “mine” seems to be written across this parable.  The farmer does not consider sharing his wealth with a tithe, with his family or with the poor.  The saying, “We are blessed to be a blessing,” seems appropriate here.  God blessed that farmer and God blesses us.  The sun rises on us all.  The problem is not the wealth but our ability to acknowledge its source and its purpose.  

         The enemy is not the wealth but the greed that eats at our hearts.   You’ve heard the story of a wealthy man asked how much more money he would need to be satisfied, “Just one more dollar.”  Financial greed is perhaps easy to focus on because it is easy to sing sour grapes like the fox when we do not achieve the wealth we thought of as youth.  My kids thought they would be millionaires by age 25…well 30… just joking!  Greed can drive us to go from lover to lover, from addiction to addiction. The question is, “When is enough, enough?”  That is a different question than the realization of who gives the wealth and the question of how to use it.  The fool does not realize that life is not measured by possessions or popularity or passions.  Wealth is measured by our relationship to God and that is available to all.

BUT

Life is unfair.  The unfairness reveals the conditions of our heart.  Life is a gift to be used to bless others.  Life on earth is temporary.  God is watching.  We are not unseen.  He is involved in our lives all the time and he observed the man in the parable as that man pats himself on his own back about his wealth and planned expansion.  God steps in. “But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be? ”  Unlike the fox who turns his back on the juicy grapes and calls them sour and not worth having, the rich man dreams of new barns because he is confident the grapes are going to be his.  He learns the hard way that he cannot control his life. 

         Life is unfair.  Bad things happen to good people who have worked hard and planned carefully.  Stock markets crash, accidents happen, wars break out and none of these curves in life are the fault of the people who get caught in them.  The fox jumped and jumped but could not get those grapes.  Perhaps it was not his fault!  There is no indication in our parable that God is punishing the man for his mistaken ideas. Jesus is making the point yet again that we need to focus on that of eternal value, our relationship with God, and realize that the temporal things of life pass away.

         Ultimately justice is not achieved by law but by the cross.  None of us deserve the blessings nor the problems in our lives.  Life is a gift.  Death is the equalizer in the parable.  Without his possessions, the man is forced to face his dependence on God.  We have several stories like this in the Bible.  Job without his wealth, family and health, laments with his friends.  His good deeds have not guaranteed the life he wanted.  Paul on the road to Damascus, so zealous for God’s reputation is suddenly struck blind and confronted with a living Jesus.  Paul was going down the wrong road of life.         Jesus concludes this encounter, ²¹So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”  Life is unfair.  Justice cannot be achieved through arbitration or judgments of the law.  Life is not about our possessions but about our relationships.  Those grapes are not sour but juicy and worth jumping for but ultimately God gives us the strength and the perseverance. 

         Paul reminds us in Colossians, our New Testament reading, “²Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, ³for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. . ⁴When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.” 

         We conclude with the question, “Where are your treasures laid up this morning?”  We have come full circle.  Life is unfair.  We can plan and plot but often life takes a twist.  We are not in control of our lives, God is.  God is going to bring justice for all, not the law.  May we store up treasures in heaven and be rich in our relationship with God.

The people of God said, “Amen!”

Our Old Testament reading for Sunday comes from the book of Ecclesiastes where Solomon laments, “The words of the Teacher,^[a] the son of David, king in Jerusalem.  ² Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher,^[b]
 vanity of vanities! All is vanity.”  We went through a variety of readings this week with quite different flavors.  Peter is rescued from jail by an angel and the guards who guarded him were held responsible and executed.  Rhoda, the maid, hears Peter at the door pounding but in her excitement forgets to let him in and ends up defending herself to the prayers who don’t believe.  Herod who gives a speech with the voice of a god, accepts the praise and God shows him who is God as Herod then dies.  Some days life seems so unfair and counter intuitive.  It made me think of the song, “Turn, turn, turn” by the Byrds that comes from chapter 3 of Ecclesiastes.  There is a time, a day, for everything under the sun – a time for suffering like Peter, a time for silly mistakes like Rhoda, and a time for major mistakes like Herod.  Enjoy this “blast from the past” and the season or time you are in in your life now!! May we all recognize God’s hand in our lives!   Blessings!

Acts 12:25 – 13:3

We are half way through the book of Acts, pondering how those early believers became the giants of faith and started a movement that changed the world.  The author Luke shifts his focus from individual encounters with the Holy to what has become known as “Paul’s Missionary Journeys.”  Paul takes three trips across Turkey and Greece and back again plus finally to Rome.  He goes with different partners but on these journeys he plants churches that will be seen in the Epistles that carry their name.

     I first note he was not a lone ranger.  He went with Barnabas, the encourager, and John Mark, his young disciple.  Faith is teamwork and multigenerational.  Also I note that while he was with his support group the Holy Spirit led the group to anoint them for the journey.  In other words, the body of believers affirmed God’s leading.  They were surrounded with prayer, teamwork, and God’s anointing. All are important elements to spiritual growth.

         So who is your prayer partner that listens, prays and gives you honest feedback?  Someone who speaks the truth in love is valuable.  Confirmation from others that you are hearing God correctly is important.  Spend time this morning thanking God for those who journey with you.  Perhaps you need to reflect on whether you are a good, honest and dependable person to travel with!  Blessings on your journey with the Lord.

Acts 12: 20-24

Luke has been giving story after story about happenings in the early church that seem so unscientific.  Philip meets an Ethiopian returning to his queen and the future of Ethiopia is touched by God’s story.  Saul, a devoted enemy of the early believers is struck blind by a bright light and speaks with Jesus as he, Saul, travels to Damascus to persecute people spreading disinformation about Jesus.  God steps in and Saul believes.  History is impacted.  Then Cornelius, a Roman soldier, has a vision as Peter has a vision in a different city and Gentiles hear God’s story of love for all people.  History is impacted.  Peter is delivered from prison by God’s intervention in history.  Luke sees God’s hand directing the flow of history.  How do we see it? 

      Today’s reading goes back to Herod.  Other sources have King Herod Agrippa I dying in 44 AD.  Herod ordered the crucifixion of Jesus.  Two major cities are fighting with him but send a delegation to plead for peace.  Herod, dressed in royal robes grants an audience and gives a royal speech.  People hail the speech as coming from the voice of a god.  Herod accepts the praise and God acts.  According to Luke, Herod falls down and is eaten by worms.  Yuck.  So ends the first half of Acts.

         It seems that Luke is making a case for God’s direct involvement in the events of history and in individual lives.   Spiritual growth is recognizing those moments, grasping their importance, and living in integrity with the revelation.  Ananias had to choose whether he would go and speak to Saul who had come to jail him.  So counter intuitive.  Peter had to decide if he was going to step into a Gentile home.  So counter intuitive.  Herod had to choose whether he was going to claim to have the voice of a God or humble himself.  He missed his chance.  We can say, yes but that was back then.  Daily we make choices of who we are going to give credit to.  Daily we have experiences.   Daily we are confronted with the truth of these stories that God sees and God is active in our world today, in my world today.

     Few of us are people of importance like Herod, leaders of churches like Peter, and probably more like the maid Rhoda but we all play a part in God’s story.  May we pray that we will recognize God’s hand in our lives from the sunrise, through the events of the day, until we rest in the evening.    May we recognize and give credit to the God who holds our lives in the palm of his hands!

Acts 12:11-19

Luke introduces a moment of comic relief in his narrative.  In the midst of persecution, leaders being killed, believers fleeing under pressure, Luke adds this little story.  He tells of Peter being jailed to please the masses and under the guard of 16 soldiers.  Peter is double chained.  Things look grim.  But an angel comes, hits Peter to wake him.  The chains fall off and he walks to safety.  Suddenly Peter realizes it is not a dream but he is free.  He goes to the home of John Mark where people are gathered to pray for him.  Peter pounds on the door and the maid, Rhoda, comes to the door. Upon hearing Peter’s voice, she is so excited she runs to the prayers to announce that Peter is free but leaves Peter pounding on the door!  Peter stands at the door pounding as Rhoda tries to convince the followers that Peter is at the door.  What a silly story to include in the Bible!

         Have you ever been so surprised that God actually answered your prayers that you end up trying to convince others?  Perhaps we pray so much about an issue, convinced that God could resolve it in a certain way, that when God answers our prayer, outside the box, we are incredulous.  Perhaps the believers expected the trial would prove Peter innocent.  Peters they expected all the witnesses to disagree.  Perhaps they expected the trial to be delayed.  They had gathered and were deep in prayer.  They obviously did not expect Peter to turn up at the kitchen door.  God answers our prayers that we may not even be aware of!

         I love the song, “Open our eyes, Lord, Want to See Jesus”

Open our eyes Lord
We want to see Jesus
To reach out and touch Him
And say that we love Him
Open our ears Lord
And Help us to listen
Open our eyes Lord
We want to see Jesus

Let us spend some time today smiling when we see God acting in ways that just surprise us.  Perhaps we need to pray, “Rhoda, open the door and let the miracle in!”  Enjoy the music!

Acts 12:1-21

Back in Jerusalem, the believers are facing trials.  Herod is executing leaders.  Peter is thrown into prison with 16 guards.  In the middle of the night Peter seems to have a vision.  I have had dreams so real I have thrown myself out of bed into the wall avoiding the danger I saw approaching.  My sister claims my brother would sleep walk and get a midnight snack.  Peter is double chained between two of the guards when an angel hits him to wake him.  His chains fall off and he is told to get up, get dressed and get going.  The jail door opens and Peter really wakes up a block away realizing that his dream was real and he was out of jail.  He drew the “get out of jail free” card.  Not all early Christians were so lucky.  Many died a martyr’s death in the areana or as living torches.

         The issue, I think, is not to question the scientific truth of each detail in Peter’s story but to realize that God can, should he choose, rescue us in ways we would never have anticipated.  God can work outside the boxes we put him in.  Faith may not be that we know the answer to the problem we are facing and praying it into reality but rather knowing the God who holds our lives in his hands and finding peace in him.  Despair may be seeing the edges of our problems as cement walls and hope may be realizing that these edges are permeable.  God can walk through doors we think are closed. 

         Perhaps you are facing a dilemma that seems impossible.  Rather than pray about a solution that you think would work, spend a minute today to ask God to open your heart to see him working in new and mysterious ways for his glory.  If all seems on track, spend time praying about the problems facing our country now, congressional divide, war in Ukraine, economy, and deep anger that erupts hurting others.  Many of these seems as hopeless as Peter imprisoned with 16 guards but our text assures us that no problem is too big for God.  Praise his name.