On the Way to Wonder

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.

Acts 11:19-30

We are observing the growth of young faith system as persecution seems to be driving believers north along the Mediterranean Coast – Jerusalem to Caesarea to Cyprus and back to the Syrian Antioch not so far from Tarsus where Saul is.  Jewish followers are sharing with other Jews but in Antioch someone starts sharing with the Greeks and there is a new wave of believers.  “The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.”

         Christian is a common label today but back then “Christ” was the Greek word for “Messiah,” God’s anointed king.  The Greeks did not know all the spiritual implications for Jews and the title stuck.  The leaders in Jerusalem sent Barnabas, the encourager, to check this all out and Barnabas brought Saul back from Tarsus, up the coast, and they taught believers for a year.  Remember, there were no written Scriptures, no podcasts, no ipads and no radio.  Spiritual growth was one person reaching out to another, sharing, and modeling and encouraging.  Saul who was trained had the intellectual background to encourage and Barnabas had the heart.

         Verse 23 shares, “When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them to stay true to the Lord with all their hearts.”   I think this is our nugget for today.  It is so easy to look out and see all the problems confronting our world today.  We turn on the news and can be depressed before lunch!  Barnabas looked out with eyes that saw grace operating in his world, no economics, no politics, not disease and corruption.  He saw grace.  Pick a time period, say a year or ten, and see if you can identify God’s hand of grace working in your life.  Try to list three highlights from that time period and then thank God for his blessing.  This need not be miracles.  My husband turned 76 and we asked him to name six blessings.  A man dealing with Parkinson’s named health as his first blessing.  Each day it is a major task to get from point A to point B but he does and he appreciates each day he is not in a wheelchair!  I was touched.  What might you name as a blessing today?

         Secondly Barnabas had the humility to call for Saul to come and help him disciple the believers.  Perhaps thank God for those who are teaching you and challenging you to grow in your faith.  An attitude of gratitude and the humility to learn are both good ways to approach today.  Blessings as you face your challenges!

Good morning.  I think I chose this song recently but am going to choose it again.  It is new to me.  “God will make a way, when there seems to be no way.”  Cornelius, a Roman centurion, is seeking God but is considered an outsider by the Jews he is in charge of.  There is no social venue for him to even hear about their faith, personally.  But this week we looked how God stepped in and made a way, speaking to Cornelius in a vision and to Peter in a vision.  God brings them together miraculously and the course of Christianity is changed and broadened as the early believers are challenged to understand what God is so obviously doing.

     Last night my husband. who is struggling with Parkinson’s Disease and can barely walk, and I were invited to dinner by an old friend we had not seen for years who was in our area.  It was my husband’s birthday and we were invited to a place I have longingly driven by but never gone to eat.  In fact the place was hidden by trees so I did not know what to anticipate.  It ended up being a long downhill boardwalk to a scenic  patio on a beach but for a person who struggles to walk at all and uses a walker, it was a nightmare.  Of course it started to rain, lightning and thunder and we had to immediately climb back up the hill to a safer venue.  The cook and manager stayed with us, pushing as we held up let and got my husband through the rain to a safe place.  It was terribly embarrassing but it was also deeply touching at how people helped and were God’s hands to make a way because on our own, we could not have done it. Thank you Lord for people who help.

         Blessings as you face your challenges today and look for how God is helping!

God will make a way,  Where there seems to be no way.  He works in ways we cannot see.  He will make a way for me.

He will be my guide,  Hold me closely to His side.  With love and strength for each new day,  He will make a way, He will make a way

Refrain

Oh, God will make a way.  Where there seems to be no way. He works in ways we cannot see.  He will make a way for me.  He will be my guide.  Hold me closely to His side.  With love and strength for each new day.  He will make a way, He will make a way

By a roadway in the wilderness, He’ll lead me  (Rivers in the desert).  Rivers in the desert will I see.  Heaven and earth will fade but His Word will still remain
And He will do something new today

Refrain

Who might be here tonight.  You may think God has forgotten you.  About your situation, but He hasn’t.  The Bible says that we are inscribe in the palm of His hand
And Heaven and earth may pass away. But His word will remain forever
And He can do exceedingly, abundantly.  Above all that we could ever ask or think tonight (amen).  Amen, let’s sing it.

Refrain

God will make a way!

Acts 11:1-18

Peter has broken with tradition and with accepted Jewish expectations, if not rules, for meeting with Gentiles.  He has not only gone into the house of Cornelius, a Roman centurion, but he has also eaten with the group gathered, fellowshipped with them, AND baptized them.  He then is questioned by a subgroup among the early believers that strongly believed new believers must become Jews to join their group.  This protocol was not followed.  Peter is called to explain.

           We cannot throw stones here for Christians subdivide according to beliefs about end times – pre-trib, post-trib, millennial.  We divide according to how we understand baptism or communion and sacraments.  It feels like being called to the principal’s office when we have to explain our actions. The discussion that is unfolding will deeply mark the trajectory of the growth of Christianity.  But we are looking at how Peter responded to conflict?

         As we ponder spiritual growth, it might be useful to reflect on how Peter dealt with conflict. We find an interesting response.  It seems that Peter rather than argue and defend, shared his story about how the events unfolded and how it seems that God led.  He started at Joppa and shared about his vision and hearing God’s voice.  He points out that he was not alone but in a group who also experienced the event.  He identifies the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the Gentile in the meeting.  His explanation does not sound defensive.  The confronters are satisfied.  The issue will go to the Jerusalem leadership.  Labeling, name-calling and blood shed were not elements as we see in our arguments going on in society today.

         So how do you handle conflict?  One of the litmus tests that might come  up in marriage counseling is to talk about having a real argument with the other and how it was resolved.  I remember being advised to never say, “You’re just like….” But to try to give “I feel” statements that do not sound accusatory and own your own perspective.  Peter stuck to the facts and traced God’s perceived action that led him.  It is definitely good advice to not only “count to 10” but also to review a situation identifying God’s leading and possibly others who can verify our understanding.  Slowing down and praying is always wise.  Stepping into new areas of applying our faith can be confusing to others so let us be patient with them as we explain.  God does lead us into new challenges that cause us to grow spiritually and understand Him better.

Acts 10:23-48

The apostle Peter and friends have traveled up the coast from Joppa to Caesarea to meet with Cornelius and all his family and friends who have gathered in Cornelius’ home.  Peter acknowledges the uniqueness of the situation that he a Jew is going into a Gentile home and breaking tradition.  Peter goes on to say,

         “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but      accepts from every nation the one who f ears him and does what is    right.”

Peter continues giving a brief summary of who Jesus is , ending with the resurrection and that Jesus will be the one to “judge the living and the dead.”  The Holy Spirit astonishes everyone present by giving the gift of tongues, just like Pentecost to Gentiles who are not circumcised!  These new believers are then baptized but something astronomical has happened.

         I think it was about my fortieth birthday and I was in Kenya.  I got up and went to wash my face and held up the face cloth.  The whole center of the cloth was worn out and just the square fringe hung in my fingers.  I lamented.  Surely the God of the universe could provide me, someone trying so hard to “be good,” with a facecloth.  It was a silly woe-is-me moment but revealed my sense of entitlement.  I went about my day.  At lunch we ate on the porch and I came inside for something.  On the dining room table was a big box as someone had gone to the post office.  Inside was a set of towels for everyone in our family, complete with towel and face cloth!  I suddenly realized!  The issue was not the face cloth.  This experience spoke to me of a God that was so much bigger and caring than I had realized.  I had been feeling so self centered but somehow God had been working outside the box to make all the events of the day come together.  Peter suddenly realized.  What?  God was bigger than the boxes he had put God in and was working in ways to God’s glory.  The story of faith is bigger than me.

         Perhaps you have had an experience that made you suddenly “realize” and experience God in a more profound way.  God is working in the Corneliuses, the Sauls and all those in the net of those relationships.  Thank you Lord that you are active far above my ability to anticipate.