Acts 14:9-10

He listened to Paul as he was speaking. And Paul, looking at him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And the man sprang up and began to walk.

Reflection by Anthony B. Robinson

Looking at a man who sat crippled by the roadside, we read that Paul saw his faith. I wonder what Paul saw? What does faith look like?

Have you “seen” faith? When someone looks at you, do they “see” faith? Does God?

I am not sure what faith looks like exactly. But I’m pretty sure it looks like trust. Trust and a willingness to take a risk. And something more, often faith has an “in-spite-of” quality to it. Trusting and getting to your feet despite being crippled; believing and going on when it’s hard to do so and against the visible evidence.

Years ago, during an especially challenging time in my life, a lovely older friend gave me a three by five card with these words written on it: “There is, in the universe, a power forever on the side of those brave enough to trust it.” I think she was telling me, despite all, keep showing up just as fully as you possibly can. And even when it’s hard, even when you feel or are crippled in some way (aren’t we all?), keep on trusting wildly in God. I’ve held those words close to my heart a long time now.

Are you living in faith, by faith these days? Can others see faith in you? Make your faith visible today. Lord knows, we need it. We need you.

Prayer

Lord, in Jesus you have made faith visible to us and for us. Help me to make my faith visible today. Amen.

Acts 14:5-7 

And when an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them, the apostles learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country; and there they continued proclaiming the good news.

Reflection by Donna Schaper

She works for a large company. The week after they rolled out a new $495,000 product, they laid off another group of employees. Apparently the new product doesn’t need as much work on it as the old models, or the company needs to have the kind of margin of profit other investors insist upon, which is around 27%. 

Her response was magnificent. “My partner and I already have a plan for our future, and we will continue to pursue it, whether I am a part of the next lay off group or not.” When we talk about keepin’ on keepin’ on, this lady leads the way. 

Clearly our economic system, no matter the recession or the greed, plans to keep on doing things the way it has always done them. On the cheap, except for those who profit from the cheapening. Michael Moore’s new movie sends our hero to Wall Street, where he demands that Wall Street give the people back our money. My friends do it another way; they don’t allow corporations to knock them off their moral or spiritual horses. 

When stones get thrown at people, they need to keep on proclaiming the good news that rich and poor alike have value in the eyes of God and therefore in their own as well. 

Prayer 

O God, you who have been stoned by greed for way too long, teach us your holy persistence, that we can keep on hoping, believing, even caring. Amen.

Acts 13:13-51

Then Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. John, however, left them and returned to Jerusalem; but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. After the reading of the law and the prophets, the officials of the synagogue sent them a message, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, give it.” So Paul stood up and with a gesture began to speak: “You Israelites, and others who fear God, listen. The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. For about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. After he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance for about four hundred fifty years. After that he gave them judges until the time of the prophet Samuel. Then they asked for a king; and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years. When he had removed him, he made David their king. In his testimony about him he said, ‘I have found David, son of Jesse, to be a man after my heart, who will carry out all my wishes.’ Of this man’s posterity God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised; before his coming John had already proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And as John was finishing his work, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but one is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of the sandals on his feet.” “My brothers, you descendants of Abraham’s family, and others who fear God, to us the message of this salvation has been sent. Because the residents of Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize him or understand the words of the prophets that are read every sabbath, they fulfilled those words by condemning him. Even though they found no cause for a sentence of death, they asked Pilate to have him killed. When they had carried out everything that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead; and for many days he appeared to those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, and they are now his witnesses to the people. And we bring you the good news that what God promised to our ancestors he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising Jesus; as also it is written in the second psalm, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you.’ As to his raising him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, ‘I will give you the holy promises made to David.’ 

Therefore he has also said in another psalm, ‘You will not let your Holy One experience corruption.’ For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, died, was laid beside his ancestors, and experienced corruption; but he whom God raised up experienced no corruption. Let it be known to you therefore, my brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you; by this Jesus everyone who believes is set free from all those sins from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. Beware, therefore, that what the prophets said does not happen to you: ‘Look, you scoffers! Be amazed and perish, for in your days I am doing a work, a work that you will never believe, even if someone tells you.’”
As Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people urged them to speak about these things again the next sabbath. When the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to continue in the grace of God. The next sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy; and blaspheming, they contradicted what was spoken by Paul. Then both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you. 

Since you reject it and judge yourselves to be unworthy of eternal life, we are now turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, ‘I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles, so that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and praised the word of the Lord; and as many as had been destined for eternal life became believers. Thus the word of the Lord spread throughout the region. But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, and stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their region. So they shook the dust off their feet in protest against them, and went to Iconium.

Reflection by William C. Green

Jesus did not intend to start a new religion. Neither did Paul. Both were devout Jews. They didn’t break with tradition. They broke with the traditionalism that preferred periods to commas, and couldn’t allow for a God who is still speaking and welcoming everyone.

Jesus and Paul, the disciples and later apostles, often “went into the synagogue and sat down.” They did not thumb their noses at established religious practices. They emphasized what their religion was supposed to be all about—as when Jesus said regarding a key commandment, “The Sabbath is made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” He was not rejecting the tradition of the Sabbath. He was calling people to remember what it really meant.

We can be exclusionary—bound by our own tradition, “traditionalists”—under the influence of what is customary and makes us most comfortable. We like knowing what to expect. This is only natural. But it could mean we wouldn’t want Paul in the pulpit. As Paul knew—and the prophets and Jesus before him—there’s a lot in our tradition about God’s love and forgiveness that is disturbing, especially when it extends to people much different from us, whose ways and views are at odds with ours.

Prayer

God, whose arms are wider than the world, and whose embrace far exceeds my own, may I feel your hand holding mine as I welcome the hands of others, even those I don’t like. Amen.

Acts 13:1-12

Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the ruler, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. 

So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia; and from there they sailed to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John also to assist them. When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they met a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet, named Bar-Jesus. He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear the word of God. But the magician Elymas (for that is the translation of his name) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? And now listen—the hand of the Lord is against you, and you will be blind for a while, unable to see the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he went about groping for someone to lead him by the hand. When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.

Reflection by Martin B. Copenhaver

Names are important. A name is so much more than, say, a label attached to a jar. We identify with our names. In fact, I feel so closely identified with my name that if I had a different name I feel like I would be a different person. And when we change our names, it usually marks a big change in one’s life. When our daughter Alanna was very young she could not pronounce her name, so she called herself “Lala,” and so we did, too. Then one day, when I called her Lala, she announced, “I am not Lala. I am Alanna.” In that statement she was not only pronouncing her name, she was also announcing that she was now a big girl. No one ever called her Lala again.

Saul had been a persecutor of Christians. But then he had his own encounter with the Risen Christ, and his life was changed forever. He too became a follower of the Way—just like those he had formerly persecuted. The change was so dramatic and so complete that his old name simply no longer fit. This new person needed a new name. So he became known as Paul.

And when you or I are baptized we are given a new name, the name of Jesus Christ (in fact, some people speak of baptism as “christening”—literally, taking on the name of Christ). In baptism his name is now part of your name. How might that realization change the way you approach the day?

Prayer

O God, you call each of us by name, but you also give us a new name, the name of Jesus Christ. Help me to live into—and up to—the implications of that name change. Amen.

Acts 12:6-19

The very night before Herod was going to bring him out, Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while guards in front of the door were keeping watch over the prison. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his wrists. The angel said to him, “Fasten your belt and put on your sandals.” He did so. Then he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” Peter went out and followed him; he did not realize that what was happening with the angel’s help was real; he thought he was seeing a vision. After they had passed the first and the second guard, they came before the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went outside and walked along a lane, when suddenly the angel left him. Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hands of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.” As soon as he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many had gathered and were praying. When he knocked at the outer gate, a maid named Rhoda came to answer. On recognizing Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the gate, she ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the gate. They said to her, “You are out of your mind!” But she insisted that it was so. They said, “It is his angel.” Meanwhile Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the gate, they saw him and were amazed. He motioned to them with his hand to be silent, and described for them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he added, “Tell this to James and to the believers.” Then he left and went to another place. When morning came, there was no small commotion among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. When Herod had searched for him and could not find him, he examined the guards and ordered them to be put to death. Then Peter went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there.

Reflection by Felix Carrion

Who led Peter out of prison? The text says, “An angel.”

I’ve heard people say that some relative, some friend, some pastor, some child, some stranger, someone out there, was “an angel” to them. What I understand them to mean is that this person was sent to them in that precise moment when they were most needed. Out of nowhere, and with no prompting from the person they reached out to, they appeared or called or sent a book or wrote a letter or prayed a powerful prayer.

In that hour of need, and in their appearing, they were no longer just a relative, friend, pastor, child, stranger, or someone out there; they were an angel and their deed was indeed miraculous. (I recall many years ago, in the middle of a sorrowful night, while prayerful tears fell from my eyes, in search of a sign from God, my youngest son called out, “I love you, Dad,” and fell right back to sleep.)

An angel is a messenger, sent by God, with a message. They point us in the right direction; they shine a light; they make clear the unclear; they open a door; they break chains; they move us from bondage into freedom’s path.

All kinds of people can and have done exactly these things at God’s prompting. So, today be an angel. Or, at least, go ahead and recognize the one that was sent to you (recently or a long time ago). And, be assured -- this is real!

Prayer

O God, you make me smile, how you come to me. Amen.

Acts 11:19-21

Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to the Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.  (NIV)

Reflection by Kenneth L. Samuel

Ever notice how we can travel to different cities, states, and even countries—and still gravitate toward the same kind of people that we left back at home? Let’s face it, we all tend to feel more comfortable with persons who fit a certain profile in our minds, and these are the people that we seek out, no matter where we go, often to the exclusion of others. Could this explain why cultural diversity and inter-cultural exchange are so much at risk in our culture? Could this have anything to do with the demonization of Muslims by some Christians or the attacks upon Jews by some Arabs or the disdain for Hispanic immigrants by some Americans or the fear of “gay culture” by some straight people?

Some of us only build community with our own kind. But thank God, there are others of us who see God in strangers as much as we see God in our own kin. When the first-century persecution of Christians in Jerusalem forced the early disciples out of the city into different places, not all of them took advantage of the Christian diaspora to reach out to different people. Some, however, though steeped in Judaism, decided to cross the cultural divide and build community with the Greek gentiles. It was a bold, risky endeavor, but according to Acts, “The Lord’s hand was with them.” We can be sure that whenever we break down the barriers that separate us from others and promote human unity in the midst of cultural diversity, God always has a hand in it.

Prayer

Lord we thank you for sending us to so many different places. Now, please help us to encounter you and embrace you in the faces of all the people who seem like strangers to us. In the name of the Christ who makes us all one, Amen.

Acts 11:1-8

Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, saying, “Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?” Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ But I replied, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’”

Reflection by Quinn G. Caldwell

Here’s what it means to be a saint: it means you have direct access to God. It means that you can see the Heart the breaks for all that is broken.

Here’s who is a saint: every member of the church, and that means you.

You know that through history, the church has recognized certain people for their closeness to God, people like Peter from today’s story. But in our tradition, everyone who is a member of the church is a saint, able to communicate directly with God, gifted, at least sometimes, with visions of God’s heart. And when we’re really getting it right, we saints then find ways to pass what we know about God on to the people around us, spreading vision and grace freely, as Saint Peter did.

Today is All Saints’ Day. Today, pick at least one saint who has already gone home to God, and at least one that is still with you. Say their names out loud and offer them up to God. Remember at least one thing that each one taught you about God. Say it out loud, and offer it up. Then sing like you mean it:

Prayer

For all the saints who from their labors rest
Who through the years their steadfast faith confessed.
Your name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.
Alleluia, alleluia!

Still may your people faithful, true, and bold
Live as the saints who nobly fought of old
And win with them a glorious crown of gold.
Alleluia, alleluia!

Acts 10:44-48

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

Reflection by Barbara Brown Zikmund

Recent studies indicate that people who "multi-task" are everywhere. We drive and listen and talk. Sometimes we text at the same time (Oops!) Not a good idea. We take books to read if we have to wait. We pop in ear buds to take a walk. We listen to a program or a concert while we knit, play video games or check our Facebook page.

For most of us, one thing at a time is boring. Silence is rare. Multi-tasking is a way of life.

In the UCC we say that "God is still speaking." Are we listening? In the early church when Peter was speaking, the Holy Spirit fell on folks. We are also told that it didn't fall on just anybody, it fell on all who "heard the word." Do you hear what I hear? Maybe God was multi-tasking. Maybe Peter was boring. The theological question is how do we get beyond boring, without blocking the Holy Spirit?

Prayer

Amazing God, we want the Holy Spirit to fall on us and take us beyond boring. We know that when we really listen for you, because you are a "still speaking God," something might happen. So we pray in the words of a familiar hymn, "Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me." Amen.

About the Author

Barbara Brown Zikmund ("BBZ" to her friends) is a retired seminary professor and church historian who lives in Washington, D.C.

Acts 10:34-43

Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: 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. 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; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, 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. 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. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Reflection by Martin B. Copenhaver

In Jesus' day there was great enmity between Jews and Gentiles. So perhaps it is not surprising that, in the earliest days of the church, there were many who thought that the good news of Jesus was for Jews alone. Peter was particularly fervent in his belief that in order to be a follower of Jesus one had to conform to Jewish practices. But then Peter was touched by the faith of a Gentile named Cornelius and he received a vision in a dream that showed him otherwise. Peter said, to everyone's astonishment (and perhaps his own), "I truly understand that God shows no partiality."

Given what Peter had previously believed, it would have been remarkable if he had said, "I truly understand that God does not want us to hate one another." It would have been startling if he had said, "I truly understand that God wants us accept one another." It would have been revolutionary if he had said, "I truly understand that God wants us to be in relationship with one another." But Peter says more than any of those things, and more than all of that combined. Peter says, in essence, "No one is in and no one is out. We are the same in God's sight."

That story is such a pivotal one, not merely because it traces an important moment in the history of the church, but also because it reminds us that that history continues. God is still extending a wider welcome than we would be inclined to give.

Prayer

God, we affirm that you are still speaking. May we still listen. Amen.

About the Author

Martin B. Copenhaver is Senior Pastor, Wellesley Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Wellesley, Massachusetts. His new book, This Odd and Wondrous Calling: the Public and Private Lives of Two Ministers, co-authored with Lillian Daniel, has just been published.

Acts 10:23b-33

So Peter invited them in and gave them lodging. The next day he got up and went with them, and some of the believers from Joppa accompanied him. The following day they came to Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. On Peter’s arrival Cornelius met him, and falling at his feet, worshiped him. But Peter made him get up, saying, “Stand up; I am only a mortal.” And as he talked with him, he went in and found that many had assembled; and he said to them, “You yourselves know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or to visit a Gentile; but God has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without objection. Now may I ask why you sent for me?” Cornelius replied, “Four days ago at this very hour, at three o”clock, I was praying in my house when suddenly a man in dazzling clothes stood before me. He said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon, who is called Peter; he is staying in the home of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ Therefore I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. So now all of us are here in the presence of God to listen to all that the Lord has commanded you to say.”

Reflection by Donna Schaper

Peter asks Cornelius a pretty tough question. What is a nice Jewish boy doing in a place like this?

God has told us that we are not to call anything or anyone profane or unclean. When we find ourselves on something that feels like another planet, with seeming zombies or aliens, we can follow these guidelines in the great soap opera of life.

We can slow down and really notice what we think we have already seen. We can ask the questions of what and why and avoid the tyranny of the technical, the hegemony of the how. Often we don't know how to do something until we really know what it is and why we are doing it.

Maybe we are here to separate the chaff from the wheat. Maybe we are here to learn the desirability of certain difficulties. Maybe we are here to forget about who we can blame and learn who we can trust. Maybe we are here to build hate-free zones. Maybe we are here for the soap and the opera.

Prayer

Send us on a sacred search for the profane and the unclean parts of life. Make sure we know our part in the great soapy opera. Amen.

About the Author 

Donna Schaper is Senior Minister of Judson Memorial Church in New York City.

Acts 10:9-23a

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

While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Look, three men are searching for you. Now get up, go down, and go with them without hesitation; for I have sent them.” So Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for your coming?” They answered, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.” So Peter invited them in and gave them lodging. The next day he got up and went with them, and some of the believers from Joppa accompanied him.

Reflection by Christina Villa

Peter is hungry. He has a vision and hears God tell him what to do: “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.” Wait a minute, Peter says, I’m not going to just kill any old thing and eat it! That’s against the rules, and apparently even having God tell him it’s OK—not once, not twice, but three times—isn’t enough for Peter. He’s still “greatly puzzled” by what he’s heard. What could it mean? What should he do about it? He’s still thinking about it later, when the Spirit, sounding exasperated, has a job for him to do, but has to prod him into action: “Now get up, go down, and go with them without hesitation, for I have sent them.”

Sometimes we get so used to following various kinds of “rules” that our obedience to them gets in the way of our obedience to God. Sometimes we follow rules in order to avoid challenge or risk. In the process of staying safe, and perhaps congratulating ourselves for being good rule-followers, we never do anything that might be considered divinely inspired—or even very important to us. In this scripture, Peter actually refuses to do what God tells him to do—he tells God, “By no means, Lord”—because he’s let the rule become his god. But God is changing the rules here, as if to illustrate the old saying that rules are made to be broken.

What “rules” are you busy following while the Spirit is repeatedly trying to make you “get up” and do something else, something you were meant to do, something God has in mind for you?

Prayer

Thank you, God, for never giving up on trying to get my attention. Amen.

Acts 10:1-8

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

Reflection by Kenneth L. Samuel

Cornelius enters the narrative of the Acts of the Apostles not because of his status, culture or class. The door of the narrative is open to Cornelius because of his deeds. It is Cornelius' deeds of prayers and gifts to the poor that open the door to an epiphany in his life. An angel informs him that God has taken note of what he has done to help those whom Christ called "the least of these." And it is his deeds of prayers and gifts to the poor that open the door to his cross-cultural relationship with the Apostle Paul and his pivotal role in helping to spread the Gospel to people of all nations.

As Christians, we are often duped into thinking that what makes us distinctive from other people is our doctrinal creeds and our unique liturgies. But beyond faith statements and religious resolutions, God still takes special note of what we do to help relieve the suffering of those who are poor in spirit, poor in health and poor in resources. Deeds of service to the poor still open doors to greater communion with God and to greater community among people of different cultures and creeds.

Christ has opened the door of acceptance and salvation to all of us. Our creeds may help us to see that this door is open, but it will take Christ-like deeds to get us in.

Prayer

God, help us to be doers of your Word, not just hearers. Let our sacrifices of love, our acts of kindness and our expressions of compassion announce to the world that we are your disciples, indeed! Amen.

About the Author

Kenneth L. Samuel is Pastor of Victory for the World Church, Stone Mountain, Georgia.

Acts 9:36-43

Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, “Please come to us without delay.” So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them. Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, “Tabitha, get up.” Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. Meanwhile he stayed in Joppa for some time with a certain Simon, a tanner.

Reflection by Lillian Daniel

As a pastor, when I visit the grieving and the sick, I can offer prayers and spiritual companionship, but I can't deliver a miracle. I wish I could, but thus far, the dead people I visit stay dead.

I comfort myself by thinking that Jesus could resurrect the dead, but I'm not Jesus. Yet here Peter gets to deliver the miracle. A woman presumed to be dead wakes up and lives. Why didn't Jesus teach me how to do that?

Miracle stories are tough to take in. You may find yourself going to the practical answers. Perhaps she wasn't really dead, just in a coma, and Peter got there at just the right moment. Maybe she was sleeping and Peter woke her up. Maybe, maybe, maybe…maybe she really did come back from the dead, not by Peter's power but by God's. But why didn't God teach us all how to resurrect each other?

Why didn't Jesus just sit still in one place his whole life and wait for all the dying people to come to him? If his main goal was eliminating all grief and suffering that would have been more efficient. But apparently that wasn't his goal.

Perhaps miracles are sprinkled lightly in the world to remind us that the real miracle is waiting for all of us after we die. If God can do a few of these here on earth, imagine what can happen on God's own turf, one day, in heaven.

Prayer

Christ, let your healing power be known to me. Touch all who grieve with your holy hope: for a day when we will all be raised and gathered together around the heavenly banquet, where grief will be no more. Amen.

About the Author

Lillian Daniel is the senior minister of the First Congregational Church, UCC, Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Her new book, This Odd and Wondrous Calling: the Public and Private Lives of Two Ministers, co-authored with Martin B. Copenhaver, has just been published.

Acts 9: 19-35

After taking some food, Saul regained his strength. For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” All who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem among those who invoked this name? And has he not come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” Saul became increasingly more powerful and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Messiah. 

After some time had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night so that they might kill him; but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket. When he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples; and they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him, brought him to the apostles, and described for them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus. So he went in and out among them in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. He spoke and argued with the Hellenists; but they were attempting to kill him. When the believers learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. Meanwhile the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was built up. Living in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers. 

Now as Peter went here and there among all the believers, he came down also to the saints living in Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden for eight years, for he was paralyzed. Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your bed!” And immediately he got up. And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

Reflection by Ron Buford

The disciples were skeptical about Saul's conversion from persecutor to preacher and wanted to exclude him. They try to play it safe. But Barnabas advocates with the apostles on Saul's behalf to grow the circle wider. As a result, Peter ventures out to different kinds of people--even amid danger.

Sometimes it's easier to close ourselves off in fear, isn't it? Physical or emotional problems, work, finances, growing older--all challenge us. Sometimes we cut ourselves off from life trying to save it. Our world becomes smaller.

Is playing it safe worth it?

Perhaps Peter thought of Jesus' words as he left Jerusalem's inner sanctum: "Whoever would save his life, must risk losing it for my sake and the sake of the gospel." Now older and weaker, giving way to the new ways of Paul, he travels to Lydda and finds a paralyzed man, Aeneas. "Peter said to him, 'Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your bed!' Immediately Aeneas got up. All the residents of Lydda and Sharon turned to the Lord."

Like Peter, like Aeneas, though life is changing, you're not through. Get up! Make your bed! Get out! Embrace life! Live in awe of the Stillspeaking God who still gives life, protects, and maximizes joy into old age. And if we fall, let us fall moving forward, living in awe of God's goodness and mercy, filled with hopeful expectation, in the comfort of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer

Gracious God, Let evening come. I am not afraid. I've taken off my watch ... for today. And when tomorrow comes, whether I see it here or over there, let's make it a blast! Amen.

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/let-evening-come
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce7R4B4igkg

About the Author

Ron Buford is the Director of Development for the Northern California, Nevada Conference.