Acts 4:5-12br...
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Acts 4:5-12
It sounds like one of those courtroom dramas: The lawyer stands up and, instead of directly answering the charges, sets off on a beautiful philosophical speech, probably full of insight about human nature and the problems in society that make it difficult for us to acknowledge or accept those problems. You know the shows I mean. They target social problems of the day and use the courtroom debate setting to defend their message; we walk away from these shows with a new perspective. Peter is taking advantage of a similar situation: He could answer the charges brought against him by the Jewish leaders, or he could use this opportunity to spread the word about Jesus Christ in a very public way. Which would you choose?
Acts 4:5-12
In Port Angeles, Washington, my wife and I waited to board a passenger ferry to Victoria, British Columbia. The US and Canada are so similar at the border that we were excited to enter by ferry. Doing so added to the feeling that we traveled to a different nation.
When we got our tickets and shuffled along the gangway with the crowd of passengers, we found ourselves directed not only into the ferry nearest the shore, but all the way through it and into another ferry moored on the other side. The craft we thought would take us to our destination turned out to be just one we passed through to the other.
So the early Christians in Jerusalem realized that their faith and their experience of God led through Judaism but didn't stop there. The person who takes us all the way on our journey to God is Jesus: "For there is no other name under heaven given among mortals...."
Acts 4:5-12
In ancient culture, the cornerstone was the first stone to be laid down at the corner of a building. It was a large stone supporting two walls at right angles to each other, making it indispensable. In human terms it is used to describe the one who is least expected to succeed, one who appears to be the least qualified, but who later becomes the hero of the story. In other words, "the stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone."
The Bible reveals that Jesus Christ is the "chief cornerstone" of the Christian faith and the church. This was prophesied in Hebrew scripture and then fulfilled in the New Testament. Since Jesus is the promised Messiah, he has become the "chief cornerstone" of God's redemptive work in the new covenant through his death, burial, and resurrection. When builders are searching for stones of uniform shape and size with which to build, they reject the odd sizes and shapes, those that don't seem to fit in like all the others. God is in the process of rebuilding, only this time it is a whole new world.
1 John 3:16-24
There is an old Japanese legend of a man who died and went to heaven. He found heaven absolutely beautiful, full of lush gardens and glittering mansions.
Then the man came to a room lined with shelves. On the shelves were stacked piles of human ears!
Asking about this bizarre sight, the man received an explanation. The ears belonged to all the people on earth who listened each week to the word of God, but never acted on it. Their love never resulted in the "truth and action" of which 1 John 3:18 speaks.
Consequently, when these people died, only their ears ended up in heaven!
1 John 3:16-24
A Midwestern church has successfully partnered with an African-American congregation in their city. Throughout the year there are events that people from both churches participate. The pastor of the predominately white church encourages his members to "go out into our neighborhoods, our job sites, and our communities, let us be the very first ones in every social setting to reach out a hand of friendship over a racial divide."
The congregation has done just that. Two men, Leroy and Martin, had full lives and occupations and families to tend to. Over several years these two men carved out time to get to know one another. They developed a deep friendship. They go to ball games together and invited each other to share in family meals and other special events.
These two men serve as examples of what the apostle John was writing about: "Let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action." There are times when we must go outside of our comfort zones to embrace people who might have different life experiences. In the concluding verses of today's lesson John writes, "All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us." People outside of the church will see our love in action.
1 John 3:16-24
We passed him every single day. He sat just outside the subway entrance, an old coffee cup in front of him, a cardboard sign around his neck tied on with string. He was dirty, often smelled of urine, and he nary uttered a word. But he was there, and his presence screamed, "I need your help!"
We were off to jobs that paid well, dressed in good quality clothes. For the most part, we ignored him, tried to put a bit of distance between him and ourselves by circling wide, like a running back doing an end around. Some would toss a few coins into his cup but more often derisive looks and ugly remarks were tossed his way.
Then he was gone. After years of being there he just vanished. There was no notice in the papers as to his death or arrest or victimization. He was gone. Many breathed a sigh of relief and went on their way to work or home or to the mall, one less nuisance to avoid.
The Sunday after the man's disappearance, this text was read. I don't know if anyone else heard it, but it was like a dagger through my heart. The only response possible, "Lord, have mercy upon me a sinner."
John 10:11-18
Among sea lions, mother sea lions leave their babies -- called "pups" -- to go hunting. When they return, both mother and pup call for each other. It's a bit like having your mother yell your name across a crowded playground. No matter how many seals are in the area, a pup will always recognize its mother's call, and vice versa. If the wrong pup approaches a mother sea lion, she will go so far as to chase it off; she is looking for her own pup, who knows her voice as well as she knows its voice. Instead of sea lions, Jesus talks to us about animals we are used to: sheep! Just as a sea lion and her pup recognize each others' voices, so we recognize Jesus' voice, and he ours. He is our mother sea lion -- or, in a comparison we understand a little better -- our good shepherd.
John 10:11-18
My wife and I love to watch sheep dog trials. The whole event is exciting; lots of vendors with paraphernalia for dog lovers, crowds of people around who love dogs, and always the focus on the herding. When the dogs aren't working, they sit and watch their comrades work.
No one to my recollection, however, has ever mentioned sympathy for the sheep. They're being pushed this way and that in directions they don't want to go and certainly don't understand. So different with Jesus. He doesn't drive us but leads us and his leading us isn't entertainment for others. His method of leading rules out any competition. He cares for the ones he leads and thus he always goes first. Because he's both our leader and our example we do well to watch the way he leads -- by giving his life.
John 10:11-18
Today is Good Shepherd Sunday, and our focus is on shepherds and sheep, especially the one we know as the good shepherd. We no longer live in an agrarian society, and many of our children will never see sheep "up close and personal." Their imagery, and maybe ours, too, is that of the cuddly little fellow in "Mary Had a Little Lamb." We have come a long way from the time when every family included a shepherd.
In antiquity shepherds were responsible for leading, guiding, protecting, and caring for sheep. But when I hear of wolves coming for the sheep, my mind conjures up scenes from "Little Red Riding Hood." Yet this good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. His obedient death is undertaken so that life may be taken up once again. The role of the good shepherd is exemplified in an obedient death for his sheep. The good shepherd dies, but will continue to lead. Jesus leads because he loves, and those who know him follow him.
