Sermons for the Month
Pushing Out The Boundaries
DATE: May 9th, 2004
SERVICE: Fifth Sunday of Easter
TEXT: Acts 11:1-18To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN Peter had a vision. I had a dream. Peter's vision contained an idea so bold, so disruptive and so unsettling that it had to come straight from God. It was not Peter's idea.
My dream probably resulted from a combination of reflection on Monday evening's meeting, the fact that I read the lesson from Acts after I arrived home that night and the popcorn that I ate at 11 p.m. before falling to sleep. In other words, I'm not equating my subconscious with God, although my dream did give me some food for thought. I'll tell you about it in a moment, but let's talk about Peter's vision first.
It's an odd one, with the sheet and the mammals and the reptiles and the birds and the command to eat. We cannot possibly understand what it means unless we take ourselves back to about 35 AD.
In today's story Peter is doing something even more amazing than was true last week when his prayers awakened Dorcas who had died. This week he's busy enlarging boundaries, and his fellow Christians do not like it one little bit. They have a bad case of the "us" and "them" syndrome.
I remember that one other time when I preached on this text I tried to illustrate it by asking the congregation to imagine that they lived in the first century that the room is divided.
On this side is the people of Israel, known as Jews, who have become followers of Jesus Christ; you are new Christians. You believe certain things very strongly. For example, you believe that God offers salvation only to Jews who believe Jesus is the Messiah. You still cling to Jewish laws and traditions, which includes not eating certain foods that are considered unclean, and not fraternizing with non-Jews. You believe you are right.
Over here, on the other side of the aisle, are the people with whom you would not associate if your life depended on it. There is a wall here, and no one is going through it. These people are the Gentiles, which is anyone who is not a Jew. They have no respect for religion, for tradition, and as far as you are concerned they are not on the list of those who are saved. They are unclean.
If you are on this side, eating with someone on the other side is unthinkable. (Evidently, in the excitement, they forgot that Jesus did it all the time).
OK do you have the picture in your minds? Now, let's just say that all of you have heard that Peter, your leader, has not only associated with non-Jews, but eaten with them. How would you respond? Well, you would be indignant, of course! This is extreme behavior. It's threatening. How could he do such a thing?
Your reaction is strong because you are afraid that's usually what's at the root of all prejudice. Although there has been some hostility expressed toward this new religious movement called Christianity, the apostles have been able to enjoy a measure of goodwill and freedom. That may dissipate if anything draws attention to the faithful, which may just happen if Jews and Gentiles are crossing the boundaries that have kept people contained for centuries.
So, you criticize Peter saying something like this, "What were you thinking? Are you out of your mind? Don't you know the rules?"
And, Peter responds by telling what happened. Here's the condensed version. "First", Peter explains, "I had a vision - in triplicate - in which God commanded me to eat what we consider to be unclean. Second, a Gentile had a vision in which he was told to send for me. Third, when his men came for me, I went, because the Holy Spirit told me to do. Fourth, when I got there, the entire household was gathered to hear the Good News. Fifth, I was empowered by the Holy Spirit to tell them about Jesus, his death and his resurrection. Sixth, the Holy Spirit came upon them in the same way it came upon us on Pentecost, and they were baptized."
"Now", Peter might have said, "I can't argue with that. If God tells me not to call anyone unclean, and if God chooses to save the Gentiles, then who am I to question God?" There wasn't much the others could say, was there? Our story ends with this simple statement, "And they praised God saying, 'Then God has given even the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.'" CRASH the wall came down! There is no more them, and us. If God made no distinction between believing Gentiles and believing Jews, how could that barrier be maintained? It can't.
Now I'll tell you about my dream. It also was about animals, lots of animals. Now, remember, we had just had a meeting during which we talked about Faith Lutheran Church living out its vision for ministry and opportunities for outreach in our community. In my dream I was told to care for many animals. Now remember, I'm no Leo Boes, being a caretaker of a plethora of creatures is not my gift. Nevertheless, in my dream I was told to find these animals and care for them.
Two things were very clear. One was that I was resistant to doing it, because I felt inadequate to the task, and the other was that it took a great deal of time and effort to figure out what I was supposed to do, to find the animals and then to do exactly what was needed for them. With great hesitancy I began opening draws and cupboards and doors to rooms, and everyplace I looked there was something to care for. I had to let them get use to me, show affection and then feed them. Over and over again I came upon animals of every size, shape and variety that needed nurture and nourishment. Then I woke up.
I thought about the dream for several hours. I think that, like the lesson from Acts, it is a reminder to me that God's love extends beyond that with which I may be comfortable. God is determined to have the whole world as His own, and we are privileged to be a part of that goal. But, it's hard for us. We resist. We feel inadequate. We are unsure what to do and it's tedious to take the time and effort to find out and then to do it. On top of all that, opening the doors is risky. Who knows what or who we will find? Will our attempts to show acceptance and to meet needs be done right, be received?
As I reflect on all this I am thankful that I'm not in this alone, that we are a body of believers, a faith community who are committed to opening doors and taking risks to break down boundaries that would limit the Gospel's spread. And, I'm confident that the Holy Spirit will give us the direction we need.
I read a story this week that took my breath away - in a negative way. It was told by theologian Fred Craddock about a church that he remembered as THE status church. First Church Downtown, it was called. At one time anyone who was anybody went to that church. But the church had a problem; it was a place resistant to change, to opening eyes and then doors, to welcoming all and to expanding boundaries.
Sadly, it closed. Well, Mr. Craddock had the occasion to go back to that city and discovered that First Church Downtown was still there. But it was a restaurant, a fish restaurant. He walked in the big gothic doors and, sure enough, where there had once been pews, now there were tables, and waiters, and diners. He looked down the nave of the old church and where the altar - the communion table - had once stood, now there was a salad bar. He walked out the front door, back down the steps, muttering to himself, "Now I guess everybody is welcome to eat at the table."
It's a startling image, isn't it? It's disturbing. And, it's not what we are about here at Faith as we allow the Holy Spirit to prod us toward the wideness of God's mercy. God is still in the expansion business - through us. And, who knows, perhaps like Peter we will receive a vision that is so bold that it had to come straight from God because none of us would have had the courage to come up with it. All I have to say is this do not get too comfortable and keep praying!
AMEN