May 15, 2022
St. John’s United Church of Christ, Union, Illinois
Acts 11:1-18; John 13:31-35[1]
What religion were Jesus and his first followers? The answer is, of
course, Jewish. So, let’s look at this vision Peter has when he is praying in
Joppa. What he is being shown are animals that Jews cannot eat. According to
the laws of Moses recorded in Leviticus, certain animals such as pigs, rabbits,
and shellfish are unclean, unacceptable for a Jew to eat. So, what is this
vision from heaven? Are the rules suddenly being changed? It seems that way.
But if you remember any of the other stories of visions people have in the
bible, things are not always exactly what they seem.
You see, the vision is linked with what happened next. Peter’s vision
ends and at that very moment three
men arrive from
It’s the same reason that our Christian bibles have not only the New
Testament stories about Jesus but the Old Testament also. What we know as the
Old Testament is the Jewish bible. It helps us understand Jesus when we understand
where he came from, what his culture was like, how the Jewish people understood
God, and what their idea of Messiah was. At least, that’s what Peter and those
around him thought. There are prerequisites to being Christian. Peter’s vision,
and its accompanying interaction with a group of Gentiles, suggests that maybe
you don’t have to have all the keys before you walk through the door.
This was a breakthrough moment for Peter and the other disciples. It was
a realization that the gospel, the salvation of people through Jesus Christ,
was not meant just for one small group of people. God’s grace and love were not
limited to Jews only. “The Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at
the beginning.”[3]
Yes, the rules are changing. “And
they praised God, saying, ‘Then God has given even to the Gentiles the
repentance that leads to life.’”[4]
God has big plans, bigger than you can imagine, and who are we that we could
hinder God?
The differences between us don’t matter to God. You’ve heard it said: “There
is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer
male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”[5]
The rules that are designed to keep us apart have been broken by this God who loves
all people. God is bigger than one group or another. There is no longer
Catholic or Protestant, there is no longer Presbyterian or Methodist, there is
no longer Congregational or Evangelical. God is bigger than any denomination.
God is the Creator of the entire universe and all that is within it. God’s love
is not limited to this people or that; God’s love is for all people, no
exceptions.
This is what it means to be Christian; it is about something much bigger
than any of us. We are members of St. John’s United Church of Christ, Union,
Illinois. But we are also members of the United Church of Christ in the United
States of America. And, most importantly, we are Christians, along with all the
members of all the other churches all around the world. We are all members of
the family of God.
There are some things you should know about this family. You see, people
can tell when you’re part of this family. There is a way of life, a way of
being in the world that is evidence of your membership in this family. It is the
way of love.
Let me ask you, what do you do when you love something? Me, I love
chocolate. When there is chocolate in the room, my attention gets drawn to it.
I spend time thinking about it. I like to tell other people about it, and I can
get really enthusiastic about it. Dude, I had this really dark chocolate from
Ghirardelli and it was unbelievable! You have to try it! I sometimes stash
chocolate around the house so I can find it later and savor a moment with my
chocolate. I’ve gone out of my way to get chocolate. I really love chocolate.
So, what happens when you love someone? Your heart races, your mind gets
all fuzzy. You spend a lot of time thinking about the one you love. You want to
make them happy. You work hard to please them, and you want them to notice how
much you care. You miss one another when you’re apart, and you can’t wait to be
together again. As love grows deeper, you communicate better, you share your
joys and your sorrows, you talk about your deepest fears and your most precious
hopes for the future. You become partners through life, dancing to the same
inner rhythm. People can tell when you love someone.
“Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”[6]
Jesus’ disciples were good friends. You’d have to be to work so closely and so
hard and at such risk for three years. They cared about each other, not in a
romantic sense, but like siblings or best friends. But Jesus is pushing them
toward something more. “I give you a new commandment, that you love one
another.”[7]
This is not a suggestion. This is not “Hey, can’t we all just get along?” This
is a commandment, and it is bigger than all of them.
The earliest Christian communities functioned like large families. “All
who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their
possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.”[8]
They loved and cared for one another, for all the believers, but it was more
than that. The love that they had extended to their neighbors, the people
around them in their communities, even those whom others considered outcast.
Their love extended across traditional dividing lines of religion and culture
too; remember the Jew/Gentile thing? But it was more than that.
People could tell they were Christians by their love. The love just
spilled out of them. Their love for the things in the world around them, their
love for the people around them, their obvious love for God expressed in
prayer, praise, and song. They were bursting with love, and they never stopped.
Their love flowed into others, who passed that love along to their children,
and grandchildren, and so on. That love flowed into the people who founded the
church in this place, into your ancestors, and it flows now into you. It is the
Holy Spirit. It is the love of God that seeks to flow through every heart. Just
as my love of chocolate is hard to hide, just as people can tell when you love
someone, God’s Holy Spirit of love overflows the Christian heart. Look around.
Can you tell you’re surrounded by Christians?
Amen.
[1] The
scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard
Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of
the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2]
Acts 11:12.
[3]
Acts 11:15.
[4]
Acts 11:18.
[5] Galatians
3:28.
[6]
John 13:34.
[7]
John 13:34.
[8] Acts
2:44-45.
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