Fifth Sunday of Easter Acts 11:1-18 May 2, 2010
I want to start this morning by talking about one of my favorite things: Food. More specifically I want to draw your attention to the benefit of communal meals, those occasions when a group of people have the opportunity to gather around a common meal and experience the joy of community.
This past week I have both participated in and observed this important community and relationship builder.
Last weekend Carol and Wes Johnson and I were attending our NEMN Synod Assembly at Cragun’s Resort. One of the distinct benefits of meeting at Cragun’s is the opportunity for everyone attending the assembly to eat together. And it is during those community meals that people from varying parts of our synod have the opportunity to meet others and talk about what is going on in their churches, their communities, the issues of the assembly or whatever strikes their fancy. Over these meals new friendship are made and old ones are renewed.
On Wednesday evening after our Confirmation students spent cleaning up our newly adopted section of Highway 169, we regrouped at my home where Julia had hotdogs on the grill, along with salads, chips and desserts provided by others. Together we gave thanks, grabbed a plate and sat back, talked about some of the unusual things we found along the highway and the satisfaction of making a difference.
On Friday afternoon prior to Mary Siemers visitation, a group of women from Zion and the community got together to provide a meal for the family. Over BBQ sandwiches and other goodies the family had the opportunity to visit before crowds began to assembly to pay their last respects.
And then yesterday, after the funeral and the trip to the cemetery, people returned to Zion for a hearty funeral lunch—rice and hamburger hotdish, ham sandwiches, and a wonderful assortment of cakes—oh, and coffee, lots of coffee.
Just during this past week people gathered around tables. For some it was a time to meet new people meet for the first time, for others it was a time to renew old friendships, tell stories, rekindle fond memories of loved ones and comfort others. Over breakfast buffets, formal sit down dinners, BBQ sandwiches, funeral Hotdishes fortified with Cream of Mushroom soup and copious cups of coffee, people gather to be nurtured and fed by their brothers and sisters in Christ. And in doing so they are not only meeting their nutritional requirements –but also strengthening important relationships. Food is important in so many ways—we use food to communicate, to build relationships sharing meals and we show how we feel about others using food.
Food and table fellowship has always been a part of faith filled communities.
Throughout the Old Testament, major events between God and God’s people were remembered through meals and feasts. In the gospels, what Jesus ate and with whom he ate with was a frequent point of conflict with the religious leaders and the overly pious.
And that brings us to today’s reading from Acts.
If you recall, Jesus and the disciples were Jewish by birth and tradition, and because of this they were bound by kosher dietary laws—in other words, there were things they could eat and there things they could not eat because they were considered to be unclean. According to Leviticus 11 there was no room for pork or shellfish along with countless others— because they were considered to be “unclean”.
But it does not end there—there were rules on how the animal was to be slaughtered and how it was to be cooked and what kind of cooking utensils were to be used. And as you might imagine, there were also rules and laws as to who you could eat with and who you could not eat with—and needless to say—eating with Gentiles—that is, non-Jews was forbidden. In other words, no self-respecting Jew would sit down at the table with someone who was not Jewish. As a result it was not uncommon for neighbors to never have entered the home of one’s neighbors and share meal.The Law made it clear, if you were not Jewish, you were considered unclean and were to be avoided.
So what does all this have to do with Peter and the disciples and all the early apostles? Well, it appears as though Good News of Jesus and his resurrection was being well received by a growing number of gentiles.
And this was both good news and bad news for those early Christians.
It was good news because more and more people wanted to know more about Jesus and more and more people wanted to join the growing company of believers. It was good news because more and more people were finding new life and new purpose in their lives in light of their growing relationship with Jesus Christ, their relationship with God had moved from the periphery of their lives to the heart and center of their lives.
It was bad news for some of the Jewish Christians because it was their belief that before you could become a Christian you had to become Jewish first. And while that might not seem like a big deal, in reality it meant that the men had to be circumcised and it meant that these new believers had to follow the Jewish dietary laws. Granted there were some of those Gentile believers who were willing to jump through these hoops.
But as you might imagine, not all were so enthusiastic. Nor where all the disciples and apostles on the same page. The Apostle Paul in particular held the rather unconventional and controversial belief that such external requirements were not necessary—and as you might imagine this difference of opinion and conviction caused a certain degree of dis-unity within the early church.
But then something odd happened. Peter, one of the “old-guard”, one of those who had been holding firm to the notion that you had to be Jewish first before you could be Christian—had some rather unusual experiences that caused him to change his mind.
And it all started with a dream or a vision.
As Luke tells the story, Peter was in Joppa and while he was on the rooftop praying when all of a sudden he sees the vision of something that looked like a big bed sheet descending. And parachuting from this bed sheet were all sorts of animals – all of which would have been considered to be “unclean” by the prescribed dietary laws. And then a voice spoke telling him to “Get up, kill and eat.”
And being the good Jew that Peter was trying to be, he was quick to respond by saying, “No way! I have never and I will never let those nasty creatures pass over my lips!”
Then the voice from heaven above rebukes Peter by saying, “What God has made clean, you must not call unclean.” And then to top all that off—Peter is suddenly visited by three Gentile men who invited him to follow him to the home of Cornelius, a Roman officer and a God-fearing Gentile.
So what do you suppose all of this means? What’s going on in this strange story? As I read this account I can’t help but notice a few things.
The first is that healthy conflict is nothing new to the church.
Note that I said, “healthy conflict”. And what is healthy conflict? Healthy conflict is often brought on by change, by events that sometimes force us to rethink age-old presuppositions about life—those factors that have shaped us and defined us over the years. Healthy conflict is not new to the church and its followers. For the disciples they had to rethink their understanding of what a Messiah might look like—instead of a mighty warrior, maybe the Messiah comes as a gentle shepherd. For some it meant learning new ways to deal with conflict, like turning the other cheek. It meant forgiving not just seven times, but seventy-seven times. It meant reaching out to age-old adversaries like the Samaritans, and it meant that God’s love is for ALL people, not jus those who considered themselves to be “chosen”.
Related to this is the inevitability and the necessity for change.
As a parent there are days when I have a hard time accepting the reality that my children are changing, they are getting older, more mature. As a parent I have to get used to the idea that they may have some of their own ideas, tastes and ways of doing things. And while I might occasionally get sentimental about the days when they were still toddlers, I know those days are gone and in many ways, that’s OK.
Change is inevitable and necessary as we can see as we look out the windows and watch the wonders of nature ever changing from one cycle to another. Trees sprout as seedlings, growing steadily through the annual cycles of bud, blossom, full leaf, and then dormancy, until old trees die and fall to make place for new.
Yesterday we laid to rest one of Zion’s dear saints and today we welcome in one more into God’s family and a handful more to this community of faith. Change in daily life is inevitable and sometimes necessary.
And yet, our reading from Acts also reminds us that change is also part of the supernatural-spiritual order and helps make life for people of faith interesting. But as we all know to some degree, just because change is inevitable, it is not always welcome; often it is doubted and by many changes is approached with a degree of reluctance.
Were it not for the odd vision and the invitation from Cornelius, it is doubtful that Peter would have become an agent of change. And had not Paul been there sticking his neck out as a voice for change, respectfully advocating and pushing the envelope, and most importantly, being open to the Holy Spirit’s guidance—it is possible the church as we know it might not have survived and would have closed the doors to potential growth and mission simple because we have never done it that way before!
A third point worth noting is the importance of both listening and being respectful in the midst of change and conflict.
Note that Peter does not argue and debate with his critics. As many of us know it is often so easy to become defensive and turn to argument and debate when one is being criticized because we feel threatened by our critics. Yet, Peter does not respond in that way. Rather, according to Luke, Peter explains it to them step by step. He shared with them what happened to him, his experience. And here is the even more amazing thing—they actually respect him and listen to him and in time accepting what he has told them.
As Peter and the other Jewish Christians Church leaders at Jerusalem knew, and as we know, change is inevitable and conflict is rarely easy. Both can be difficult and lead to both hurt and separation. However, if handled with care, with prayer, with the Word of God, with humility, and an open listening to the Holy Spirit and one another, change and conflict can be both healthy and affirming, it can actually unite us and lead us into a deeper love for the Lord and one another.
Today, as we gather at our Lord’s Table, we gather because we have been invited.
We have been invited by our Lord who broke down ritualistic barriers, who ate with those who were deemed unclean, as well as known sinners. We have been invited by the One who fed the multitudes regardless of their heritage or their faith or lack of faith.
And we are invited by the one who loved us so much, that he gave his life for a people who betrayed him, who ran when the going got tough, who denied him.
We are invited by the One who gave his life for each and every one of us as we too have betrayed him, ran when our faith has been challenged and we who have denied him by our efforts to shut others out.
Today as we gather at our Lord’s Table we will be fed by his own body and blood, we will be fed by the one who was clean, and who has given him self to those of us who are unclean. We will be fed with the bread and wine so that we might know the gift of God’s forgiveness, grace and unconditional love.
The one who came from God is inviting each and every one of us to his Table in the hopes that we too come to celebrate the good news that God makes no distinction, that we are all God’s beloved children.
Jesus said: “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
May God grant us the grace and wisdom, with the working of the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us into his way, truth and life. Amen
Pastor Stephen Blenkush
Zion Lutheran
Milaca, MN
www.ZionMilaca.org(Sermon Archive)
