Summer Reflections on Acts ~ Where We've Been

 

Rewind and review with the passages from the sermon series on Acts that we have heard so far.  You heard how the early followers of the Way (of Jesus) held all things in common, broke bread together (perhaps on their knees – insert that Spiritual here), shared their lives with glad and generous hearts, and praised God (Acts 2:43-47).   Where and with whom are you sharing your life with a glad and generous heart right now?

Then we heard about the Beloved of God who sat by the Beautiful Gate encountered and interacted with Peter and John who asked the Beloved to look at them (Acts 3:4).  Where and with whom did you look in the eyes this week?

Then we dove into Acts 8 and heard about Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch who sat side-by-side in the chariot studying scripture before going down to the river to pray and wade in the water to be baptized (Acts 8:26-38).  Where and with whom did you sit side-by-side with this week?

Next, we heard about Saul who became Paul, which can help us think about our own name and identity.  Yet this was not some individualistic manifesting or actualizing of self.  Saul becomes Paul through a connection with Ananias.  Ananias found the courage and conviction to go to Saul (who had been hunting and hurting the followers of the Way of Jesus), reached out and touched Saul (just as Peter took the hands of the Beloved by the Beautiful Gate).  It was with that laying on of hands that the scales fell off Saul’s eyes (Acts 9:1-19).  Have any scales fallen from your eyes this week? 

Yesterday, we circled back to Peter, who encountered a vision of a bacon buffet coming down on a blanket (seriously, the Bible is an odd book).  Peter initially doesn’t partake in the festivities, until he realized this wasn’t really about food.  The message and meaning were the way that we treat others as “untouchable” and “unworthy” and less than fully crafted and created in the image of God.  The lightbulb went off in Peter’s sacred imagination and the doorbell rang and there were messengers of Cornelius (who happens to be a military official ~ someone of power and privilege who could have treated others as less than).  This group came to make a connection between Peter and Cornelius.  Who did you connect with last week?

If Acts had a theme song it would be, You’ve Got a Friend in Me from the movie Toy Story.  Or Lean on Me by Bill Withers.  Or the Beatles, With a Little Help from My Friends.  Those songs are going to be stuck on a loop in the jukebox of your mind all day long. 

Who is Peter in your life taking you by the hand, helping you stand when you are not strong?

Who is Philip who sits alongside you praying, laughing, crying, holding silent spaces that are overflowing with meaning more than words could express or evoke?

Who is the Ananias who helps stretch you, causing scales to fall from your eyes, cheering you on as you grow?

Who is Cornelius who shows up, interrupts your circle, in ways that may frustrate and flummox you, but if we preach and teach a God who draws the circle wide, that should impact how we live?

Who are others in your life, both family and friends, that make these passages come to life?  Pay attention today to the people you call, text, meet with, bump into, sit alongside, interact with and whose fingerprints leave an impression on your life.  Notice the other featherless human bipeds who make up this world.  May you find yourself continuing the story of Acts in the chapters of your life this week.  Amen.