Claimed, gathered and sent

This is the sermon I wrote for St. Timothy Lutheran Church for Easter Sunday, 4/12/20. The text was Acts 10:34-43 . Easter turns the world upside down. It defies our expectations. We see radical reversals—prophesied in scripture, revealed in Christ’s life and ministry, culminating in the good news we proclaim today. Christ has triumphed over death! We see the resurrection at work in Peter and ultimately in us. First, there’s a back story to today’s lesson from Acts. Peter just had a vision that abolished the Jewish food laws, which God interpreted for Peter. Then he understood that “What God has made clean, you cannot call unclean.” This is the basis of God’s impartiality. Cornelius had a vision to call for Peter. Peter goes and preaches to and among Gentiles. This sermon takes place at Gentile Cornelius’ house with his family and friends (Eric Fistler & Robb McCoy, pulpitfiction.com). Peter was sure, as were most Jewish people of his day, that God had an exclusiv...

Here are some thoughts about this Easter Sunday's first lesson. This was sent out to the people of St. Timothy Lutheran Church. First Reading: Acts 10:34-43 34 Peter began to speak to [the people]: “I truly understand that God shows no partialit y, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him . 36 You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. 37 That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil , for God was with him. 39 We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; 40 but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses , and who a...

This is the sermon I preached on Sunday, 1/8, Baptism of Our Lord at St. Timothy Lutheran Church. The scripture text was Acts 10:34-43.  What in the world does this passage from Acts have to do with the Baptism of Our Lord? Jesus' baptism was the signal that his ministry should begin. It was when the Father gave Jesus the assurance that he was the beloved Son and commissioned Jesus. God's message was incarnate in Christ, God's message was preached by Peter and the other apostles and God's message of God's inclusive love is to be shared by us as well. The first words of today's reading from Acts are, "Peter began to speak..." (v. 34). We struggle so much with sharing our faith with others. More often than not, we are associating with people who are like us--economically, racially and culturally. We do not encounter nearly as many barriers as Peter did. Yet, if we open our eyes beyond our neighborhoods, we will see many needy people ...