Sunday Stretch: Vol. 126, Easter 5

Start off your week with a grounded take on Bible, prayer, the world, and your life ...

Hi Readers,

I am so grateful for this week’s Gospel reading. I read it again today in preparation for writing this Sunday newsletter and for the sermon I’ll be preaching this morning at 9:30 CT (at Lake Harriet United Methodist Church in Minneapolis - followed by a Q&A forum on my book, Disciples of White Jesus. Local readers are invited to join!)

Today’s Gospel reading feels like such a gift: a reminder of the grace in God’s vision for each of our lives; a promise that what the world requires and often demands is not the same as God’s demands or intentions. What God asks of us is so simple; and yet so different and even opposed at times to the world’s demands that we are surprised when such a seemingly simple request is met with anger and rejection.

And still - God’s vision is the enduring one, and I want to remember that. More below as we get to the texts. For now, let me leave you with this, which today’s Gospel reading also brought to my mind:

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30

Bible Stories

Acts 11:1-18

Acts 11:1 Now the apostles and the believers^a who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. ² So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers^a criticized him, ³ saying, “Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?” ⁴ Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, ⁵ “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. ⁶ As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. ⁷ I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ ⁸ But I replied, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ ⁹ But a second time the voice answered from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call profane.’ ¹⁰ This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven. ¹¹ At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. ¹² The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us.^a These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. ¹³ He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; ¹⁴ he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.’ ¹⁵ And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. ¹⁶ And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ ¹⁷ If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?” ¹⁸ When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, “Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”

On one hand, I love that during the post-Easter season, the Lectionary gives us passages from the Book of Acts. But sometimes, I also find it a little bit frustrating, because the passages are sort of haphazardly picked and don’t necessarily follow a chronological or narrative order. Also, even though today’s passage is lengthy - it’s missing the context of what happens in Acts 10, leaving us feeling a little bit like we’ve been parachuted into the middle of a story without fully being able to understand.

Maybe that’s why, for a very long time, I didn’t realize that Acts 11 was actually telling us about a Second Pentecost, this time for the Gentiles. Being raised in a Gentile Church … I had never fully grasped that the First Pentecost, as full of different languages and ethnicities as it was, was strictly for Jewish believers. Gentiles were not invited in until Acts 11, when the Holy Spirit fell upon them again with the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

I share all this just as a reminder that those who say “The Bible’s Word is simple and direct instruction from God,” is often very overly simplistic. The truth is that the Bible’s stories and truths are often complex, requiring study, prayer, and conversation to understand more deeply. The Bible also asks us to remember to read it with humility: especially those of us who are American Christians of European descent. We are not the central actors of this text; we are belated invitees and thus invited to remember that God’s grace is always necessarily one pointing outward, toward greater love and inclusion at the margins.

Questions to Ponder

This first one is not a question but just an exercise. I want to invite you to read Acts 10 in full. Then, re-read Acts 11. Does reading Acts 10 change or enhance your understanding of the second Pentecost? In what ways?

What do you think of Paul’s vision? Do you believe God still communicates in visions? Why or why not?

Have you ever had a vision? How might you know if it’s from God?

Revelation 21:1-6

Rev. 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ² And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

“See, the home^a of God is among mortals.

He will dwell^b with them as their God;^c

they will be his peoples,^d

and God himself will be with them;^e

⁴ he will wipe every tear from their eyes.

Death will be no more;

mourning and crying and pain will be no more,

for the first things have passed away.”

Rev. 21:5 And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” ⁶ Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.