Readings: I Kings 6.11-14, 23-38; Acts 12.1-17
It is Passover, and the Holy City is packed with pilgrims
who have journeyed to worship at the Temple.
Excitement – but also danger …. Especially with Herod up for the festival!
Herod Agrippa the first, grandson of Herod the Great,
has forged, through careful political manoeuvring with Rome,
forged an empire ultimately the size of his grandfather’s.
Though not for long did he enjoy his gains! Poison suspected!
But first, in the year 44 he had James, brother of John, son of Zebedee,
put to the sword. When he saw that this pleased the people,
he had Peter arrested too: m’mm, could play a few games with this one!
Good spectacle for the crowds. And Peter is guarded
by four squads of soldiers, with one on either side, even as he slept.
The impetuous Simon, known to everyone now as Peter!
His life has been extraordinary!
From family man living with his mother-in-law in Capernaum,
a fisherman by trade, plying those waters of the Sea of Galilee,
to traveller across the then known world!
From ambitious follower of the new prophet, possibly the Messiah,
he, the first to recognise this as truth,
the prophet foretells his Church shall be built on this ‘rock’ – Petra in Latin!
From loyal friend, stay by your side come what may,
to the despair, of courage failing when put to the test.
From exaltation in wondrous expectation, to, the destruction of everything.
But then, it is not the end! And the transformation of all things begins!
It was a raggle taggle group that followed Jesus up to Jerusalem
for that last Passover: Galilean peasantry, fishermen, tax-collectors,
and a few wealthy women.
Joined him in the Temple courtyard as he taught the people.
Full of excitement that something was going to happen! After all,
what an entry with the crowds throwing their cloaks on the road before him,
as he wound his way down from the Mount of Olives and up into the city.
Devastated by his arrest and execution, they hide together in the very room
where they had so recently rejoiced to share that Passover Seder meal –
which he had taken so much time and effort to prepare and host.
For it was common for an insurrectionist’s followers to share his fate.
But something more, something extraordinary happens.
He is with them again! All is not lost!
And then, gone again ….
Only this time they are full of hope,
for surely the Messiah will shortly return! The New Age is fast coming!
And they wait in Jerusalem, for of course,
this place where God meets humanity in his Temple,
this is where the Messiah will return.
Now in the power of the promised Holy Spirit,
Peter becomes an extraordinary preacher and healer,
addressing great crowds as his Teacher had done before him.
And people in their hundreds are hungry for more!
Turning to Christ, they powerfully live out together, his Way of love,
sharing all things in common!
The numbers of those choosing this new Way are growing by the day!
A highly disturbing challenge to the ruling religious authorities,
and their luxurious lives.
Stephen is stoned to death. The first Christian martyr.
As a fervent young man watches on, gets involved. Gets more involved.
The new followers of Christ scatter leaving Jerusalem behind.
Become missionaries of the gospel – and among their number, Peter.
Peter grown in unimaginable spiritual stature!
His mind and heart eagerly open to the new things God is doing!
Through a dream Peter comes to understand that this, his gospel
is not for the Jews alone, it is also for the Gentiles!
…. But is it? Can Gentile inclusion be God’s truth?
And as in every growing community differences of understanding emerge.
James, brother of Jesus – frustratingly we are never told how this has come about, James has become renowned leader of the followers
of the Way of Jesus in Jerusalem – a community
very much rooted in Jewish practice and daily worship at the Temple.
And that ardent young man who watched Stephen stoned, well,
he has become himself a follower of Jesus too! And a missionary to the Gentiles!
In his letter to the Galatian community Paul speaks of the three pillars of the faith: James, brother of Jesus; John, along with his brother James,
sons of Zebedee, James whom Herod Agrippa has put to the sword –
and of course Peter.
Christian communities are growing across the Diaspora,
now including Gentiles – and a growing clash of cultures emerges:
should the new Gentile converts obey Jewish Law: the purity codes that is,
what can they eat, and with whom; and far more challenging,
do male gentile converts need to be circumcised?
The Christian missionaries Peter and Paul think not.
Staunch Jewish Christians from Jerusalem: Yes, they do!
A council of Christian leaders is needed to decide these matters.
And we are back with our story from Acts for this evening.
Peter returns to Jerusalem – and has been arrested.
A miraculous story follows, one of faithfulness, answered prayer –
and God’s amazing capacity to act! To rescue! Praise God!
Here I would like to exercise some caution.
For life is not usually like this for most of us.
Most of us do not experience angels breaking us out of jail – real or metaphorical!
And I’m not sure that to believe this is how God works, is actually helpful.
Far more powerful is the transformation of our hearts
such that we are able to respond in peace, with clarity of mind,
and in this way, bring about change, move the mountain!
How does this happen? It too, is a miraculous work of the Spirit
to find our emotional security rooted in the love of God.
This happens in our conscious daily listening for the Spirit in silence,
in our conscious daily attention to spiritual reading –
of Scripture and other literature;
in taking the time to learn how to read and understand Scripture!
In our choice of the things we give our attention to, in the company we keep.
Little by little the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives transforming our hearts.
And that story of Peter escaping captivity led by an angel?
Let’s think about it! Some of those details are hardly plausible!
Four squads of soldiers to guard one unarmed man?
And then, even Peter himself doesn’t think it’s real!!
Gates mysteriously open as Peter and the angel glide silently past more guards!
While Peter doesn’t seem to know where he is!
And then the maid, recognising his voice she does not open the gate to let him in!
But runs in her excitement to tell the assembled company,
gathered to pray for Peter’s release.
When Peter does finally get into the house, he instructs them to tell James
and the believers about all that has happened – and disappears!!
To where? This story has neither beginning nor end! But it does have a purpose!
Placed immediately before Luke’s recording
of that first Christian Council in Jerusalem, recorded in chapter 15 of Acts,
where vital matters for the future of the Christian Church
concerning the Gentiles will be decided –
in Peter’s favour contra James’ Jewish perspective.
An astonishing miraculous story will bolster Peter and his position
for those who hear this story!
How vital it was for the Church at this moment that Peter had an open heart.
How vital it is for the Church that we have open hearts this evening.
We need to understand how the books of the Hebrew Bible,
and the Christian Testament were compiled.
Papyrus scrolls were very expensive.
You needed to think carefully about how much of any story,
what information was most important, for you to include.
Which is why the gospels leave us
with so many tantalising unanswered questions!
Thus scribes and scholars thought long and hard about
the most significant things they wanted to say,
and how best to get their point across succinctly.
These texts are historical – and truthful, but they are not factual reports!
They are not to be read literally! When we do so, we miss their meaning.
Our post Enlightenment mindset tends to overlook such perspective.
We need help to understand what’s going on!
And there is lots of help out there – I can recommend a few books!
I’ll put some suggestions along with my sermon
when I put it on the website!
And by the way, exaggeration in texts in ancient Palestine,
was understood to mean, this story is not literal! Amen.
Suggested reading! Do come and ask me about these books!
Indeed, let me know if you would like to start a book group!
Miranda Threlfel-Holmes How to Eat Bread
Simon Loveday The Bible for Grown-ups
Peter Enns How the Bible Actually Works – and any other by Enns
Marcus Borg Reading the Bible again for the First Time – and any others by Borg