May 5, 2024 ☩ Easter VI
Our reading from Acts [10:44-48] is a part of a larger story (in Acts 10) of the Holy Spirit working to bridge cultural divides. The impetus to bridge those divides is a common belief in God. These cultural divisions are most evident between people of differing cultural backgrounds.
In our current global climate of cultures not just isolating themselves from one another, but actually striving to hurt, ostracize and eliminate other cultures is antithetical to God’s desire. We see this in the war between Hamas and Israel or even Russia and Ukraine.
To understand the desire of God to unite ALL of God’s children, we can first look to the plain words of John’s first letter. In it, John explains that “when we love God and obey his commandments,” it is then “that we love the children of God.” [1 John 5:2] The Johannine Gospel says the same in a different way: “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.” [John 15:10] John, the Gospel writer continues with clarity in Jesus’ words: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” [John 15: 12]
This love to which God speaks is the type of love that endures through difficulties to find reconciliation, to humbly offer restoration to right relationship, and to rebuild community despite being frustrated with others. It’s the love that takes work and begs of us to set anger, frustration, and self-righteousness aside.
Implications in this command to love one another extends beyond local social narratives. Often, we hear of disdain for immigrant and migrant populations. Do we first consider these people as our sisters and brothers in God? Do we respond to these conversations as though we speak about another beloved child of God? And truly, if we consider that some of those are also Christians, does it change the way we should respond to discussions on the topic of immigration, among so many other topics?
Second, we can look to the entirety of chapter 10 in the Acts of the Apostles to see God’s desire to bridge human-derived divisions between various populations. The dominant landscape of the region where Jesus lived included:
1- those who believed in God, or the Jewish people as a monotheistic group.
2- Then, there were the Jewish Christians who believed in Christ and much later became identified just as Christians. The Gospels lean very heavily from the perspective of being those of the Jewish faith who came to believe in Christ.
3- There were Gentiles, which included populations of people who likely lived on the outskirts of the region and slowly infused across the area depending on trade or work. Many of these either held loose ties to Judaism, or held overlapping beliefs with the polytheistic traditions from the northern areas of ancient Greece or where modern day Turkey is situated.
4- Finally, we have those we might think of as most distinct and separate – the Romans, particularly the Roman army who can be counted among the ‘Gentile’ population. They were an occupying force upon the culture that already existed. The Romans were the governmental power that persecuted an innocent Jesus for the sake of maintaining peace due to a fear of an uprising by others.
So, Luke, the author of Acts, takes Cornelius as the model to bridge the largest cultural divide from Jewish Christians - that to the Roman militants. This coming together though required a faithful and open-minded Peter to recognize and acknowledge the activity of the Holy Spirit at work in others.
Even for us today, is it easier to stereotype and group together people that look alike or have similar customs so we can make sense of the world in simple terms. And for early Christians, out of preservation they likely feared all Roman centurions they came across. Yet, Luke provides us with a centurion named Cornelius who had deep ties to Italy, and “feared God.” [Acts 10:2]
An angel of God spoke to Cornelius and urged him to seek out Peter. Peter was given a vision of what were considered ‘profane foods’ to which the adherent Jewish people would not consume. In that vision, God overturns the rigid adhering to ancient Law from the Old Testament. God tells Peter that God has the authority to make things clean – or acceptable to be a part of the culture – as opposed to profane – or that which should be avoided. The analogy is that what was once thought of as profane is now made clean by the decree of God. For Peter, he was given the imagery of profane foods with permission by God to eat them as God now made them clean. The significance indicates that even people who were once considered profane (or to be avoided) and so distinct from being a part of the newly forming Christian culture, if it was not already begun from within the Jewish tradition, does not impede God’s desire for them to create a new community.
Cornelius, a Roman soldier was clearly an example of what would be furthest from Jewish culture. Yet, he believed in God. Because of this belief, God brought Cornelius and Peter together. Their coming together and the witness of Peter to the Holy Spirit coming upon Cornelius and his people opened Peter’s eyes to the welcome of God to bridge these children in faith. The perception Peter and those in the Jewish-Christian faith had of Gentiles, especially Romans, is overturned as God seeks to bring even them together.
Peter wonders, if the Holy Spirit comes upon these Gentiles, who is he to stop those from being full members of Christ? He names this in the context of Baptism. In what some call the “Gentile Pentecost,” Peter learned that God “shows no partiality.” [Acts 10:34] Peter learned that cultural divides should not be barriers to becoming One through faith in God.
Peter also learned that tradition cannot always dictate how the Holy Spirit is to work – or how God can come into our lives. In our current model of understanding in the Episcopal Church, people are Baptized and welcomed officially into the community of Christian believers. Later, they are Confirmed with the presence of the Holy Spirit. We have a nice, neat, and orderly process through which we generally believe by going in the right order, then perfect faith and acceptance into God’s family occurs. In this morning’s reading from Acts, the Gentiles are guided by the Spirit first, then Peter baptizes them.
This raises two points of awareness for our modern-day Church and our parish. First, we should be open to people finding their faith in an unusual way and support them as Peter had recognizing that God chooses us, on God’s terms, not on human terms. Second, we should embrace deeply the notion that others are God’s children equally as we are – and this may hold implications for the culture of the Church of the future. Just as Peter had to shed previously forged notions of (profane/unclean verse clean) what and who to ‘avoid’ verses who to interact with, we might also face such challenges. In doing so, as difficult as it might be, will be the work of restoring the family of God to Oneness.
This holy work will require a letting go of ideals (some customs) so that we may embrace people (God’s children).
Amen.
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Today, we recognize and celebrate the work of The Episcopal Community Services of New Jersey (ECS-NJ). This organization strives to garner support from all parishes of our diocese to help fund and support ministries that strive to bridge social divides and gaps that have created divides within our communities. Many parishes have benefited from support from ECS-NJ to bolster food pantries and so much more. What touches my heart is that they are supporting vital ministries that embrace people.
On the first Sunday of each month, the loose plate offering generally supports the Rector’s Discretionary Fund. Today, any cash donations given in the plate that are not in an envelope will be donated to support ECS-NJ. I appreciate your support to aid our brothers and sisters across our diocese that benefit from the ministerial support of ECS-NJ.
