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To speak with a “living voice” comes from a place of spiritual maturity. What does this mean? It is simply living into a faith that can truly move mountains. These mountains are in some ways, the weights of the world, the things that oppress us and the things we allow, at times, to become greater obstacles than they should be.
Peter’s
sermon in today’s snippet from Acts is post that “Floating Kosher sheet” conversion
dream he has where God teaches him to live into his call as an apostle. Living into this special commission for Peter
was to be and become all inclusive, in more ways than one: through preaching,
teaching, using the fruits of faith given through Grace to realize the Gospel
in the world around him.
The
whole story of Peter as beautifully painted by Luke in the Book of Acts is in
itself an amazing witness to what the 1st creed: Jesus is Lord, means
to us individually and as the family of Christ. We must remember as well, that
Luke, the Gospel writer was not only a companion to Paul but never actually
witnessed the story of Jesus in person.
His faith was built upon the powerful testimony, witness of Peter to
whom is credited for his eye-witness input to shaping the Gospels as a whole.
We must also remember that we are a family of disciples who have been chosen
and choose to abide in the Law of love to in turn live this love: Grace
recognized. Grace recognized in the
Biblical Greek literally means Joy.
I found
the notion of Grace recognized meaning Joy, fascinating since there is little
joy struggling to show itself in the world currently. It is hard to be positive, to stay and
incorporate that shining light of Hope in a growing thicket of a graceless and
godless wilderness that Satan is helping to build up all around us… Just look
at the papers or the TV or the web, there is an endless relay of evil, death
and destruction from ISIS to here at our own doorstep, with neighbor against
neighbor.
If we
all collectively recognized the living reality of Grace being a faith deeply
woven into our soul that Jesus is Lord…
We could move mountains, clear out the wilderness and see LIFE restored!
A present resurrection of the heart convicted for Christ to use the means of
Grace to realize a love for God and neighbor that would be AMAZING. Amazing
Grace how sweet the sound, motive, feeling, relationship that in fact DID save
a wretch like me!
We
could all share that indeed we have been lost, perhaps lost for a long
time. Lost into ourselves allowing the
world to build those bricks of doubt, despair, pain and anguish. A place that can’t see yet alone understand
JOY. What a hellish place, what a dark and lonely, purposeless place this is!
How could we know love, when often, we allow the world to take away that
capacity? That capacity to abide in God’s
Living, restorative, resurrecting Word!
Clearing
those mountains is much like looking into the past but not being overcome by
it. Easier said than done, truth be
told. But in order for us to be found,
we must let go. We must let go of
everything that is holding us back from abiding in Jesus and freely living into
the reality of Grace. Being grateful,
being gracious demands deconstructing the self to be reborn spiritually, and
baptismally into a new kind of commitment that finds us, reestablishes us as
truly children of Grace.
We will
always have moments where we will feel lost and alone, nearly hopeless and
bewildered but we are founded through a Spirit that never leaves our side. The Holy Spirit has been poured over us, is
all around us like the dust in the air!
That reminds me of a beautiful Cursillo talk I heard making my first
Cursillo back in the fall of 2003.
Just
about only two months after my conversion experience that fateful late summer,
a dear new church friend nearly had to drag me kicking and screaming into
making a Cursillo through the Ecumenical Cursillo Community of Illinois. It was really funny how much I initially
resisted going! One of the beautiful moments however I experienced there has
lasted with me much like how recently my ordination has been a spiritually
transforming, shaping and encouraging memory for me to grow and go with God’s
Living Word and imperative!
Speaking
of mountains, God’s Holy Spirit placed me on that glorious mountain top where
my soul recognized His Grace and founded a profound faith that is still
growing, going forward for the sake of the Gospel. I can only attribute this to
be out of Love truly, deeply for God and neighbor! God’s Living and restorative
Word is what carried me, placed me atop the mountains to where they were no
longer looming over me but they were truly and spiritually under foot!
This is
so other worldly to believe like this, to harbor a faith like this, but welcome
to the radical Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Everything Jesus has tried to teach us about God’s imperative puts us to
the test spiritually, emotionally, physically and so on. Our saint and sinner selves constantly battle
with being anchored in God’s Love. An
anchor that is a solid foundation the Evil One tries to chisel away the tuck-pointing
to… But we must continue to abide with a faith that builds, restores and moves
forward!
One
cannot truly move forward though, if they are blinded by the ways of the
world. In order for us to see, we must
be truly freed. Recognizing Grace in your life is that freedom. It is a freedom that teaches the heart to
fear no evil but overcome it. It is a
freedom that brings us peace, relieves us from our bondage and pain. It is Christ’s victory living joyously, triumphantly
in our newly dedicated lives as Children of Grace.
Peter’s
conversion experiences talked about in previous passages in the Book of Acts were
an aspect of the process of his spiritual maturity as a disciple, apostle of
Jesus. We must not forget that he began
as a working class fisherman then became a committed witness by preaching,
teaching and living the Good News through a faith that was uniquely shaped by
Grace. A Grace that Christ Jesus gave us all!
How
precious did that Grace appear the hour he came to believe?! For some of us, we
may know the day or hour we came to believe; for others, we are called to bring
the Good News to them. Precious is that faith given both as a victory and a promise
from a loving and gracious Lord; who has been good to us all! He saved me in more ways than one. My journey has been what has taught this to
me. God’s pathway for you is similar,
but is between you and He. His Living
Word secures our Hope as well as His Will, commandments are our strength and
shield against evil. This is
eternal. For God’s time is not our
timing.
The
wilderness of the world, we have to struggle through and survive. At times, it seems relentless and disparaging
where we nearly begin to feel lost. We
must remember though with an abiding heart; it is the Grace and Love of God
through the Holy Spirit that has kept us safe thus far and Grace will lead us
all to recognizing that Joy—the fruits of the Kingdom of God. Amen.
Amen,
but this is not the end, it is the beginning of something greater! Let me leave
you with a scene from a wonderful musical~ Godspell. The very first scene of the film makes for the
most magical beginning to the disciples’ journey, for it has the John the
Baptist character calling people to prepare the Way of the Lord. One by one, he
enters a scene in the story of their lives to bring them to the fountain to be
baptized. He calls a Ballerina, a waitress, a cab driver, a businessman, a
librarian, a grocery clerk to name a few and baptizes them declaring the coming
of Jesus to baptize them with the Holy Spirit and with fire. A fire that is the passion of faith. They gathered and then scattered—the discipleship
imperative, the office without walls or partitions… But a great and glorious frontier! A frontier
for the Gospel to grow and continue to Go brought and lived through Love and
Grace.
AMEN
May 10th, 2015; 6th
Sunday of Easter; Year B; SOLA Lectionary;
Sermon by Reverend Nicole A. M.
Collins
Psalm 98; Acts 10:34-48; 1 John
5:1-8 & John 15:9-17
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