e-vo for week of January 16

Dearest e-votees-

I will be away from the office at a preaching conference this week so the e-vo is coming out a little earlier than usual.

This Friday, January 18, is the day set aside in the liturgical calendar to commemorate the confession of St. Peter. We will use the assigned text from the books of Acts for this day in the lectionary year to shape our meditation. In order to make sense of it, however, we need to look at an earlier passage in Acts to set the stage.

Have a blessed day.

Peace,
Karl

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THE CONTEXT

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o’clock in the afternoon. And a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms. Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. All the people saw him walking and praising God, and they recognized him as the one who used to sit and ask for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Acts 3:1-10, NRSV

THE ASSIGNED TEXT

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. This Jesus is

‘the stone that was rejected by you,

the builders; it has become the cornerstone.'

There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus.

Acts 4:8-13, NRSV

Peter and John (the former fishing partners—see Luke 5:1-11) are going to pray at the Temple. These “uneducated and ordinary men” bring healing to a beggar plying his trade at the Beautiful Gate. People carried him in as they did for him to beg and he left walking and praising God. The folks in the Temple want to know how so great a thing has happened.

Peter is moved by the Holy Spirit to tell them that the healing came from Jesus. In addition, Peter quotes them Psalm 118:22 about the builder and the rejected stone. Peter holds his hearers directly responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. It was the Romans who actually physically crucified Jesus. Peter holds the people he is addressing complicit. We know that we are complicit too. The issue isn’t pointing blame so much as accepting responsibility. We are part of the crowd.

People put Jesus to death on the cross --
God raised Jesus from the dead.

People rejected Jesus --
God made Jesus the cornerstone.

People need what only Jesus can offer --
God saves us through Jesus.

God, in so many ways we are the beggar at the Beautiful Gate. We are needy and dependent on so many others. We look for money as the solution to all our problems. You still speak healing into our lives. Help us receive that healing and respond with joyful walking and leaping and praising and dancing. When people ask us what happened give us courage to proclaim boldly with Peter. Amen.

Bible Trivia: Psalm 118:22 is quoted 5 times in the New Testament. Jesus mentions it 3 times (Luke 20:17; Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10). Peter mentions it 2 times (Acts 4:11 and 1 Peter 2:7).