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13 October 2007
Theme for this week: The Sign of Jonah
Acts 10:1-6
At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, an officer in the Italian group of the Roman army. Cornelius was a religious man. He and all the other people who lived in his house worshiped the true God. He gave much of his money to the poor and prayed to God often. One afternoon about three o'clock, Cornelius clearly saw a vision. An angel of God came to him and said, "Cornelius!" Cornelius stared at the angel. He became afraid and said, "What do you want, Lord?" The angel said, "God has heard your prayers. He has seen that you give to the poor, and he remembers you. Send some men now to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is also called Peter. He is staying with a man, also named Simon, who is a tanner and has a house beside the sea."
Has my picture of God become a little too safe? Do I meet the real God or do I prefer a tame version? The Writer to the Hebrews tells us "It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews 10:31). Perhaps we've become complacent with the Bible. What if we read the above passage through the eyes of the first generation of Christians?
"In the Head Quarters of the enemy occupying power . . . "
Maybe the story begins to regain some of its original power to shock, especially as we hear that this representative of the occupying enemy is the hero and not the villain of the piece.
God is doing something new and exciting, something so completely out-of-the-box that it takes an angel to announce it! Not only is Cornelius a devout worshipper of the One True God in both word and action, together with his entire household, but God knows and calls him by name.
Another big surprise for us who like things safe and predictable, is that God is acting directly, ahead of Simon Peter, ahead of the Church. God, by the Holy Spirit, is blowing a new course and we're always playing catch-up!
Holy Spirit, guide and guardian,
Teaching us the ways of God,
Fire and cloud to lead us onward
As we tread where Christ has trod.
Should you drive us to the desert,
Should you send us to the poor,
It is Jesus we are following,
Holy Spirit, come once more.
Hymn: Holy Spirit, Come Among Us
Copyright 1997 Rosalind Brown
Written by Pete Sandford of FaithMatters
Theme for this week: The Sign of Jonah
Acts 10:1-6
At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, an officer in the Italian group of the Roman army. Cornelius was a religious man. He and all the other people who lived in his house worshiped the true God. He gave much of his money to the poor and prayed to God often. One afternoon about three o'clock, Cornelius clearly saw a vision. An angel of God came to him and said, "Cornelius!" Cornelius stared at the angel. He became afraid and said, "What do you want, Lord?" The angel said, "God has heard your prayers. He has seen that you give to the poor, and he remembers you. Send some men now to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is also called Peter. He is staying with a man, also named Simon, who is a tanner and has a house beside the sea."
Has my picture of God become a little too safe? Do I meet the real God or do I prefer a tame version? The Writer to the Hebrews tells us "It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews 10:31). Perhaps we've become complacent with the Bible. What if we read the above passage through the eyes of the first generation of Christians?
"In the Head Quarters of the enemy occupying power . . . "
Maybe the story begins to regain some of its original power to shock, especially as we hear that this representative of the occupying enemy is the hero and not the villain of the piece.
God is doing something new and exciting, something so completely out-of-the-box that it takes an angel to announce it! Not only is Cornelius a devout worshipper of the One True God in both word and action, together with his entire household, but God knows and calls him by name.
Another big surprise for us who like things safe and predictable, is that God is acting directly, ahead of Simon Peter, ahead of the Church. God, by the Holy Spirit, is blowing a new course and we're always playing catch-up!
Holy Spirit, guide and guardian,
Teaching us the ways of God,
Fire and cloud to lead us onward
As we tread where Christ has trod.
Should you drive us to the desert,
Should you send us to the poor,
It is Jesus we are following,
Holy Spirit, come once more.
Hymn: Holy Spirit, Come Among Us
Copyright 1997 Rosalind Brown
Written by Pete Sandford of FaithMatters
