Lectionary for Ester 6 B
You did not choose me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last. John 15:16
Collect. Merciful God, you have prepared for those who love you riches beyond imagination. Pour into our hearts such love toward you, that we, loving you above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Reading. Acts 10:44-48. This short passage brings to a conclusion the preaching of Peter to Cornelius and his company. As we read the story with our modern minds it seems easy to accept but in its setting this would have been an astounding recollection. Cornelius while a devout god-fearer, living the devoted life of a Jew is outside the Jewish faith and so outside of the will of God according to normal Jewish thinking. Here we read that God sent an angel to command him to call for Peter.
Peter in turn, is confronted by a vision sent by God to challenge the laws of purity. Deciding what is clean and unclean would have presented Peter with an inner conflict. The message that Peter receives in his vision is that God is the one who decides what is clean and unclean. Only one who is clean can approach God; similarly only what is clean can be used as sacrifice to worship God.
Peter receives the same message from God to go and meet with Cornelius. Cornelius began to worship Peter on his arrival this gives us some indication of just how unusual was this meeting. Peter makes it clear that he is not to be worshipped and listens closely to the message that Cornelius has received. Peter, being confronted with a gathering of Gentiles has to break into a new way of thinking, coming to the understanding that God shows no partiality. This concept would not have been easy for Peter to grasp. With that in mind Peter begins to teach about the coming of the Lord Jesus and declares to those gathered that everyone who believes Jesus will receive God’s gracious forgiveness. It is while Peter is still speaking that suddenly those gathered believe without any argument. This whole account then ends with the gathering receiving the blessing of the Holy Spirit.
We can see that this outpouring comes as a great shock to those believers who have accompanied Peter on this quest. The result of the Spirit’s presence moves Peter to baptize those present, thus affirming that they have been welcomed into the family of believers. As a family they all stay together for some time and share in the new believers’ joy.
The acceptance of the Gentiles without any links to Judaism was a big leap for the early church for it departed from what was comfortable and known to the first Jewish believers. The account reminds us that it is God who is in control of his church and his intervention has moved the church into a new universal era. Luke’s message in Acts is that the church is growing across racial boundaries. Here is a strong reminder that the Good news of Christ’s salvation is available to everyone.
Prayer. Most Holy God with great excitement we read that no one is outside the boundary of your love, and no one is deemed unworthy of your special care. Through the sacrifice of Jesus each of us will be welcomed into your fold when we turn to you. O great and glorious God, whose nature is to be all loving, accept our grateful thinks and praise today. Help us to live in the strength and knowledge of your everlasting love for us, now and always. You Lord have reached out to humanity with loving hands. As we face the pain of all that is happening in the world at the moment, we thank you that you stand with us to bring comfort and hope. How great is your salvation. Lead us through each event of life that we may never lose hope nor stray away from the path that you have chosen for us. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Reading. John 15:9-17. This passage follows on from the discourse about abiding in Jesus. Here in this section of John’s gospel we see again that abiding is relational. However the relationship of love has two component parts, namely loving obedience and then a unity built on love. The passage lays great stress on the importance of relying fully on Jesus. Perhaps we could even go so far as to say that if we are not serving Jesus joyfully we are not serving him at all. Jesus has loved us with a deep and powerful love. Just as the Father has loved Jesus and given him the power to accomplish God’s will; In the same way it is the love of Jesus that equips us to achieve the fruitfulness that both serves God and also brings us joy. Obedience is not a chore but a willing acceptance or Jesus love for us. It is this love that makes us who we are and so obedient action is what we do. Joyfully following Jesus Christ in obedience brings fruitfulness and in turn fruitfulness brings joy. Martin Luther is said to have remarked that in baptism the old Adam in us is drowned and the New Adam begins to live. However the old Adam is a powerful swimmer and keeps popping his head back up out of the water and we have to keep plunging him down again. It reminds us that love is not simply an emotion it is also an action decided by the will. Because we love we willing obey.
In obedient love we are linked in unity one with another. Jesus is not commanding that we love everybody but that we do love all fellow believers, they are our friends. Love then brings unity among believers. It is a holy love, if we can use that term without being pious for it is a love that is in harmony with obedience. Flowing out from this love we see that Jesus is revealing the fullness of God’s grace to us. We are not uninformed but are joined in partnership with the ministry Of Jesus Christ and destined to fulfill the perfect plan of God for all creation. Also there comes the amazing statement that as followers of Jesus we are each called because Jesus has chosen us to be with him. Just as Jesus chose his disciples so now Jesus chooses those who are becoming members of his family. This is another reason why we are to love each other. As members of his family we have access to all the resources we need in order to fulfil the call of God upon our lives.
Dr. William Temple, formally an Archbishop of Canterbury once wrote, “To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the hearts to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God”. It seems a fitting summation of the words of Jesus recorded by John.
Prayer. Holy Father, we thank you that gave us your Son to be our Saviour. We thank you for his powerful love which took him to the cross and who now surrounds us with your forgiveness and love. By your mercy it is his love that fills us with joy and praise. We thank you that by your Holy Spirit we have the capacity to love beyond our understanding. In the fellowship of the Holy Spirit we are richly blessed by being united together in a loving harmony. May we rejoice to be your people and reflect the light and love that Jesus brings through his gifts to us. We offer our prayers in his Name. Amen,
Collect. Jesus, Lord and friend, you have given us the gift of a new commandment; and as you gave yourself for us, you fulfilled it. Help us so to love one another, that your life may grow among us now and for ever. Amen.
ericjkirkham.com 