Now
the apostles and the believers who were in Judea
heard
that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God.
So
when Peter went up to Jerusalem,
the circumcised believers criticized him, saying,
“Why
did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?”
Then
Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying,
“I
was in the city of Joppa
praying, and in a trance I saw a vision.
There
was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven,
being
lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me.
As
I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals,
beasts
of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air.
I
also heard a voice saying to me,
‘Get
up, Peter; kill and eat.’
But
I replied,
‘By
no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my
mouth.’
But
a second time the voice answered from heaven,
‘What
God has made clean, you must not call profane.’
This
happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven.
At
that very moment three men,
sent
to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house
where we were.
The
Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and
us.
These
six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house.
He
told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying,
‘Send
to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter;
he
will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be
saved.’
And
as I began to speak,
the
Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning.
And
I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said,
‘John
baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
If
then God gave them the same gift that God gave us when we believed in the Lord
Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?”
When
they heard this, they were silenced.
And
they praised God, saying,
“Then
God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”
***
I
remember freshman year of college and my first year of seminary, when in the
beginning few weeks of school, people pal around in giant groups, not having
discerned with whom they will become close and with whom they will stay merely
acquaintances, knowing each other on the periphery. Ultimately, what begins to
separate the large bands of students are decisions. Which dining hall should we
go to? Do you want go see the hockey game? and then, over time, the people who
say, “yes,” and the people who say, “no,” became cohorts.
Its
kind of like our church, we have said a collective yes to feeding people, from
our mission programs to meals provided for funerals. We have said a collective
yes to caring for creation, from ranchers and farmers to forest service
employees, to hikers to hunters. We have said a collective yes, to caring for
one another, from the plethora of cards sent to the sick, or groups of
congregants showing up at youth group members sporting events and concerts. But
as is natural, overtime we when say yes, we are also in some sense, saying
no.
For
instance, In the paragraph above, I said, “we feed people with our mission
programs,” instead of saying Open Door and Backpack, because I know Open Door
and Backpack are insider terms. That every time I say one or the other, I need
to explain Open Door is a program where we feed breakfast and spend time with
Middle School Students every school day. Backpack packs and delivers a
weekend’s worth of meals for food insecure students and a backpack isn’t
actually a backpack at all, but plastic bags placed discretely in kids backpacks
by their teachers before the weekend. Earlier, I said, “cards sent to the
sick,” instead of Sharing Cards, because if you walked in our door this Sunday you wouldn’t know what Sharing Cards were.
Likewise, I don’t say PYGs for our youth group, nor PYGlets for our little
ones, because those too need to be explained. There is a way when we say,
“yes,” to something we are always pushing something else out. It is natural,
these things we do are some of the best parts of who we are, but how do we
speak in a way that is open instead of closed?
There
are studies which show that congregations who often feel their church is very
loving and welcoming are not viewed as such by those visiting because there are
ways the church body is so inwardly focused.
I
did a couple of these on accident last Sunday. I made a joke that I didn’t know
why we call the acolyte candles (point) the “light of Christ,” when there are
three of them, representing the three Holy Trinity, God, Jesus, and the Holy
Ghost. I continued that I think the top candle on the acolyte candles should be
for whatever part of the Trinity the acolyte (or person lighting them) finds
paramount. The joke was that most people would assume that God, the Father, was
on top, or maybe Jesus, but I like the Holy Spirit so would put it on top. It
was an inside joke and a regular attender asked about it. They also asked about
the Doxology which is printed in what is considered inclusive language in the
bulletin, because it doesn’t refer to God as, “He,” and instead refers to God
as, “God,” as is more Biblically accurate because God is a non-gender pronoun
in the Hebrew, the original language of the Old Testament. It is considering
more welcoming to use God instead, because it allows for multiple images of God
rather than a white-haired old man, which can be problematic for some
worshipers. But, it isn’t very inclusive if I have one thing in the bulletin,
and the majority of the congregation sings the more traditional, “He”. It makes
a visitor stand out as a visitor and not an insider.
I
have heard similar feelings of unwelcome from visitors through things such as
the shaking hands greeting, where congregants not only shake hands but catch
up, leaving visitors, who do not know people, to stand awkwardly alone. I have
heard the same about Prayers of the People, which has been revered to as,
“Glorified Gossip Hour,” which like gossip, makes sense to those who are in the
know and is confusing to those who are newer. I have heard more than once, the
ways the same people are always asked to help with the same projects and others
are forgotten or ignored. Another example, is we used to do this thing where
when we had visitors we would have them stand up and introduce themselves. We
did it once, and I as one of the biggest extroverts I know, thought, I would
never come back if I was singled out to introduce myself. I use that word
singled out, because when you have to introduce yourself as a visitor, it means
you are just that, not a part of the community. It feels welcoming to those
inside, but like a name badge, it says, “You are new, you are different,” and
this is what the Jewish believers are upset about.
Notice
that the Jewish believers are not upset that Peter has preached to the
Gentiles. Peaching is about welcoming people to be like you. The Jewish
believers are upset because Peter has eaten with them, and this means he has
become somewhat like the Gentiles, who are considered unclean. It puts into
question whether the clean will have to let go of some of their traditions in
order to accept those different from themselves. Conversion not only changes
the person, it also changes the whole, the community will be different.
I
think about this drastic change and the courage it takes. An older preacher the
other week, who regularly complains about the lack of my generation in the pews
was telling me about my friend’s church in Boise where once a month they worship on Saturday and have all of Sunday to
really have a Sabbath. So I shared, that I have always had this little idea in
the back of my head about Sunday evening worship. I
think about our young families and active congregants traveling so much over
the weekend and that they might be back in time, I think about how since it
would be around dinner time we could share meals together. I realize this would
mean, especially in winter providing rides to older congregants. I realize as I
say this, older congregants are freaking out because 10:30
on Sunday is when we worship. It would be a huge change,
and would take a lot courage and listening. As soon as it was out of my mouth,
in front of the older pastor, it was ripped to shreds, and I thought, that
unwillingness to listen and explore is why there aren’t young people in the
pews. This might not be the time to try a change that drastic once a month, but
it might be the time to listen, to start asking questions about what is
welcoming, and what isn't.
Last
week I also watched something happen in our own Fellowship Hall that made me
sad. People took their usual seats by the people they knew, and a regular
visitor sat alone. I understand that Fellowship Hour is that time where people
catch up, but First Presbyterian, it is also the time where we are to be Christ
in the world, and that means going out, from the table you always sit at, and
talking to someone haven’t yet. It means welcome beyond your comfort zone. It
means likewise if a parent is waiting for their kid in Sunday
School, you sit and have coffee with them, learn about them. Afterward, you can
invite them to your Sunday School, or ask if they want a
tour of the maze is this church, but first, like Peter, you eat with them. It
may mean you miss out on a story of your closest friend’s week, and that is
important, but you have time for that, you can call them later, you probably
are going to lunch with them after, but that visitor, they are here now, and we
don’t have their number.
Peter
was welcomed to eat with the Gentiles, and it changed everything. What would
our church look like, if we named being a welcoming congregation as something
we valued; it wasn’t named during our visioning sessions. Would Outreach
Committee be a Committee more than a chair? Would we have events that welcomed
new members and visitors. Where do we want to be on that spectrum of staying a
close knit church or being a welcoming church?
When
it comes to the scripture, God is asking the Jews to be welcoming, not close
knit, but I want to look at what happens. Not just the Jews, but all people are
touched with the Holy Spirit and I want us to remember that each new person who
walks into our door, has been touched by the Holy Spirit. It is our job to eat
with them, and to find out how they have been touched. As we do, God lowers a
sheet from heaven and on it is the entirety of creation. As Peter looked at it
closely he saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the
air, and I wonder if this, this panoply, this multitude, this abundance, rather
than our separate groups, is the vision God has for us. This vision follows the
dream of diversity, of age and race, and creed, and country. Perhaps our
closest image, is of Open Door, where kids from all walks of life, sit at table
together with adults likewise of all ages and backgrounds. This is the image of
heaven God is showing us, but it’s not just in this space but everywhere where
meals are shared. Not when we are not sitting among our close friends at the
fellowship hall tables, but instead with a group like giant freshman dorms
parading around from everyplace under the sun, eating together filling the next
seat at dining hall tables discovering in one another where the Holy Spirit is
touching down. This is the image to which we are called, and this is the image
that leads to life. May we, First Presbyterian, have the awareness and the courage
to live likewise. Amen.
