Text: Acts 10:17-33
Prayer Pointers:
To not be ground down by perplexity, but be patient
To have creativity for bringing the truth of the Word in odd situations
For new Christians
THERE IS A LOT OF PUZZLEMENT, bewilderment, confusion in this portion of the story. Peter and Cornelius both sense themselves out of their depth and you can get a sense of the awkwardness as they greet each other, as they try to sort out what is happening. Peter in particular is treading carefully, as he wonders at the ground shifting beneath his feet.
These are also perplexing times for Christians! So much on which we depended in years past has disappeared, dried up, fallen out of favor, or simply become incomprehensible. We are more and more in a world that resembles the one Peter occupied, where the claims of the Church are largely unknown, and what is known is considered outlandish at best and destructive at worst.
The younger you are, the more likely this is true! And in this world, even a modern-day Cornelius will struggle. After all, the Cornelius of Acts, wanting to honor Peter as he is clearly connected to the God who has intervened, worships, as his own culture teaches. Peter has to instruct him that such an act is not the way of God. It is all the more important then, that we who live within the Kingdom of Heaven remember what our real task in these days are—to be aware of where God is at work, to be ready to go when called, to be ready to teach others how to live in that blessed way. Most of all, we must remember that our perplexity at how things may have changed is entirely besides the point. We have good news to share, we have the treasures of the Church to celebrate, we have new brothers and sisters to welcome and to teach in that more excellent way.
May your day be grace-filled ~ Pr. Dave Brooks