Today's Daily Lesson comes from Acts chapter 11 verses 1 through 17:
Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, 3 saying, “Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?” 4 Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, 5 “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. 6 As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. 7 I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ 8 But I replied, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 But a second time the voice answered from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call profane.’ 10 This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven. 11 At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. 12 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. 13 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; 14 he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.’ 15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. 16 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.’ 17 If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?” 18 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.”
It must have been a terrifying moment for Peter to see that sheet being lowered down with all the birds, and crocodiles, and hogs and who knows what other kinds of unclean animals from lower Louisiana all coming down and being told to "eat" -- more than a metaphor to sit down and eat WITH those whom he had previously called unclean.
Indeed, this took courage. It took conviction. To know all he had been taught for all those years, and then suddenly say, "I'm going to listen to this dream. I'm going to trust this Spirit." And then he woke from the dream, and Gentiles were literally at his front door.
There is an old saying of the United Church of Christ, "God is still speaking . . ."
God is still speaking to somebody today. God is giving them a new vision for a new world. God is summoning them out of their prejudice and into inclusion. God is making them rethink all that they've been taught from an early age that they might learn to love more broadly and fully. And God is saying to them, "Trust this dream. Listen to this Spirit. I am in this."
And they are awakening now, with new opportunities right at their door, and something inside them is saying, "Who am I to hinder what God is doing in this world -- and also in me."
Thanks be to God!
NOTE: We are reading the whole Bible through this year. Tomorrow's Lesson will come from Acts chapters 13 and 14.
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