Easter 4B
April 25, 2021
Grace, Waseca, MN
Acts 4.1-12
You may have noticed during this Easter season that the First Readings are from the book of Acts, not from the Old Testament. Since Acts is a historical book and not one of the New Testament letters, this makes a certain amount of sense. But Acts provides us more than a recitation of events following Jesus’ death and resurrection. Acts helps us imagine what a resurrection-powered community guided by the Holy Spirit looks like. Some corners of Christianity think we need to exactly replicate the First Century Acts community today. They forget how those early Christians got where they were, like the folk in this video.
In a profound sense, those first Christians were making it up as they go, building it on the fly as it were, doing it under the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, or Spirit, is mentioned 43 times in Acts. As one of my seminary professors observed, the book of Acts shouldn’t be titled “The Acts of the Apostles; it should be “The Acts of the Holy Spirit.” Rather than giving us a cookie cutter template to follow rotely, Acts helps us imagine a resurrection-powered community guided by the Holy Spirit. In today’s episode, Peter and John have been arrested and jailed by some religious leaders. They had healed a lame man in the temple, but their real crime was preaching Jesus’ resurrection. Peter’s words here in chapter 4 are a summary of a longer sermon he preaches in chapter 3.
Now, let’s stop and think about how remarkable this story is: Peter and John are uneducated fishermen who traveled with the notorious Jesus and until lately were hiding from these same religious leaders in fear. For good reason. Outside of the Roman occupying forces, these religious leaders wielded enormous power over their lives. Yet, here they were, standing toe to toe with them and not even the awful experience of spending a night in jail and implicit threats of bodily harm could blunt their proclamation about Jesus. Peter, in the power of the Holy Spirit, challenges them as he brings good news to the Jewish people. He speaks truth to power.
For those who wield institutional, cultural, and coercive power, this is not good news. In particular, the Sadducees who don’t believe in resurrection, are threatened to their very core. Even so, they cannot contain the gospel of Jesus Christ no more than the tomb could contain Jesus. The kingdom that Jesus brings will come no matter who or what stands in the way of it. Where institutions and leaders have become corrupt and wielded power for themselves instead of those whom God has put in their charge, who have not been the “Good Shepherds” that God has appointed them, will not deter God’s determination to bring new life.
Today I’m inviting you to imagine what it would be like for Grace to be a resurrection-powered community under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In particular, I’d like you to imagine how Grace could speak truth to power in the Waseca community and beyond. Don’t get me wrong, Waseca is a wonderful community, and it has many terrific things going for it. But I know there are marginalized voices being stifled in the community and no one is speaking on their behalf. I know there are issues no one wants to acknowledge or treat seriously – and we don’t need to go far to find them. God has given the people of Grace tremendous gifts; can you imagine how God can use you to speak truth to power? There is no template, no cookie cutter answer, but there is the Holy Spirit that will guide you. Amen.
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