PRAYERS –

Lord, we ask that you would bring your healing to those who are battling cancer and other life threatening diseases. Bring hope and courage to sufferers and families alike.

Jesus, we pray that you would bring peace to this troubled world.

Holy Spirit, will you comfort the people of Myanmar who have suffered great loss in the recent typhoon. Allow for relief from the West, and grant healing to that land.

Thank you Lord for new babies in our midst; for safe deliveries for Emily and Nick, Emily and Ben, Leigh Troy. We also lift up to you all expectant couples and ask for strength, health and protection.

Lord, we pray for the process of hiring a new manager for the Green Bean Coffee House, that you would make your will clear to those on the search committee as they continue in their search for just the right person.

NEWS FROM SANCTUARY –

Attendance: 79  Kids: 5 Offering: $8,395.

Parents Meeting for Children’s Ministry, Next Sunday 5/18 immediate following worship. Tammie Haulter will fill you in on what we are planning for our wonderful children. Please join us.

New Members – those who weren’t able to make all three of our new members class meetings, the Sanctuary staff is doing personal make up times. If you need time to finish the class, contact Summer Mohrlang at smohrlang@sanctuarycrc.org.

Looking for small group or service opportunities?  Get in touch with us: info@sanctuarycrc.org.

REFLECTIONS – on Acts 12:6-19 “God Delivers Firestarters”

You may have varying views about  how visible “religion” should be in public life, but make no mistake about it, when government, media and other powerbrokers start paying attention to the Christian Movement, it is because a difference is being made.

In recent political campaigning, active church members in Indiana and North Carolina were determined to be the central voting block in the primaries. In cities like Washington D.C., Baltimore, Chicago and New York, the church is looked at as  a major source for social good in terms of housing, care of the marginalized, educational advancement and gang abatement. In New York last week, I saw entire city blocks of property owned and operated for the common good by Abyssinian Baptist Church. In Manhattan Redeemer Church has caused a huge return of Wall Street magnates, artists and writers to return to faith in Christ and participation in the mission of the church.

Now, while all of this may be true, where the Christian Movement gains momentum there is also resistance. Here in Seattle, our County Executive tried to pass a law that would limit churches to 30,000 square feet of space.  That’s room for a church building to hold about 400 people maximum. And, people that have take faith stands in many places over the years, like in Nazi Germany during Hitler’s reign of terror – a times like these – Christ Follower’s faith has gotten them tossed in jail and much, much worse.

So, today we look at a passage of Scripture that gives us hope and courage for times of difficulty during our struggle to be authentic, spirit-filled Christians in the midst of a culture that can sometimes turn hostile.

The Apostle Peter and others, including Paul, Barnabus, Agabus, and some leading women, following Christ and telling his story and doing his work in Antioch catch the attention of the government … and harsh reprisals have been occurring. One of Jesus’ twelve Apostle’s, James, the brother of John, is killed by the swords of king Herod’s army. The Jewish king, given consent of power by the Roman Empire is cracking down on this new, massive and fast-spreading band of people who have just recently been called “CHRISTIANS”. The occasion of today’s text is the Jewish holiday known as Passover. The Apostle Peter has been arrested for refusing to stop talking about Jesus and living as a Christ Follower.

King Herod plans to bring him out of prison and toss him to an angry mob of Jewish pilgrims for sport during the Passover. Nearby the prison, a nervous early church, which gathered in a local home, prayed and hoped that Peter would be spared. This looks like the end of the line for Peter…but, funny thing, God has a way of taking care of those who START AND TEND THE FIRES OF THE CHRISTIAN WAVE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT IS RENEWING OUR WORLD…

Acts 12:6:-19

⁶ Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. ⁷ And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. ⁸ And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” ⁹ And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. ¹⁰ When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. ¹¹ When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.” ¹² When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. ¹³ And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. ¹⁴ Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. ¹⁵ They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!” ¹⁶ But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. ¹⁷ But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.” Then he departed and went to another place. ¹⁸ Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. ¹⁹ And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there.

This is one of those “have to see it to believe it” sort of stories that reminds us that the God we love and serve has, can and will do BIG STUFF … God’s reality interrupts our realities in a way that seem like it must be a dream. Peter is awakened by an angel and told to follow the heavenly character out of the jail. Who wouldn’t thank this was dream. Peter is in manacles. He is behind bars. He is guarded by two layers of soldiers. He is locked in prison and out of the city by an iron gate.

His hope in the midst of all this is to believe the angel…follow in obedience…and his only human devices of escape are a good pair of shoes and a cloak with which he might cover his head and face to avoid detection. This is not a whole lot of help for Peter. Either God is in this or Peter ceases to exist.

Well, the angel does his work well, and so does Peter. They walk away from the prison and to the city gate which “opens of its own accord for them”. To me this is a great symbol. We all struggle. We all wonder if God could possibly get us through our tough spots and move us forward in life. Man, when I heard I had diabetes in 1990, I thought I was a dead man. But, I am in better health now than I was then and “ iron gates have opened on their own accord” for me many times since then. Think  of the places you have been imprisoned….I don’t want to overstretch this text…but, where have you need “uncuffing”, getting past the guardian voices that say “stay where you are” in your life?

If we carry in our text at verse 11 – Peter realizes what has taken place and that God has a larger plan for him. A key part of our learning and growth as followers of Jesus comes in a capacity to recognize that GOD IS AT WORK IN US at all times and at all places to SHAPE US, DIRECT US, CONNECT US TO OTHERS AND UTILIZE US IN HIS REDEEMING WORK IN THE WORLD. So, what does Peter do next?

Verse 12 says, “he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.” Isn’t that exactly what the praying folks were expecting, for a divinely delivered Peter to show up for the end of the prayer meeting? Not really…

¹³ And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. ¹⁴ Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. ¹⁵ They said to her, “You are out of your mind.”

It’s okay to get your mind blowing either before or after being a skeptic, or a practical minded soul.But, fact is, God is serious about you and me and his purpose in us. When the people in the house praying finally do come to the gate, they see Peter and are astounded, but deeply buoyed in their faith. And, the powers that be who thought they had this whole “JESUS THING” under control, were greatly destabilized by the presence of faith in the living God…

¹⁸ Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. ¹⁹ And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and ordered that they should be put to death.

You see, there are POWERS, and we see them all over the world … powers of government like where a dis-elected leader, Robert Mugabe, of Zimbabwe is now killing opposition party members who simply want him to step down because he lost the election. Powers of the press who can paint a pretty picture or taint anyone’s image based upon the whims of the writer that day. Powers of culture that spawn distraction and amusement amidst death and life struggles of real people. Powers that tend to isolate and us break down community.

THEN in opposition to POWERS, there is THE POWER OF GOD IN JESUS CHRIST BY THE HOLY SPIRIT which trumps them all and leaves all other powers in a state of confusion like we see in the end of our text.

Now, the challenges in our text today…

Are you willing to go deep enough and public enough with your faith in Jesus Christ that if following Jesus were to become costly or dangerous, you would be in harm’s way?

Are you willing to believe that God can, has, does and will deliver your from the prisons you encounter in life?

Are you willing to come to the community of believers called the church, thank them for their prayers for you and then dive back into the mission of God at all costs?

THIS…is the type of faith that FIRE STARTERS carry. And, it’s your faith if you want it.

Go out and MAKE it a great week!

Much Love,

Dr. Randy L. Rowland

2854 NW 59th Street

Seattle, WA  98107

USA

206.953.0909

www.sanctuarycrc.org