STEP AWAY FROM THE DOOR!

Dr. Richard J. Henderson May 7, 2007

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Psalm 148 (responsive)
Acts 11:1-18

Introduction

There are quite a few visions that people have had in the Bible, but this one of Peter's has to be one of the most unusual. He sees what looks like a large sheet coming down out of heaven, being lowered by its four corners. Inside are animals, reptiles, and birds. A voice says, "Kill and eat." But Peter answers, "Nothing unclean has ever entered my mouth."

The voice replies, "What God has made clean, you must not call profane." This happens three times, and then the sheet ascends back up to heaven.

What in the world are we to make of that!

I

Jewish dietary laws were very strict. You could eat some foods, and others were forbidden. It came from Old Testament rules and was basically very healthy. In a time when they didn't have a health department or health inspectors, these rules served to protect people from sickness and disease. For example they didn't eat pork, and spared themselves from the dangers of trichinosis.

They wanted to stay healthy; they wanted to be clean. Many leaders encouraged people to go beyond that and be pure. Staying healthy and well soon became avoiding people who were unclean also. Not just lepers or obviously sick people, but people who didn't keep the same cleanliness rules.

Some became proud of their cleanliness, bragging like Peter does here at how nothing unclean has ever entered his mouth. In some ways it reminds me of the vegan who is proud to have not eaten a piece of meat in ten years, let alone a french fry or Twinkie. They kept purity laws and were proud of their purity. They were very careful to stay away from food or people who were unclean.

II

Now there's a rumor circulating that Peter - the Rock, the foundation of the church - has had lunch with some gentiles - the unclean people they insisted must be avoided. He violated the cleanliness rules! Peter, why would you do a thing like that? You know the law.

We don't comprehend what it meant in Jesus' day to have a meal with someone. For us it's a social event that may be with friends or may be with people we dislike and disagree with. In Jesus' time, to eat with someone meant full acceptance of them. It said that you were in agreement with them, and you had a close friendship.

Eating together implied that you accepted the other person as an equal. One New Testament commentator said that it would be something like sleeping together today. That may be something of a stretch, but it helps to emphasize the point.

III

So Peter is called on the carpet for eating with unclean Gentiles. How dare you? You ate with these impure people with who knows what diseases! What were you thinking? They aren't like us!

Peter, uncharacteristically calm here, says I understand your concern, but I had this vision, and then he goes on to describe what he saw - the descending sheet and all the animals.

God was saying to me, "Eat these animals even though they are considered unclean." What God has made clean you can't consider impure. Clearly this means that we must reach out to people who are considered unclean, but who want to hear the good news. No one is unclean to God or beyond God's reach.

IV

This meeting with Peter is a major milestone in the Christian church. When people accept Peter's vision and his outreach to Gentiles, the Christian church becomes a world religion rather than a sect within Judaism. Even more importantly, it clarifies that Christians reach out to all people with the gospel. The question at that meeting with Peter is whether the Christian church will speak to all God's children, or limit itself to those considered clean enough - the people who are like us. The Holy Spirit will not allow us to limit our message.

The word God sends in that bizarre sheet vision is that the Holy Spirit is opening doors. God is breaking down barriers. God's spirit is unlocking the church doors. Now we have to redefine those who are "like us" to be anyone who is a child of God, no matter what their income level, color, or ethnic group. Now it doesn't matter what they look like.

A member of this church said to me recently, "I'm going to try to get my friend to come with me to church." Then she paused and said, "although I'm not sure if she'd fit in." "What do you mean," I said. The member responded, "I don't know, do we have any black members?" I said, "Please encourage your friend to come!"

V

The Holy Spirit wants us to open our doors, not just to welcome new people or to help them, but so that we can receive the gifts they bring. It's not just what we have to offer, but what others - not just like us - have to offer.

William Willimon is the bishop of the Methodist church in northern Alabama. He tells of going to an unusual church service in his district, known as a "J Rave." Most of the people there are dressed in black, almost all have tattoos, and many have piercings - often in the most unusual places. It's difficult to tell the men from the women. The music is painfully loud and consists, pretty much, of shouting.

The young woman in charge explains that they started out trying to reach the college kids, but none came and these young alienated kids came instead. "These kids are so much more reachable and open to the gospel than college students," she says. This church welcomes everyone, including the literally unclean, and they come and hear a word that is beginning to give new meaning to their lives.

The Holy Spirit doesn't allow us to limit God's word.

VI

In a larger sense Peter's vision tells us not to try to limit the power of the Holy Spirit. It's not just limited thinking about who should be in church, but what we are able to do in God's name. Most churches think to small. Most pastors think too small. God may have plans beyond what we are willing to consider.

I believe it was a gift of the Holy Spirit to this church when John Copeland, a member of the steering committee moved that it be the policy of Faith Community to give 20 percent of all our operating income away for people in need. There was an immediate gasp, but in the discussion that followed, the leaders of this church said, "Let's try it and see if we can do it." Of course, we have given at least 20 percent every year of our thirty years of existence.

Jim Wallis is the editor of Sojourners magazine. He was speaking at a conference on inner city churches. In his speech he recounted the miraculous stories of one inner city church after another. He told how one church listened to its area and responded, and how another began programs for the poor in their area. Each one was amazingly successful, not only in helping people, but in bringing the gospel.

In the question and answer period after his speech, people began to question the accuracy of his examples. Obviously, several people in the audience doubted what he was saying. One person even implied he was lying.

At dinner one of the other speakers talked with Wallis about the reaction to his talk. "I was appalled at what they said to you," he said. Wallis replied, "I wasn't. That's the reaction I always get from mainline, liberal pastors. They are amazed when God wins - just scared to death that Easter might be true, after all."

Conclusion

I pray that we won't need a sheet full of animals to realize that we shouldn't try to limit where the Holy Spirit works or what the Spirit does. We can't limit either the people we reach out to, or the vision we have of God's kingdom. The actions of God are amazing and we want to help them, not get in the way.

A pastor tells of a phone call he got after the Stewardship meeting. He didn't go to the meeting and the chair called to let him know what happened. "Preacher, we had a great meeting last night. I opened with prayer, and it was as if the Holy Spirit descended on us. We unanimously approved next year's budget with a ten percent increase. It was wonderful. There's a new spirit in this congregation."

Knowing that the congregation was five percent behind on the current budget, the pastor said, "That's crazy! There is no way that you will reach that budget. Look where we are right now!"

The campaign was run in October, and on the second Sunday in October the chair announced to the congregation that they had already met their pledge. The congregation erupted in applause. She said, "This is especially amazing because it is such a huge increase over last year." There was more applause. "Now, there was someone who said we could never reach this goal. Help me remember who that was." The congregation broke out in laughter.

Never underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit in touching people's lives.

Amen

© Richard J. Henderson 2007