Rev. George Miller
April 23, 2023
Acts 10:1-23
In Grand Rapids, MI there is a house of worship called Lighthouse Full
Life Center.
They purchased a UCC church that had closed their doors and became so
instrumental to the community that they eventually expanded to a bigger
building.
There are 2 things Lighthouse does to create an inclusive environment.
1st is how they treat first-time visitors. No matter who you are, how you’re dressed,
the color of your skin, if you are carrying a Bible or not, you are personally escorted
to the front row, and for the entire service you are made to feel as if YOU are
the VIP.
It’s an extraordinary occurrence, as they are located at a cross section of
community economics.
You may have someone in sneakers next to someone in a suit next to
someone who is homeless, hungry, or high.
This creates a sense of equality and inclusion. Not one visitor is treated as better or worse
than another.
2nd, during the offering EVERY PERSON in the sanctuary is invited to participate,
regardless if they can put anything in the tray.
The ushers stand in front of the altar.
The preacher tells the congregation that even if they have nothing to
give, they can still touch the tray because their very presence is an offering
unto God.
One by one each person walks up, touches the offering plate, no matter if
they have cash or not…
…Do you know what it’s like to be broke, unsure where you’re going to
live, and yet you’re still invited to give, even if all you can offer is
just your touch, to God?
No wonder Lighthouse had to expand to a bigger building.
We share this story for 2 reasons.
The 1st is that starting today you’ll see me do something new.
Over the last 13 years you’ve watched me come up every Sunday to joyfully
give my offering.
But starting today you’ll see me touch the offering tray without putting
anything inside it.
The reason is simple-
I finally stepped into 21st century and signed up to give
online.
I want Emmanuel UCC to know, for sure, that each month you will receive a
specific offering from me, for both the church and the Pantry.
I also want free hotel rooms!
See, my credit card company has a program that each time I charge a
certain amount of money, I get a free hotel room, and I love my 1-night getaways.
So by setting up my own on-line giving account via Vanco, it’s become a
win-win-win-
The church is promised my donation, I get to get away, and ya’ll benefit from
a well-rested pastor.
The 2nd reason I share about Lighthouse Center is because they are reminiscent
of today’s reading.
We have a tale about a very hungry Peter having an other-worldly vision. We also have Cornelius, a very spiritual foreign
soldier living in a retirement town.
We witness how the Good News crosses economic, political, and professional
valleys to bring these 2 very different people together as equals, as ONE.
And yes!- it’s rather surreal, rather science-fictionee, and kind of hard
to believe.
This vision of Peter involving a picnic blanket descending and rising featuring
birds and gators and four-footed creatures and a voice saying “get up” and
Peter being like “Oh no, Lord.”
Of all the stories in the Bible I feel this is the most made up and
hardest to believe.
Of all the stories in the Bible I want to give this one zero credibility
and just say-
“Peter, if you want a bacon cheeseburger with shrimp cocktail that bad,
simply just say ‘I want a bacon cheeseburger with shrimp cocktail!’
You don’t have to go through this grand retelling of this overly-dramatic,
oddly specific story!”
Regardless of how I feel- here is what this story is saying-
This, this is the moment where everything changes. This is the moment in the life of the church
in which EVERYONE is welcome.
This, this is the moment in which the early church realizes that everyone
is welcome to be part of the faith.
This, this is the moment in which God makes it very clear- there is no
one who is unclean, impure, or an abomination.
This is the moment in which Peter is able to welcome into his home someone
of a different faith, skin tone and background…
…and Peter is able to enter into the home of someone who looks different
than he does, lives different and speaks different.
This is the moment the church had been waiting for in which the gates of
heaven are open for anyone who wishes to be a part of God’s Kingdom and fellowship
within.
This is the moment in which Peter and the church realizes that no matter
if you speak Espanol, Creole, American Sign Language, Dutch, Canadian French,
Filipino, English or New York-
you are a Citizen of Heaven and welcome into the Church of Jesus Christ.
In other words, this is the moment in which the church discovers that
everyone, regardless if they are wearing sneakers or a suit, hungry or homeless
all have a guaranteed front row seat in the House of God.
It is not a human’s place to decide or say if someone is unclean or profane…
NOW, There is
another element of today’s story that is relatable to our current situation.
Do you know that in true Acts fashion, the ministry and worship of
Emmanuel UCC has truly expanded beyond our walls?
Thanks to the generous gifts of $4,500 that went to a new sanctuary
computer, mics, cables, and internet booster, we have an impeccable online
presence.
Thanks to the diligent work of Ruthie, we’ve come to realize that our
on-line presence now exceeds the people here today.
In other words- in March we averaged 67 people in worship on a Sunday.
But, we averaged 86 households throughout the week that worshipped with
us online, either on Facebook Live, YouTube or both.
In other words, it is like a new kind of blanket has descended from the
heavens and we are now a house of worship that includes:
67 people from within and at least 86 people who are beyond the limits of
space, time, or language.
So, what does this mean?
It means that like Cornelious and Peter, we have new things to do.
For our Council, we get to create a way to intentionally reach out to our
online worshippers and find ways to include them in our membership and ability
to give.
For our on-line worshippers, YOU are invited to find a way to show your
support to ensure that we can ALL continue to worship Christ together.
As stated before, we have Vanco, we have the old-fashioned way of sending
in a donation via check.
Soon we hope to have other ways to make the giving experience easier so
that together, WE can all symbolically reach out, and touch the plate,
regardless if we are here or far, in a suit or in sneakers, a native to America
or a native to Colombia.
If God could speak to Peter and the church via a floating, flying picnic
blanket, God can certainly talk to us through technology and opportunity.
In conclusion, we are so blessed to be part of the Family of God, or
as Ari may say- “Familia de Dios.”
None of us are unclean, none of us are profane.
All of us worship in our own way, and all of us can be a blessing in our
own style.
May God continue to show us new ways to be the Body, the Hands, and the
Heart of Jesus Christ.
Amen and amen.
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