Rev. George Miller
April 14, 2024
Acts 3:1-10
Last week we all heard the news that we
are moving into a time of transition.
After 14 years of an amazing ministry
here, I have felt God’s call to move towards the next adventure.
After 14 years of building and sustaining
a relationship, you have heard that your pastor will soon no longer be serving
you.
From now until June 30, we have time to
navigate this together.
It is an in-between time. A “what does this mean?” time.
For some, a “how can this be?” time.
But trust, with Jesus beside us, God over
us, the Holy Spirit around us, we will navigate this, just as we have navigated
everything else we’ve done together.
Which makes it so perfect that we are in
the Book Of Acts, this inspiring, mystifying book that is a reminder of how the
Church began.
How the Church began even after Jesus was
crucified, even after the Tomb was found empty, even after we are told of
Jesus’ heavenly ascension.
Last week we learned that the followers of
Jesus waited.
The women and men who had been with Jesus
since Galilee, waited.
Patiently.
Prayerfully.
By sharing memories,
recalling scripture,
breaking bread, sitting at table.
Together.
Unified. As One.
While the Resurrection means so many
things to many people, what we see here is how the Resurrection kept the
ministry of Jesus going,
how the Resurrection of Jesus kept the
people unified when it would have been so much easier-
to give up, disperse, turn upon each
other. Forget all that had been done.
Today we witness that moment when the
people have stopped waiting, and they truly, unapologetically start doing the
very things they saw Jesus do;
they start embodying all the love that
Jesus had taught.
John and Peter are making their way to
afternoon prayer when right outside the gate they come across a man who is
asking for loose change.
The name of the gate is Beautiful, and
right beyond the gate is the entrance to the Holy Temple where folk are going
to praise God.
But this man, this man who is said to be
lame from birth, is not within the Beautiful Gate. He is outside the Beautiful Gate.
How many people have ever known what it is
like to be “outside”?
How many ever felt that sense of “not welcome”
or “you don’t belong”? This man
does.
From birth he has known what it is like to
be differently different.
All his life he was told he was different,
treated as different, made to feel different.
Sure, he had people carry him right
outside the Beautiful Gate so he could beg for money;
but he had no one who would dare to bring
him inside the Beautiful Gate so that he could be part of the worship
community.
And on this particular afternoon, Peter
and John, who had been following Jesus since Galilee just happen to come across
this man
and instead of doing what everyone else
does, they choose to do something different.
Peter and John “see” this man.
They “see” him.
Verse 4 says “Peter looked intently at
him, as did John, and said ‘Look at us.’”
While others ignored the man, or gave him random
coins, Peter and John, who followed Jesus from Galilee, have the wisdom and the
compassion to do so much more-
They see him. This man.
This differently different individual. And they say “Look at us.”
Listen to that power.
Think back to when your momma, your
auntie, your grandfather, your coach, your teacher, your drill sergeant said
“Look at me.”
Think of that power when someone not only
sees you, but they demand that you see them as well.
The actions of Peter and John are not just
the actions of ordinary individuals,
they are not the words of people who
second guess themselves.
These are the actions and words of people
who
-know who they are
-know where they have been
-know just what YOU are capable of.
There is no doubt, NO DOUBT, that Peter
and John learned this by being with and observing Jesus.
When Jesus told the demon “Come out.”
When Jesus told the man with paralysis “I
do choose. Be made clean.”
When the roof was raised and Jesus said
“Stand up, take up your mat and go…”
When Jesus said to the woman “Go in
peace.” When he said to the daughter “Get
up!”
When he entered the home of Simon who was
living with leprosy and honored the woman with the alabaster jar.
Peter and John were there.
They saw.
They witnessed. They remembered.
So now, even though Jesus is no longer
with them, Jesus is still with them in experiences shared and lessons
learned.
So the apostles look at the man.
They see him.
They interact with him.
They expect that he will see them too.
They speak.
They act.
They frame all that they do in the name of
Jesus.
They extend an empowering arm.
And the man stands up. The man transforms.
He goes from woeful to walking.
He goes from beggar to Psalm-giver.
More than that- this man who was only seen
as differently different, who was always on the outside…
He now walks inside the Beautiful Gate. With Peter and John, he now walks into the
Holy Sanctuary, he now walks where everyone else is.
He is no longer apart, but he is now A
PART.
And it is beautiful. It is wonderful. It is everything.
All his life he was only known as the man
on the outside who begged to survive.
Now, because of the apostles, he is the
man who has been welcomed inside, who gets to share his praises and blessings
with everyone.
Why?
Because the people of Jesus dared to see
this man.
When others simply walked by, while others
simply tossed a coin, the people of Jesus dared to see this man, talk to this
man.
They dared to have him see them in
return. They dared to offer an
empowering arm.
They dared to do everything they needed in
the context of Jesus Christ, in the context of the Gospel, in the context of
everything they had seen and heard Jesus do.
The beauty of today’s story is the glimpse
it gives us into the multiple meaning of the Resurrection.
That the Empty Tomb, the Road To Emmaus,
meant that no Cross, no spear, no stone could stop Jesus, contain Jesus,
silence Jesus.
The Resurrection is a reminder that the
work of Jesus continues.
The seeing, the hearing, the feeding, the
welcome, the miracles of Jesus.
They ALL still continue.
And that WE, you and I, get to play a part
in that heavenly ministry no matter where we go,
no matter who we encounter,
no matter what gates we come across,
or seemingly helpless individuals we meet.
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ means
that-
just as Jesus saw,
we see.
Jesus as Jesus spoke,
we speak.
Just as Jesus offered opportunities for
demons to be cast out,
folk to pick up their mat and walk, and
daughters to get up,
So can we.
In how we welcome. In how we allow our Gates to be open.
How we see. How we hear.
How we extend an empowering arm.
How everything we do is centered on
Christ, for Christ, and with Christ.
Regardless of what happens next,
regardless of what transpires July 1, what truly matters is-
How do we see?
How do we respond?
How we do what we do because-
we remember what Jesus taught.
and what Jesus did.
For that, let us say “Amen.”
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