“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. It is the Spirit who testifies to this.” Your brothers and sisters in the faith, it says in John’s letter, are those who accept Jesus Christ as Lord. And the only confirmation you need will come from the Holy Spirit. In then Acts we read that “while Peter was still speaking the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.” That’s the confirmation, right! Then how come all of the circumcised believers with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles? What did I miss?

The Message words it even tougher, “The Jews who had come with Peter couldn’t believe it—couldn’t believe that the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on ‘outsider’ Gentiles!” Today, we might say something like, “the faithful church folks were aghast—shocked really! They just couldn’t get their heads around the concept that less-than-desirable “sinners”, who think and act and live in such bizarre ways, were actually being welcomed into the loving arms of Jesus Christ!

Do you mean to tell me that “they” are acceptable too? Are you saying that if “they” accept Jesus, that “they” are entitled to God’s Grace? And the only confirmation required comes from the Holy Spirit? That seems kind of loose, doesn’t it? And it makes you stop and think, or question maybe? Who is really “in” and who is “out”? Who is acceptable, and who is not! And all of this happened while Peter was still speaking it says! …Don’t you wonder what he was saying?

Put yourself in Peter’s sandals for a moment. He has got quite a dilemma here. He is an Apostle in the fledgling Jewish sect of Jesus Christ—one of the leaders! And he has been told in a vision to make a trip up the coast, from Joppa to Caesarea. That would be like walking from here up the Lake Michigan shore to Empire, or to Northport maybe. Only the ramifications of this little trip have nothing to do with distance, and everything to do with controversy! The church is brand new at this stage of the game. They aren’t even called Christians yet. That doesn’t happen until the next chapter in Acts. They are simply Jews who follow Jesus, followers of the Way!

They have grown steadily since Jesus’ resurrection, from twelve to one hundred and twenty, and then to three thousand, and now to five! But all of this expansion has taken place in Jewish territory. The Gospel has been spread to those in Judea, and Samaria, and to the region around Galilee. Cornelius, however, the man that Peter is told to go and visit, is way outside of that boundary!

First of all he lives in Caesarea, the town named after Caesar himself, right smack dab in the middle of Gentile territory. And the Romans, remember, are the people with the stranglehold on the rest of the world! And secondly, Cornelius is a Roman Centurion, a Division Commander, in what is known as the Italian Regiment.

Now most of this elite regiment was housed in Jerusalem itself, at Fort Antonia, which overlooked the courtyard of Solomon’s Temple. And it was common for the soldiers there to stand up on the ramparts day and night taunting the faithful as they came to worship. They would throw down garbage and curses. They would call the believers and their families every name in the book. They even make rude and obscene jesters, all with a single goal in mind. You see, if they could just get the worshippers mad enough to call it an insurrection, then they had an excuse to go down and slaughter them all! These are not nice people!

So for Peter, Cornelius would be a First Century equivalent to a World War II Nazi SS Officer. And he, after this vision, would be a Polish Jew preparing to travel from Warsaw to Berlin! Are you kidding me! These people live on the wrong side of the tracks! They are suspect at best, and at worst, they are mortal enemies! They are different you know, other, not the same as you and me! And a lot of them are downright bad! Imagine the controversy! Imagine the questions! Who is welcome, and who is not?

In fact, when the Saints in Jerusalem got wind of Peter’s little incident, after the fact—when they heard that he had not only visited with but also baptized a Roman Centurion—they were downright livid! And demanded that he explain! What do you mean, they asked? What are you doing? You went to the home of an uncircumcised believer, and ate with him? You broke bread with a Gentile—a Roman—a Centurion for heaven’s sakes? Why? All that keeps Israel, Israel is our laws—our dietary laws, our kosher laws, our laws about who is “in” and who is “out”, what is “clean” and what is not! But you, Peter, just crossed that boundary, and in a big way! You actually fraternized with pork-eating Gentiles! How in the world did that happen?

You see the question, don’t you? We ask it all the time. Where are the lines, the lines of faith, the rules for who is in and who is out? How much is too much? Where does welcoming end and protecting our faith begin? What’s acceptable, and what is not? Better yet, who is acceptable and who is not? Tell us Peter, what happened? You were up on the rooftop praying you said. Do you think it could have been sunstroke? And you said that you were hungry, that you were waiting for lunch to be prepared. Is it possible that you were hypoglycemic? Tell us! What happened?

Well I was praying, he said, and I had a vision. A great sheet was let down from heaven and I was clearly told not to call anything impure that the Lord had made clean. It happened three times in fact, so I know that it was real! And the Spirit informed me not to hesitate to go with the three men from Caesarea who had just arrived. So six of the brothers and I set out on the trip.

And what we found was that the Lord had been nudging Cornelius as well! He was a God-fearing man! And he was told by the Holy Spirit to send for us, and to be receptive to whatever message we might bring. So I started right in telling him about Jesus Christ, the Lord of all, and all that had happened throughout Judea and Galilee.

I told him about the baptism that John preached—and how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God has with him. I told him that we are witnesses of everything He did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. How they killed Him by hanging Him on a tree, and how God raised Him from the dead on the third day and caused Him to be seen, not by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen.

I told him how we ate and drank with Him, after He rose from the dead, and how He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He is the One whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead! I told him how all the Prophets testify about Jesus, and that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name! And while I was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message! It was so dramatic, so intense, so undeniable and obvious. All of us could see! The same Holy Spirit that fills us with the love of Christ, the same Holy Spirit that enables us to work wonders in His name, that same Holy Spirit settled among those outcast, offensive, pork-eating Gentiles, confirming them as brothers and sisters in the Lord. What else could I do but baptize them in His Name!

Like I said, it’s pretty controversial stuff. Peter is a faithful Jew, and so are all of those around him. His mom and dad are faithful Jews. His friends and colleagues are all faithful Jews. His mentor, even, his Spiritual Director, Jesus of Nazareth, who he has traveled with and learned from for the last three years, was faithful Jew, a member of God’s Chosen People! But now the Spirit of God has gone and reached out to those who are not! So who is acceptable and who is not? Who is welcome, and who is not? Who is entitled to hear the Good News?

You know, I think the Lord must have been working on Peter with that very question for some time. And He must have been making headway too, because Peter, in Joppa, was staying at the house of Simon the Tanner. Did you notice that? According to the Law of Moses, anyone who touched something dead, like a mortician or a tanner, would be considered ritually “unclean”. You couldn’t go near them. But here was Peter, living in his home, and maybe already starting to discern who is welcome and who is not? …So how about you? Have you got it figured out yet?

On our bulletin, just below the picture, we’ve got a “Welcome Sign”. It says, “Welcome to Blaine Christian Church where our purpose is to live and share the love of God, as revealed in Jesus Christ, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.” There is that Spirit confirmation again, huh! Welcome, we want to love you in the name of Jesus Christ. Welcome, all who want to worship God, and all who want to know a little more. Welcome, you who are seeking, and those of you who have found. Welcome, those of you who are rich and those of you who are poor.

Welcome, those on one side of the political equation and those on the other, those who see things one way and those who see it another. Welcome, those who are different and those who are different from them, and those who are very different indeed! Welcome! Come on in! We’ve got some Good News that we want to share!

That is what we are saying, right? We want you here, all of you, Roman Centurions and all! Come on in. Join us. We will open up our arms wide, and our hearts even wider. You’ll find hospitality here, no matter who you are. We’ll love you, even more than we love ourselves. There are no barriers or boundaries between us, no lines of demarcation that need to be crossed! You are welcome here, and we are going to love you in every possible way!

In fact we’ll come to you if you like, right where you are, to share the Good News? We’ll walk miles even, and endure hardships and questions just for you! We’ll come to you even in the midst of your pagan Roman world! …That is what we are saying, is it not? We have seen the heavens torn asunder, and witnessed the sheet filled with Jesus’ love. So we don’t call anything impure anymore that God has made clean, right? …Or are we still stuck guarding traditions, selfishly hoarding the gift of Good News? Are we still wondering maybe, who is welcome and who is not?

It kind of makes you stop and think, doesn’t it? How many prodigals do you suppose have turned away, right at the gate to the Kingdom, simply because of the unloving character of those inside?

How many Thomasess do you think continue to wallow in doubt because we are too afraid to share what we know to be true? William Barclay said that, more people have been brought into the church by the kindness of real Christian love than by all the theological arguments in the world. I think that’s right! But he also said that more people have been driven from the church by the hardness and ugliness of so-called Christians, than by all the doubts in the world.” Do you think that’s true as well? Imagine, reaching out in unconditional love to everyone, in Jesus’ name!

Can you think of anyone like that? Can you think of an example of someone who was always there, who always came to you “right where you were”, but who loved you enough to not leave you there? Let me give you a hint; it’s Mother’s Day. My fifteen-year-old nephew wrote a post on Facebook yesterday in honor of my sister’s birthday. It seemed appropriate to our lesson, and for Mother’s Day itself, so I thought I’d share it. He said, “Today is not an ordinary day. Today is my mom’s birthday. She means the world to me. She has always been there for me, through the ups and the downs, and the twists and the turns. My mom is my world, and I am very fortunate to have a lady like her in my life. I love you mom!” …Who is acceptable, and who is not?

Let me ask you something. Have you ever felt like a frog? Frogs feel slow and low, ugly and puffy, drooped and pooped. I know, one told me once. That frog feeling comes when you want to be bright but feel dumb, when you want to share but are selfish, when you want to be thankful but feel resentment, when you want to be great but are small, when you want to care but are indifferent.

And my guess is, that at one time or another each of us has found ourselves on a lily pad floating down the great river of life—too frightened, or disgusted, or froggish to budge! Well once upon a time there was a frog. Only he wasn’t really a frog, but a prince who just looked like a frog, and felt like a frog. Some wicked witch had cast a spell on him, and only the kiss of a beautiful maiden could save him. But since when do cute chicks kiss frogs? So there he sat, an un-kissed prince in frog-form. Until one day a beautiful maiden gathered him up in her arms and gave him a great big smack! And Zap! There he was, a frog turned handsome prince! And they lived happily after of course!

So what’s your job, as a Christian I mean? What is your role in sharing the Good News? Well let me tell you. It’s scooping up frogs, and kissing them—and then holding them close while the Lord turns them into a handsome prince! And the only confirmation you need, is the Holy Spirit nudging your heart. And all of God’s people said, Amen.