Fifth Sunday of Easter (2)

CALL TO WORSHIP

The Lord’s name is to be exalted, his glory is above earth and heaven. So, let us come before him now, young and old together and praise his name.

HYMN

All creatures of our God and King (StF 99)

GATHERING PRAYER

  As we enter prayer now, we pause to be still.

  To breathe slowly, to re-center our scattered senses

  Upon the presence of God

Lord God, you know every bone in our body, every ache and pain, every beat of our heart, every emotion. You know us inside out. You know when we are joyful, but also when we struggle. We take a moment now to pause and be aware of you. We breathe out our old life and breathe in the gloriousness of your new life. Amen.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION

Lord, we ask forgiveness for the times when we don’t accept your Word because it seems strange to us. Lord, forgive us for not seeing the big picture. For the times when we hang on to the old, doing things as we always did. Lord, forgive us… For when we think we are the only ones worthy of your love. Lord, forgive us… For when we make judgements on things we have no right to judge. Lord, forgive us... Open our eyes to new life in you. Amen.

he Spirit tells Peter to have no hesitation and to go with the men from Caesarea. Lord God, sometimes we are afraid to repent, to give ourselves to you. Today we come to you unafraid, knowing your forgiveness in our hearts and grateful beyond measure for the new life you give us. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name,

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done.

On earth as it is in heaven,

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive those that trespass against us,

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory,

Forever and ever Amen.

HYMN

Jesus, stand among us at the meeting of our lives (StF 30)  

READING 1

Acts 11: 1-18

HYMN

There’s a wideness in God’s mercy (StF 416)

SERMON

I sure you’d agree food is central to our lives – without it we would die. But What we eat is important too.

Our doctors and dentists wouldn’t be happy if our diet consisted of eating sugary snacks all the time.

And some of us must avoid certain foods because of allergies.

The food we eat can also mark us out as coming from a particular culture or from a particular place.

Just think of the age-old question about which order you put the jam and cream on your scone – if you are from Devon, you’ll put the cream on first then the jam, but if you’re from Cornwall then you’ll do it the other way around. (If you’re from anywhere else you’re probably not that bothered!)

How we eat our food can also mark us out as being different – do we eat with knives, forks and spoons or use our hands or chopsticks?

Do we sit down at a table, on the floor, or on a sofa in front of the TV? Do we eat on our own or with other people? Sometimes it can seem as if there are lots of unwritten rules as to how we eat.

If we are invited to a different culture, we can have a fear of getting them wrong can make us feel very uncomfortable, I am left-handed and in Asian culture as this is my dominant hand I can make a mistake of eating with the wrong hand.

If you watched Downton Abbey, you may remember the scene where the chauffeur is invited in to dine with the family but must be taught how to use the cutlery properly and it turns into a bit of a disaster.

In the Old Testament, many rules were given to the Israelites as to what they could and couldn’t eat and how they needed to prepare certain foods. Obeying these rules marked them out as God’s chosen people and they were central to Jewish culture. It is likely that Jesus, as a Jew, would have abided by these rules with his disciples. Yet through Jesus’ death and resurrection we have been given a new identity.

As with any identity, it takes time to work out what that means. The disciples and Early Church had to wrestle with how their identity as followers of Jesus and remain true to their Jewish heritage.

Their God had not changed, yet they knew things were different and, as the Gentiles began to also become followers of Jesus, the Church had a cultural dilemma on its hands.

Should all followers of Jesus follow Jewish laws and customs, and, if so, did that mean that Gentiles had to become Jewish to follow Jesus?

Through this passage, God takes Peter and the Early Church, step by step, through a process of making all things new. Through a vision, which Peter then explains to others, and as he witnessed the Holy Spirit falling upon some Gentiles, God reveals the way for the Church to be.

Through Jesus, the old ways have been made new, and salvation is offered freely to anyone who wants to receive it.

We need to understand this was a total cultural change and so there would understandably be many opponents to the idea. Imagine what your reaction would be if everyone in the UK was told to stop using any form of cutlery and that from now on you were only able to eat food with your hands.

You’d probably be outraged and have a lot of questions. I guess that there were many in the Early Church who felt the same about uncircumcised Gentiles becoming followers of Jesus and their eating of what was previously considered unclean food.

It is perhaps understandable then that God in his compassion and wisdom takes the Jewish Christians on this journey to the new, step by step.

In Peter’s vision, he sees everything three times and the message was unmistakable.

Then there were six witnesses to the Holy Spirit falling on the Gentiles. This was double the number of witnesses normally needed to verify something as true in Jewish law.

God was making all things new, liberating people from what were now unnecessary rules, and revealing more of who he is.

So, the question is how can we as a community work our way between rules that have been put in place to protect us and rules that we need to be liberated from?

What is God wanting to make new in our lives today?

HYMN

Be still and know that I am God (StF 18)

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION

God of the past, the present and the future, 'What next?' is such a big question – but we trust you for all that is it to come as we pray for countries in turmoil.

Those where entire cities have been destroyed and infrastructures paralyzed: in Syria, in Ukraine, in Yemen and in many more places.

May the old order of war pass away and a new order of peace flourish: in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

We pray for countries and communities where crops have been decimated and livestock have perished.

May the old order of famine pass away and a new order of abundance flourish: in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

'What next?' is such a big question for young people too.

We pray for those around the world thinking about careers, about next steps; for all – especially girls and young women in Afghanistan and elsewhere – who are denied an education; for those who struggle to see a future for themselves at all.

May the old orders of pressure and prejudice pass away and a new order of confidence and opportunity flourish: in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

'What next?' is such a big question for those who feel at the end of their strength.

We pray for those caring for children with complex needs; for those caring for family with dementia or chronic illness; for those suffering from depression; for those worn out by grief.

May the old order of struggle pass away and the new order of support flourish: in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

'What next?' is such a big question for our churches and for ourselves.

We pray for wisdom for those who guide and lead; for resilience for congregations amid indifference; and for ourselves as we navigate the challenges of living faithfully today, tomorrow and the next day. in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

HYMN

The Church’s one foundation (StF 690)

BLESSING

Life-giving God, Alpha and Omega, beginning and end, journey with us as we go from this place into our communities. As we look forward to the time when you will make all things new, enable us, by your Spirit, to bring your kingdom here on earth. Amen.