Sermon Tone Analysis
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Amahl and the Night Visitors
It was 1994 and I was in a Christmas show call “Amahl and the Night Visitors.”
An opera where I played a young crippled boy who is visited by the three magi on their way to see Jesus, and he is healed, and it’s a Christmas miracle!
It is a boy soprano part… and it was SO high.
All the way at the top.
Parts like “Look mother I can walk, I can dance, I can run!”
But other Christmas miracles were happening to 14 year-old Dusty.
Strange changes in my body.
And over the course of that show my voice changed.
I remember the strain as suddenly, over the course of the show, those notes became unreachable, sometimes dramatically “Look mother, I can *low voice* WALK...”
How frustrating and embarassing it was to be, over and over again, trying to do this thing that was now impossible.
It used to be possible… but now it isn’t.
Isn’t it frustrating to be trying to do something that isn’t possible anymore?
Trying over and over to do something.
It HAS to work.
I am staring at the example.
I am doing EXACTLY what that guy did and mine isn’t working!
Which takes us to our text:
Shadow Healing
Acts 5:
Woah.
What a crazy experience.
God is moving so powerfully, people’s shadows are healing other peoples?
Now, there have already been a lot of miracles in Acts, and there are going to be a lot more coming… but we have hinted at this question, but I have chatted with some of you and this is a real and pressing one:
Is this kind of thing possible anymore?
Has anyone been healed by my shadow?
Or healed in this kind of immediate way, where crowds are coming together knowing that they will be healed… and then all of them are being healed.
If it is possible: why aren’t we experiencing it now?
And if it isn’t, I want to know, because how frustrating it is to be trying to do something that is no longer possible!
Is this kind of thing possible anymore?
Look Into the Shadows
Afraid to ask? Afraid to be disappointed?
Something I used to do that I can’t do anymore.
I used to do drugs.
I still do, but I used to too.
Waiting for my kids to ask?
Is it possible or am I just doing it wrong?
We can make excuses for "why not" because we are afraid of being disappointed.
Or we can do what the early church did for and pray: "God, stretch out your hand to heal, and [may] signs and wonders be performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus."
"God, stretch out your hand to heal, and [may] signs and wonders be performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus."
Boldness to preach.
Boldness to ask.
The signs and wonders done through the apostles led to conversions.
Even superstition in Peter’s shadow was a starting point to healing and faith.
Signs and wonders.
Are they possible today?
Are they helpful today?
What was their purpose?
To authenticate the Word.
What was their focus?
To speak God’s word boldly.
We are looking at the early church’s highlight reel.
Was everyone doing these kinds of miracles?
No, it was primarily (though not exclusively) the apostles.
Why do I search for excuses for why God won’t do now what He did then?
Praying for signs and wonders
Acts 4:29-
Acts 5:
Who is “they”?
There is debate here, some people want to picture the whole church being there… but then who is the “none of the rest”?
It seems like “they” refers to the apostles, and the other believers were afraid to enter.
Recall the last fear that “great fear” was upon the believers after the events with Ananias and Sapphira.
But whoever was there, “many signs and wonders were regularly done”.
Regularly.
Often.
On a normal and predictable basis.
Not one-off surprises, unexpected answers to prayers made without confidence or really expectation.
On the regular, miracles among the people.
What was the result of the signs and wonders?
:14
How many?
Not a count, but a comparison.
More than ever!
That’s a lot.
more than on Petecost?
More then after the lame man by the beautiful gate?
More than ever!
The fervor grew such that
Ludicrous superstition!
Was Peter’s shadow actually healing anyone?
To be clear, this was something that people were thinking, and the text doesn’t say that Peter’s shadows had super powers.
This is reminiscent of the woman touching the fringe of Jesus’ cloak.
Or later in Acts, people will gather handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched Paul, and just those would heal the sick and drive out demons.
Ludicrous superstition… but in those other two cases the amazing thing is that it worked!
We have talked about how God looks for a starting place.
Is that how we expect healing and faith and all of it to work?
No, but it appears to be a starting place in these moments.
The people believed that just having Peter’s shadow cross over them would be enough to heal them.
People were being healed!
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