Welcoming the Gentiles

~~~ Fourth Sunday of Easter ~~~

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 13:14, 43-52 ~~~ Psalm 100 ~~~

~~~ Revelation 7:9, 14B-17 ~~~ John 10:27-30 ~~~

My sheep hear my voice;

I know them, and they follow me.

The Acts of the Apostles continue to inspire us
with the enthusiastic growth of the church.

Paul and Barnabas are thrilled to be received
by crowds of people starving for the gospel news. 

I imagine it was a little like our current campaign rallies.
Paul would say a few words about Jesus and the crowd
 would cheer in response.

People came to hear their message;
they also thought it was necessary for them
 to convert to Judaism.
Paul says wait,
 now we are speaking to you, the Gentiles.
The Jews were given their chance but now we want you.

The good shepherd takes care of all of his sheep.
He learns to recognize each one of his sheep
and in turn the sheep learn to recognize his voice.

I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;

I know my sheep, and mine know me.

The Gentiles learned to recognize
 the good news of Redemption.
They were so very delighted.

They celebrated and gladly went about
sharing what they had been told.

The disciples were filled with joy 
and the Holy Spirit.

In spite of being rejected by the Jews
 the movement did not stop.
Paul and Barnabas were on a roll
and they kept on going with fervor.

They gained more faith the more
they preached the good news.

We are his people, the sheep of his flock.

Jesus has claimed us all as his sheep.
He will never let us be taken
out of his hand.

The Good Shepherd cares for all his sheep.
When one is lost he searches for it.
When the thief comes in the night he is
there to protect.
When one is hurt he tends to it.

He does the same for each of us.

He is our personal Good Shepherd
in today's crazy mixed up world we live in.

We are all in need of a Good Shepherd
 to guide us to green pastures and fresh water.

Blessed are we to have a Good Shepherd

who is also our God.
Our God who promises to wipe away every tear...
to shelter us...to protect and save us.
Our God who gives us life eternal.

~~~Peace~~~

'Leap of Faith'

~~~ 1 Maccabees 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63 ~~~ 

~~ Psalm 119 ~~~ Luke 18:35-43 ~~

The doctrine expressed in the book of Maccabees

 is the customary belief of Israel.

They have been specially chosen 

by the one true God as covenant-partner, 

and they alone are privileged to know and worship God.

The people, in turn, must worship the Lord alone 

and observe exactly the precepts of the law given to them.

We enter here during a time of crisis among the people.

Some of the local Jews began to break away 

from the strict observance of the Jewish laws.

“Let us go and make an alliance with the Gentiles

 all around us;since we separated from them, 

many evils have come upon us.”

The king approved of their proposed alliance with the Gentiles.

Soon the king wrote to the people...

 that all should be one people,

each abandoning his particular customs.

Soon there arose chaos among the people.

They made sacrifices to idols and eventually all the scrolls 

of the law were destroyed.

During this time many Jews resisted and were

put to death...Terrible affliction was upon Israel.

In the gospel we see Jesus showing 

how to be inclusive in a positive peaceful manner.

He restores the sight to a poor beggar

calling out to him from the dirt roadside.

“Lord, please let me see.”

Jesus told him, “Have sight; your faith has saved you.”

The people saw not just the action of Jesus,

but they also witnessed the conversion of the poor beggar.

This man immediately became a follower of Jesus.

This man gave glory to God for his healing.

This man was converted as a result

 of the kindness and mercy of Jesus.

This uneducated filthy beggar recognized Jesus

as the Son of David...the messiah.

Sometimes it is the innocent who have 

the better understanding and insight.

The poor blind beggar was not caught up in the letter of the law.

He did not follow the required rituals.

He was on the road covered with dirt and grime.

He had no idea how repulsive he must have looked,

for he could not see his body.

The blind beggar saw Jesus with his heart of faith.

Somehow he found the courage to believe

 in the healing power of Jesus.

He took a leap of faith...

asked to be healed...

and Jesus restored his sight.

Now his physical sight and his insight 

were joined together.

Have you ever experienced a 'leap of faith'?

Blessings abound when your heart

 and your body are joined together as one.

~~~Peace~~~

In the Company of Joy

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 13:44-52 Psalm 98 ~~~ John 14:7-14 ~~~

The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

What do you think?

Does the Holy Spirit come because of our joy or

does joy come in response to the presence of the Holy Spirit?

Is the Holy Spirit always in the company of joy?

Can joy exist without the Spirit?

Sometimes you miss an opportunity at the time it is offered.

This is what happened to the Jewish people;

they had Jesus and his teachings right in their midst.

But they rejected and resisted to the point that 

the disciples moved on to the Gentiles...us.

The Gentiles were hungry to hear the words of salvation.

They rejoiced at being offered the chance to become followers of Jesus.

They had been waiting not knowing that God had them in his plan.

Even if the Jews had not rejected Jesus,

he would have reached out to them eventually.

For so the Lord has commanded us,

I have made you a light to the Gentiles,

that you may be an instrument of salvation

to the ends of the earth.

God's plan was always to include all peoples even though,

in fulfillment of the prophecies, he initially went to the Jewish people.

The disciples were beginning to experience some disillusionment.

Were they really doing the right thing?

Were they even capable of delivering the words 

of salvation promised by Jesus himself?

I can just imagine some of the Gentiles

 expressing relief at finally being allowed

 to openly confirm their beliefs.

The enthusiasm of the Gentiles

 rejuvenated the disciples, giving them new hope in their mission.

They shrugged off their rejection and moved forward.

They had to change the way they looked at the Gentiles.

They had to accept them for who they were...non-Jew.

Being filled with joy and the Spirit the disciples had renewed energy.

They once again had purpose...they had an attentive audience...

they had the commitment of the Gentiles. 

We are Blessed that the disciples did not quit.

They listened to God and reached out to the eager Gentiles.

The Love of God is great enough  to include 

all peoples who chose to believe...

all he calls by name.

~~~ Peace~~~

We Are the Lost Boys and Girls

 

~~~ Ezekiel 37:21-28  ~~~ Jeremiah 31:10, 11-12abcd, 13 ~~~ John11:45-56 ~~~

 

 

Since the time of Ezekiel, God had a strong desire

for all the divisions among the people to be resolved.

God wanted the people to see what a waste it was for them

 to worship their idols of metal.

God has plans to deliver the people and to cleanse them of their sins.

God just wanted all his people to be one big happy family,

but it did not happen that way in the end.

 

So God sends down his son, Jesus, to implement his grand unity plan.

It is the same today when someone from the outside comes into an establishment

and begins to make radical changes.

Everyone else just watches shaking their heads in disbelief.

Let's face it Jesus was an outsider and he was stirring things up.

 

The Jews were getting nervous.

Their fears took control of their minds.

 Their ability to reason and understand things became greatly diminished.

When you are under stress your mental capacity is hampered. 

So the Jews began to meet and plot in small groups.

They discussed their plan of action to protect their interest.

 

If we leave him alone, all will believe in him,
and the Romans will come
and take away both our land and our nation.”

Fear...Fear...Fear...

Terror on every side in their opinion.

 

Caiaphas,
who was high priest that year...

was the only person of authority who came close

to understanding what Jesus was doing,

and what his death was going to accomplish.

 

...he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation,
and not only for the nation,
but also to gather into one the dispersed children of God.
So from that day on they planned to kill him.



Jesus fled the area but still attended

amid the doubts that he would be a 'no show'.

By now Jesus must know the time is drawing near.

The tension was building to loud crescendo.

The cymbals were poised to be clashed together.

 

 

All that God wanted for his people became impossible

without the death of his son, Jesus.

Nothing that Jesus did really the Jews yet they let their fears

take over their reasoning ability.

They reverted to acting out of self preservation.

 

Indeed Jesus did die for a nation, but it did not stop there.

His death was for all of eternity.

Dear Lord, help me to appreciate what you have done for me...

especially when I gaze upon your crucifix.

Amen.