Words of Welcome

Christ Before Annas (top); Peter Denying Jesus (bottom) Acts 4:5-12 When Peter and John went to the Temple to pray they encountered a man with a disability. That encounter led to a healing and a dance of joy on the part of the man who was healed, and finally to Peter’s sermon in Solomon’s Portico ( Acts 3 ). Apparently, these activities in the Temple courts didn’t go over well with the Temple officials, who had Peter and John arrested. This morning we turn the page to find Peter and John standing before the religious authorities. They want to know who authorized them to heal and preach in the Temple. That is, “by what power or by what name did you do this?”  I can empathize with the religious authorities because I’m the chair of the regional commission on ministry. This commission has the responsibility to authorize and hold accountable the people who serve as Disciples ministers.  Obviously, the two Apostles didn’t get their credentials from the Temple authorities, but their que

  Acts 3:12-21 When Peter and John went to the Temple to pray, a man who had been crippled since birth called out to them, begging for alms. I’m guessing that Peter and John had seen him before this, but this time they responded. Here is their reply laid out in the form of a song I learned long ago .  “ Silver and gold have I none, But such as I have give I thee, In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,  rise up and walk. He went walking and leaping and praising God, Walking and leaping and praising God, In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,  rise up and walk.” If you had been in the crowd and had seen this man “walking and leaping and praising God,” how would you have responded? When Peter saw that a crowd filled with amazement was gathering in Solomon’s Portico, he knew it was time for a sermon. Peter opened his sermon by letting the crowd know that it wasn’t the power or piety of Peter and John that made the man whole. It was faith in the name of Jesus, th

  Acts 4:32-35 In the grave they laid the love by hatred slain, thinking that Jesus would not wake again, laid in the earth like grain sleeps unseen;  Love is come again like wheat rising green .  (John Crum, Chalice Hymnal 230 vs. 2) Easter Sunday has come and gone, but as this hymn reminds us, “Love is come again like wheat rising green.” Because we are Easter people, we celebrate the resurrection not only when we gather on Sunday but in every moment of our lives. That’s because the one laid in the grave is alive and present with us. Therefore, let us sing: “Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!” The Book of Acts tells the story of how the Holy Spirit empowered the church to proclaim the good news that Christ the Lord is risen. According to Luke this community centered around Jesus’ resurrection was “one in heart and soul.” To be “one in heart and soul,” as one commentator notes, “reflects an intensity of mutual devotion and shared existence that was part of ancie

  Mark 16:1-8; Isaiah 25:6-9 On the morning of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome made their way to Jesus’ tomb. They brought spices with them to complete the burial process that was interrupted because the Sabbath arrived before they could finish their work. As they walked to the tomb, they remembered the stone that covered the entrance. While they had the spices, who as going to reopen the tomb? That question was quickly answered when they arrived at the tomb. It was already open and where they expected to find the body sat a young man dressed in a white robe. He spoke gently to the women who surely were in shock, telling them: “Don’t be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here.” Then he instructed them to “tell [Jesus’] disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.” When they heard all of this, Mark tells us that the women fled in “terro