By Bill Lamar
The early church was in an uproar. Outsiders were being let in the door and this just was not done. I do believe some of the apostles caught the vapors! News of Peter’s baptizing Cornelius and company spread like wildfire back to Jerusalem. Peter had to explain himself to the leaders of the early church.
He recounted the vision of the blanket and the unclean animals. He recounted being led to the home of Cornelius and witnessing the Holy Spirit descend upon Gentiles and baptizing them. But the miracle is to be found in verse 18. In this verse the leaders of the church accept that God really is moving and saying yes to all people! They accept that God is obliterating divisions based on tribe and tongue and nation! Church leaders see the move of God and join in without thought of institutional preservation or political fallout!
The church had not yet calcified, ossified, and fossilized around dogma and institutional interests because it was still a young movement. Leadership demands a caution-be-damned commitment to the Holy Spirit. Following the Wind of God often means throwing caution to the wind.
The Wind blew into Antioch and the church dispatched Barnabas, whose presence made the fire glow ever more brightly. The Wind blew Barnabas to Tarsus to find Saul. And as they spent a year together in Antioch, the man who would become Paul taught the message of Jesus with Barnabas. The Wind was blowing even as the church reacted generously toward fellow believers who would soon be devastated by a famine.
- Where is the Wind blowing in your life, in your church, in your community? Will we follow the blowing of the Wind?
- Can you think of a time when God’s Wind was blowing and you refused to be moved or your church refused to be moved?
- The church shuns unpredictability in worship and liturgy and practice. How can we square this reality with God’s often unpredictable Wind?
- What other details did you notice in today’s reading?
Prayer: God, you often lead us where angels fear to tread. We feel tossed and driven when we’d prefer to stand still. Give us your power and your Spirit. Amen.
