Emmanuel Baptist Church 275 State St.  Albany, NY 12210 (518) 465-5161 Click here for directions
A Welcoming and Affirming Congregation

It's Not About DON'T

Rev. Lois Wolff

5/17/09

First Scripture Lesson:  Acts 10:1-22

Second Scripture Lesson:  1 John 5:1-6

Today in the Adult Class we’ll continue our discussion

         of the Baptist Distinctives.

                   I keep thinking of the stereotypical “Christian distinctives.”

                             You know the ones:

                                      Christians don’t drink

                                      Christians don’t smoke

                                                         don’t swear

                                                         don’t gamble

                                                         don’t play cards

                                                         don’t dance

                                                         don’t have premarital sex

                                                         don’t have tattoos …

Don’t, don’t don’t.

         Based I suppose on the “Thou shalt nots…”

                   In fact, even the positives among the Ten Commandments

                             get turned into negatives.

                                      “Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy”

                                                becomes “Don’t do anything but go to worship

                                                         and read your Bible on Sunday.”

                                      “Honor your father and mother”

                                                becomes “don’t disobey … or talk back to …

                                                         your parents.”

There are good reasons for following some of those “don’ts”,

         for health reasons if no other.

                   But if this were all there were to being a Christian,

                             I for one wouldn’t be here today.

                                      The “don’ts” don’t energize me,

                                                or inspire me,

                                                         or engage my attention very much.

Peter, as an observant Jew,

         had internalized the “don’ts” of the Torah.

                   Nobody had to remind him of the dietary laws,

                            they were so ingrained in him,

                                      from the time he was old enough to understand “no.”

As ingrained in him was the belief that as a Jew he was of the Chosen People.

         And that the Gentiles were outside of chosen-ness by God,

                   and the closest they could get to the Lord

                             was the outer chamber of the temple,

                                      where the “God-fearers” could worship from afar.

         But as Gentiles they were definitely outside

                   of the circle of those blessed by God.

It’s good for us to remember, though,

         that the story that Luke relates just before today’s reading

                   from the Book of Acts is that of the conversion of Saul.

                             And though perhaps Saul – Paul – didn’t know it yet,

                                      we, the readers, do know that the Lord has chosen Paul

                                                to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ

                                                         to the Gentiles.

The story of Cornelius has often been misinterpreted as being about food.

         It’s not about food at all …

                   it’s about not calling profane that which God has called clean.

                             It’s about God’s mercy being greater than that of humankind,

                                      and it’s about all God’s creatures being good.

We miss the impact of this vision on Peter,

         because we don’t have divinely inspired dietary laws.

                   But that was – and still is – an important part of faith practice

                             for Jews following the Law.

Bill Bruce wrote in his blog that when the voice from heaven tells Peter

         “Get up, kill and eat,”

                   Peter protests – he’s not going to eat forbidden foods!  He has been keeping

                        kosher all his life – no snake snacks wrapped in bacon for him!  But the seed of

                        doubt is planted.  Snoopy in the Peanuts cartoon was always going to write a book

                        of theology, but never got past the title:  ‘Has it ever occurred to you that you

                        might be wrong?’

Ah.  That’s the question that has always made me stop and listen –

         really listen – to those whose beliefs are different from mine!

                   The seed of doubt that was planted

                             wasn’t doubt of God, or of Jesus as the Christ,

                                      but doubt of what Peter had always been taught.

And yet, he had already begun to doubt some of those “purity laws” –

         he was staying at the home of Simon the tanner,

                   and tanners were considered unclean themselves.

                             Strictly speaking, Peter was already disobeying the Law

                                      and would be considered “unclean” himself!

I wonder: how might the Holy Spirit be calling on us

         to break out of some of the beliefs of our childhood?

                   What are some of the things that we hang onto

                             that God may be asking us to let go of?

This story says loud and clear to me

         that it’s not about DON’T at all!

                   John, in his first letter, states categorically that

                             Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God …

Last week in the Adult Class we talked a bit

         about being regenerate, or born again.

                   Mark pointed out that another translation for born again

                             is born from above …

                                      and that’s what John is saying here.

                                                What is required to be “born again”

                                                         isn’t a particular religious experience

                                                                             but the belief that Jesus is the Christ.

It’s not at all about don’t,

         it’s not even about saying a particular formula.

                   It’s about faith.

For John, love of God and love of God’s children

         cannot be separated:

                   if we don’t love God, we don’t love God’s children.

                             And the proof that we don’t love God

                                      is in our not behaving in loving ways

                                                toward God’s children!

For John, the evidence that Jesus is the Christ is this:

         This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but

            with the water and the blood.

                        By this John means that Jesus not only was baptized – came by water

                             but he also underwent agony on the cross – the blood.

                                      He experienced both baptism and crucifixion.

Listen to the next verses from John’s letter:

         There are three that testify; the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three agree.

            If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony

            of God that he has testified to his son.  Those who believe in the Son of God have the

            testimony in their hearts… and this is the testimony:  God gave us eternal life, and this

            life is in his Son.

And here we have the lesson of the Cornelius story again:

         “If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater…”

                   We need to be wary of those who tell us

                             they have this faith thing all sewed up,

                                      that this is exactly what the Bible means …”

                                                especially if it seems to be about don’ts.

And we have to be wary of ourselves as well.

         For we can fall into that trap as easily as anyone.

                   It’s good to remember Snoopy’s question:

                             “Has it ever occurred to you that you might be wrong?”

                   One thing is sure:  God is love.

                             How do we know that?

                   We know, because Jesus has told us that if we have seen him,

                             we have seen God.

                                      And everything in Jesus’ life and death and resurrection

                                                says love, loudly and clearly,

                                                         We know it from the Gospel accounts,

                                                                             from the witness of the Apostles.

                   We love, because God first loved us.

                             It’s not about don’t at all –

                                      it’s about love.

To God be all glory.  Amen.