🦁 Epiphany 4-5

Readings: Psalm 35:1-10; Numbers 22:1-21; Acts 21:17-26.

Reflection

Good morning. This is Tim Tribble, broadcasting from Sacramento, California. Today's readings come to us from some 35 verses, 1 to 10 numbers, Chapter 22, verses 1 to 21 and X. Chapter 21 verses 17 to 26. In today's readings, we are learning in our epistle reading the Book of Acts, Paul coming into Jerusalem. This is after Saul to Paul conversion. He has been out preaching to the Gentiles. And this was this was a big thing in the very early church. Peter and Paul butted heads because Peter felt that the way as Christianity was known, that it had not been labeled Christianity yet, the way was a sect of Judaism, and that was how it was sold to Rome. And that's why at the very beginning of the church, we don't have the martyrdom that was going on with the rock, with the Romans, because at that point the Jews were saying those are still part of the Jewish. It's a sect of Judaism. It was the Roman Empire. You could keep your religion when they took you over, but you couldn't start a new one. So this maintains this very important part of this was it maintained the way as a sect of Judaism, an existing religious belief. So Rome at that moment didn't get upset about it. 

Paul, however, is going out and he has been preaching and converting Gentiles. Gentiles are not circumcised. Gentiles do not keep a kosher diet, etc., etc.. And so when they come in, Paul comes into Jerusalem and went to see James and John's James and John's sons as Ebony and the rest of the and all the elders were present, not exactly sure who all the elders were, but that's who was present. Paul greeted them in a report in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry and when they heard this, they praise God and they said to Paul, You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews believed and all of them are zealous for the law. That's the problem. So it's the law. And that was what Peter was following. They don't circumcise their children. They don't live according to our customs, etc., as we heard in the reading. So that was the thing. And this is this is one of the things in being Christians as when God sent Jesus to Earth and he became man, as we say in the creed that changed things. This is the New Covenant or the new law, if you will. So the need for all these traditions that they held in the Jewish faith for all these years under the original covenant between God and Abraham, didn't it was felt they didn't need to be followed anymore. And the Gentiles. And that's how. Otherwise, I wouldn't I wouldn't be a Christian. I was not born Jewish. I have no Jew in me whatsoever. 

So it's really a different approach. And this was one of the first little fractures we had going in the church early, early on, as Peter and Paul of appear now, which is just a second Judaism. What happened later on, of course, as the Jews got upset with the way told the Romans that though it's not part of Judaism and that's when the murdering started. So that was a bit of an issue. So again, we are followers of Christ and it's not about the letter of the law. This is what gets people into trouble. Time and time again. We have all these we make all these rules. You got to do this. You got it. Is love God with all your heart, all your mind and all your soul and love your neighbor as yourself on this. Hang all the laws and the prophets. So Jesus and Matthew, that's words. Is this an act of love? When we start making laws and rules and they are the great killer, and I don't care what kind of organizations the Great Wall. We've always done it that way. That kills absolutely kills. Is this love. God is love. We've said that. You know, I grew up with that. That's been a standard there. Our God is love. God is love. But boy, have we really perverted that and taken that in a whole bunch of different ways. As I mentioned before, growing up, for me, God loved me as long as I deserved it, as long as I earned it. If I didn't, then I had to you know, you had to earn your way back. 

It was very you know, it's like, why do I even bother you? Get to that point. God loves God forgives everyone for everything. His love is universal, as low as just like God. God is omnipotent. So is His love and his grace. And all of us are loved, were valued and in God. And this is why we are different. Because we love each other. We love others. We accept people as they are. It's about moving forward and working together for the common good of our communities. And that's why churches, not the building, the church is not the building, is not the four walls with the steeple and the bell. The church is the community. Are we out in our community as veterans? Are we out in our veteran community? What am I doing today to help my fellow veteran as Christians? That's the first thing we should be look at. And you know, for us as veterans, what am I doing to help my fellow veterans? Am I involved? Am I am I involved in an organization? Am I doing things that is making a positive impact on my brothers and sisters who came before me, who have come after me, and who am I served with? You know, what other communities are you involved in? 

Are you involved there? Are you doing something to help people in those communities? Are you helping the people around you? We had a speaker I heard a while back. He's the chief master sergeant in the Air National Guard here in California. That was one of the things he was talking about was we as veterans, we volunteered, we went in, we signed that blank piece of paper saying we will do for our country and we still are. And you look and in volunteer organizations and you see tons and tons and tons of veterans because that's what we do. We care about our country. We care about our community. We care about those around us. So today, when you get done listening to this, think about that for a moment. What can I do to help my community? Amen.