Learning while we wait – how does this Christian season inspire us?
As we come to the end of this academic year, our support for a local charity, Genesis, has inspired me to reflect on the work we do, and the importance of building loving relationships.
I love this season in the Christian year – the time between Jesus’s resurrection, and His ascension followed by the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. It is a time of preparation. I think of the disciples, aware of something about to happen, and yet being told to wait for this power. And of course, we know He came. Pentecost is the great historical fact of faith. And although we know the end of the story (for example, we don’t need to wait now for next Pentecost to receive the Holy Spirit, He is here all the time), it is still valuable to imagine and reflect.
One of the jobs that Jesus had to do was to restore his friendship with Peter. He had told Peter that he would deny him. Peter did. And on the third occasion, Jesus had looked at him (Luke 22:61). Peter had seen that look. Whatever joy Peter will have felt seeing his friend again, and the awe of the resurrection, there was still unfinished business. The hurt of the memory of that look needed healing. That healing occurred on the shore of Lake Galilee (John 21:15ff)
Peter was to become the rock on which the church was built.
So how was Peter changed by this? And what can we learn today? Acts 11: 1-18 is revealing.
The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story: “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles and birds. Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’
“I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
“The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’ This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again.
“Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying. The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved.’
“As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?”
When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”
Peter here is describing to the new church leadership in Jerusalem what happened when he visited Cornelius – a Gentile. He models 5 behaviours:
- Praying – Peter is having a time of prayer before lunch, and this isn’t just ‘a quickie’ – we see him devoting time, seeing a vision, listening to God – there is a real dynamic. How often are our prayer times snatched between meetings? It is good to imagine how Peter was as he stood on the roof of the house of Simon the Tanner.
- Thinking – He is thinking and wondering what the vision and instructions mean. He was trying to work it out. He is also thinking of what is going on around him. He records the juxtaposition of this vision and voice from Heaven, and the arrival of the messengers from Cornelius’s house.
- Obeying – Peter has no hesitation in taking his companions and going off with the messengers. He also heeds the instruction he has learnt to ‘not call anyone impure or unclean’ (10:28)
- Observing – Peter and his companions observe the blessing of the Holy Spirit, as the Gentiles begin to praise God and show spirit-inspired behaviours (speaking in tongues).
- Proclaiming – They put it all together and Peter says, ‘So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think I could oppose God?’ The leaders respond, ‘So then God has even granted the Gentiles repentance unto life.’
Praying, thinking and obeying are human activities. We should be encouraged to do these more. Observing and proclaiming bring in the supernatural – the activity of the Holy Spirit. With experience we observe what God is doing around us and what we say is only effective through the power of the Spirit.
Jesus, when he rises, also gave the disciples the power and authority to forgive. He told them to wait until they receive the Holy Spirit, and then be his witnesses to the ends of the world (Acts 1:8). And one of his persistent instructions and prayer was that the disciples should love each other. He says, ‘All people will know that you are my disciples if you love one another’ (John 13:35). This love is a mission imperative. Jesus prays to his father that all believers should be one ‘so that the world may believe that you have sent me’ (John 17:21)
So how do we apply this today? There is great attraction in finding Christian unity which is based on love – the relationship that binds people together. As I read Acts 11, I contrast Peter’s measured ‘step by step’ discourse with the intolerance and anger seen in so many discussions today in the church, particularly about gender. Christian love extends to those who are different to us. Peter learnt it then. We must learn it now. What Peter shows he has learnt is the widening of God’s mercy and love to all. God is love and this initiative comes from Him, not us. Today’s church needs to learn this. I believe God is already there alongside people different to us, and he invites us to join Him.
The Chaplaincy raises money through a soup, bread and cheese lunch to support Genesis. We have recently sent them a donation for the end of this academic year. Genesis seeks to make a difference to vulnerable and homeless people inspired by Jesus’s call to ‘love our neighbour’. Their life projects centre helps everyone who comes through the doors. They are a significant support for mental ill-health. It is good to be able to support their work to help homeless and vulnerable people in our community to find help and restore their lives.
Revd Nigel Rawlinson
University Chaplain
22-5-25
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