This week we went further into Peter's sermon before the crowd gathered on the day of Pentecost. He turns his attention to dispelling the "critics" in his midst, including those who are already out to squelch the joy and new life emerging in this community.
Peter's language is severe and harsh, but his desire is to wake up his audience enough to see (a) God's triumphant work in Jesus Christ and (b) how entrenched we can become in binding ourselves to what some authors call "less-wild lovers" - activities, titles, relationships, etc. that do not actually lead to true life. (see the book A Sacred Romance)
It is very important to make this next point very clear. This is not about scape-goating or blaming the Jewish people for the death of Christ. Too often, Christians have slipped into this tendency, and it has has led to many and unfortunate examples of anti-Semitism.
Instead, I believe it is important to see Peter's sermon as an opportunity for us to reflect upon the deeper spiritual truths, which include the following lessons from Peter's sermon:
1. God is bent on overcoming "death and all of his friends" (to quote a Coldplay song). Our God is a life-giving god to the core, which means YHWH will seek to overcome all that has crept into our lives and world that is restricting or ending life.
2. Jesus - as God's transforming agent - has opened the doors to a new righteousness and to true reconciliation, a fact Peter sees as being evident even in certain Old Testament passages.
3. Luke has Peter lift up a critical word to describe Jesus in this role: "Lord."
4. "Lord" is an interesting word that - in Old English - means "bread-keeper" (from the two words "hlaf" (loaf) + "weard" (ward)
5. True life comes from letting God in Christ satisfy our deepest desires and nourish us in our hunger/brokenness.
6. We, as human beings, have this incredible/relentless capacity to resist God's desire to tend to us and provide for us in Christ.
7. In fact, we can become so entrenched in our bondage to other "bread-keepers" that we can resist and even slay Jesus since he challenges our other "bread" systems of security.
Knowing this, we can read Peter's sermon in a different way, one that speaks more directly to us and makes us look inward instead of casting blame outwardly. It forces us to ask:
1. What systems of salvation have I become dependent upon in my life?
- Pete Scazzero in his book Emotionally Healthy Spirituality reflects upon Jesus' temptation in the desert, and he says we are drawn to three specific systems of salvation outside of living in childlike faith before God:
- Putting our value into "what we do"
- Putting our value into "what we have"
- Putting our value into "how others see us" (our popularity/relevance)
2. Where in my life am I trying to play God? What is motivating me? Fear, pride, anxiety?
3. "Anything. Anything, we honor and enshrine above God’s voice in our life is ultimately dangerous to us. Because we are trading a true bread-giver for something that will only satisfy us for awhile, that is temporal, that cannot quench the deepest parts of our spirit." Is there a place in your life where you have traded God's love for a false "bread-giver." Take a moment to ask for God's help in letting go of needing this thing or person or status.
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