Surprising Grace – July 30, 2023 – Eddington Presbyterian Church

Acts 11:1-18
July 30, 2023

This story for today is a recap. It is Peter, reporting to the Church in Jerusalem, what happened in a much longer version in Acts 10. And that’s good. Because this is shorter. (It fits the 20 verse rule of thumb!) But also because it brings in the whole church’s reaction to what was, at first, Peter’s realization about the Gospel and the Gentiles.

And Peter does tell the whole story here. He tells them how he was having a vision on his housetop, a vision of something like a sheet, lowered from heaven, filled with all sorts of animals they considered “unclean,” and how he was told to kill and eat. “No Lord!” he said. “I’ve always kept kosher!” And the voice then said, “What I say is clean is now clean!” And the vision happened three times!

Meanwhile, at the house of Cornelius – the Gentile, he was having a vision of his own. An angel stood beside him and told him to send for a man named Peter, “Because he has a message for you.” And you know, you don’t disobey an angel! (Just ask Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist! He’s the guy who was struck dumb when he argued with the angel Gabriel!)

Peter then told the council that he realized that these two visions were related. And so do we. We know that the “unclean” things he was told to eat corresponded to the way the Jewish people felt about the Gentiles. They were considered to be “unclean,” too. And God was telling Peter that both were not to be called “unclean” any longer. And this would be the next big “thing” in the book of Acts – the “inclusion” of the Gentiles. It would go on for several chapters!

So, last week it was “Radical Grace.” We talked about that as we looked at the conversion of Saul. Saul was that terrible guy who was trying to stamp out the Church! He was arresting people and dragging them off to prison!

Now today it’s “Surprising Grace.” And it’s surprising in the sense of something being “unexpected.” With Saul it was more a matter of it being “inconceivable” that he would be given Grace. He was such a terrible guy! In this case, it’s surprising. And not because Cornelius was an evil man, but because he was a Gentile. And early Christianity was still seen as an offshoot of Judaism. So it was the people in the synagogues and the Temple – the Jewish people – who were receiving the word. And that’s what would have been “expected.”

Think about that. This was all taking place in the Jewish world. Jesus was in the Jewish world, and so were all his disciples. And when he reached out to people outside that world – which he did, the first question was often, “Why?” “Why, Jesus, are you speaking to these people?” “Why are you talking to this woman at the well?” And yes, he was also criticized for associating with sinners and outcasts and tax collectors. (Remember, they have their own category of sinfulness!) And that was unexpected, too. But at least it was conceivable, because they were the “lost children of Israel.” But the Gentiles? That was surprising! And that’s what the early church had to wrestle with in these early days.

So, what about today? Are there people would we think of when we think of “Surprising Grace.” Sure, maybe we can think of some who would be people of “radical grace,” maybe even evil people whose “ends” even the wisest cannot see. (As Gandalf said.)

But what about others? Who would be “surprised” about to know that God gave them grace, too? Maybe they’d be people who are simply “not like us,” or “don’t believe what we believe.” Maybe they’re people who we’re “not comfortable with.” Maybe they wouldn’t be “outcasts” as much as being those who are simply “written off.” I’ve heard it said that “Heaven is a place where we’re going to see people we didn’t think were going to be there!”

I heard a statement not long ago which really made me think. The statement was this. “Jesus loves those who others don’t.” Think about that! “Jesus loves those who others don’t.” That was certainly true during his ministry, wasn’t it? That’s who he reached out to. He ministered to the outcast, the forgotten, the lonely, the marginalized, the unloved. But is it still true today? Does he still love those who others don’t? I think you know the answer.

So, think about those who are “unloved” in this world. Who would that be? And as you think about people who you might find it hard to love, tell yourself, “Jesus loves that person!” That’s a good exercise! It’s a good practice. Look at another person, in any context, especially if it’s someone who is different than you, someone who you wouldn’t associate with, someone who you might find it hard to love, and think to yourself, “Jesus loves that person!” And then think to yourself, “Does that change how I treat them?”

That’s so important, because Jesus is not just a demonstration of God’s love to the world. He is our example of how to love! And the example is about what he said himself. “For God so loved the world.” Not “For God so loved the good people in the world.” It was “the world.”

I would go so far as to say that, in a war, God loves the people on both sides. The tendency is for one side to demonize the “other.” But God loves them, too. He might not be happy with their attitudes or motivations or actions, but he loves them. When Jesus said, “Love your enemies,” yes, there is a sense of “treat them with respect.” But there’s a literal element to that, too. Love your enemies because God loves your enemies. God so loved the world, and Jesus is the example – the model – of the way in which we too are to love the world!

This is starting to sound like “Radical Grace” again, isn’t it? Well it is! Grace is radical. It’s radical because it means receiving (and giving ourselves) God’s favor undeserved! But Grace is also surprising. Because we experience it when we are not expecting it – in others or ourselves.

In his book, “Surprised by Joy,” C. S. Lewis used the word “Joy” a lot! And he said that it comes from a word in Greek that means “The good surprise.” In his surprising journey from atheism to faith, Lewis realized that the idea of Joy contains the idea of surprise. And I think he would say the same about Grace. There is great surprise in Grace, and there is great joy in Grace.

Sometimes we let that joy dissipate, don’t we? We forget how great it is that God has given us his Grace! Sometimes the thought of it gets a little too “routine” to us. And like I said last week, sometimes we even allow ourselves to think that somehow we deserved the Grace that was given to us.

And we forget the joy – the “good surprise!” As we think about Peter, ‘splainin’ to the Church what God was doing through his spirit among the Gentiles, let us seek to remember the great things he has done through his spirit among us Gentiles! Let us know how “radical” it was that God gave us his Grace – his favor so undeserved.

And let us seek to remember how surprising Grace can be. How surprising it can be to us, and how surprising it can be when we realize that God does love people that others do not.

And let us strive to remember the joy! For there is great joy in Grace! As Paul told the Ephesians, which we read this week in Bible study, “God has shown us the immeasurable riches of his Grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:7)

And let us remember the surprising Grace God shows others. Jesus is our example of “For God so loved the world.” May we seek to follow his example ourselves.

Prayer

Eternal God, our Heavenly Father, your Grace is amazing to us. Help us to know that every day. Help us to see the joy in your Grace. And help us to be people of Grace, people through whom others will see your Grace. For we pray in our Savior’s name, Amen.