Ten Minutes for Teachers
Apr.
15, 2007
Vol. 8, Issue 3
Worship
Texts: Revelation 1:4-8; Psalm 150; Luke 24:1-12
Worship
Theme: Tellin’ Stories
Other
Texts: Acts 5:27-32; John 20:19-31
Reminders:
We have the luxury of hearing the Word proclaimed by Rev.
Ralph Hawkins this Sunday – friend and pastoral colleague of Rev. Jonathan
Carroll. I hope you all will give Ralph
a warm welcome and extend the peace of Christ to he and his family.
Devotion:
The resurrection of Jesus Christ was not only an event of new life and
new hope, it was also an event of power
and authority. Jesus’ resurrection
was a power play. It proved a serious
point: God is supreme. God is the One who truly holds the keys of
power and authority, and nothing – not even death – could stand in the way of
the Father bringing the Son back to life.
Of course, we all know that power held is power not easily
given away. It is to be expected then
that the very same persons who sought to keep Jesus in his place would also
seek to keep Jesus’ followers in their place.
Indeed, that is what happened – as we learn when we read the Book of
Acts – specifically Acts 5:27-32.
In fact, over the years, Christians have had to wrestle
seriously with political forces of power – especially when political entities
or persons forget this basic reality:
God is supreme.
In Acts 5:27-32,
Peter and the other disciples are being squeezed by fearful, control-driven
authorities – persons who hope to keep the world as it is. However, “Obedience is a matter of priority.” So Peter was correct by responding to the
demands of these inflexible authorities when he said, “We must obey God rather
than any human authority” (5:29).
When God is speaking, there is not much that we can do. We can listen well and spread the same
news. Or, we can seek to throw water on
a wildfire of grace and love. As Peter
came to discover, it is much easier trying to live in the flow of God’s
movement rather than trying to swim upstream.
We simply must obey God; at
the end of the day, there’s no one else with more power or glory.
Something
to Chew On:
In a time when the darkness of human-based control was
spreading like a plague, pastors in Nazi Germany had to decide whom they would
serve – just like Peter. Not all pastors
were able to make a wise decision unfortunately. However, some did, and together they issued the
Barmen Declaration, which proclaimed that Christ is Lord of every area of life,
and there can be no other lords.
The example provided by this statement is that Christians
have maintained fidelity to God by periodically affirming what it is that they
believe. This – in part – is why we have
an affirmation of faith in every worship service.
For more information on the Barmen Declaration, see this
link:
http://www.ucc.org/faith/barmen.htm
Prayer
for the day:
“We are your witnesses, O God, not simply to words and events of long ago. Embolden us to tell of grace and mystery
encountered in sacrament and community in our day. Free our words and deeds to faithful
obedience. Amen.” - Seasons of the Spirit: Ages
12-14. Pg. 45
