Open-ended,
Life-centred,
Gospel-Focused Explorations of the Eucharistic Readings from the
Australian Prayer Book.
(No Hebrew
Bible reading is set for today, hence ACTS 5: 27-32 for
2nd S. of Easter, Year C. (For
JN 20: 19-31, scroll on site.)
NOTES: 1] For the context, read
at least Ch.4. All the apostles, not just Peter & John, seem to
have been imprisoned this time. 2] In
v. 30, 'hanging him on a tree' means 'on a cross' (made from a tree). 3] In v.31, 'leader' isn't a strong
enough word to convey the original sense of 'originator' & 'ruler'
(F.F.Bruce ad loc.).
WARMING UP: Why is religion such a divisive issue?
TREASURES OLD & NEW:
Identify God at work in anything this week?
ENTERING INTO THE STORY:
27-28 Have we ever been in any
trouble because of our allegiance to Jesus Christ? Have we ever been
even unpopular on that count? Unpopular among whom? Does anyone,
in the church or anyone else, ever question us, amicably, or with
hostility,
about our faith in Jesus? Does anyone have authority to tell us 'not to
teach in Jesus' name'? Do we ever give the impression today that we
'want to bring this man's blood' on anyone? What might that mean in
today's context?
29
If Peter is being singled out as the leader of the
apostles, whom could we single out as our leader(s) among today's
disciples? Is 'up front' leadership simply a right of those we ordain?
Or is it a collaborative effect? Collaborative enough? Have we ever
come to some point in life where we drew a line & said, "We must
obey God rather than any human authority"? Might we reach such a point?
What about those living under any kind of rule where to take such a
stand is to court ill-treatment or death? How does this same issue
apply in today's 'ethics' debates, such as human embryo cloning,
euthanasia, etc.? Have we given up too easily on the 'who really has
the right to rule' issue? Is 'democracy' a sufficient justification for
human rule gazumping God's rule? How do we discern where God's
authority stops & human authority begins? Does it really work like
that, from a Christian point of view?
30-32 Is what
Peter says here a reasonable summary of where Jesus fits into God's
scheme of things? Can we understand Jesus' death on the cross &
resurrect- ion apart from the kind of life he lead on earth? Was it
fair that Peter should accuse his fellow Jews in this way? Or, as many
think, is he really accusing their priestly leaders, not the people as
a whole? If Peter is blaming all his fellow Jews, might this be an
excuse for anti-Semitism? Where does what Peter is offering his fellow
Jews in v.31 fit into all this? Do we have any less responsibility than
those of old to respond to Jesus as our 'originator & ruler' (see
N.3 above) given that Jesus makes himself available beyond Judaism in
the outpouring of his Spirit at Pentecost? How dependent is that
availability on 'forgiveness & repentance'?
Compared with the
certainty of Peter & the other first Christians about what they'd
witnessed, how sure are we of what we
have witnessed of Jesus - in any sense? If we aren't sure, might this
mean the witness of Holy Spirit hasn't taken root in us? Might this, in
turn, mean we aren't obedient enough to God? Is or isn't Peter saying
that certainty, witness, the giving of the Spirit, & obedience all
hang together in the Christian faith?
