Have you ever had a vision? Acts 11:1-18

In today’s lesson, we look at the vision of St. Peter, recounted in the book of Acts, where he is released from the restrictions of the dietary laws of his tradition.

Why did the Jews have dietary laws in the first place? What was their purpose?

Are dietary laws all this story refers to?


As Christians, we are not fettered by the dietary laws of our Jewish heritage. But what are we fettered with in this day and time. What restrictions have we imposed that keep us from reaching out to those whom God already loves, In other words, who are the Gentiles to us?


Acts 11:1-18
11:1 Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God.

11:2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him,

11:3 saying, "Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?"

11:4 Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying,

11:5 "I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me.

11:6 As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air.

11:7 I also heard a voice saying to me, 'Get up, Peter; kill and eat.'

11:8 But I replied, 'By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.'

11:9 But a second time the voice answered from heaven, 'What God has made clean, you must not call profane.'

11:10 This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven.

11:11 At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were.

11:12 The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house.

11:13 He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, 'Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter;

11:14 he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.'

11:15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning.

11:16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'

11:17 If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?"

11:18 When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, "Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life."


What would you say is the most significant thing that Peter realizes during bis vision?

What does this mean for us in our faith walk?

Lectionary Lesson April 25 - The Revelation of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Revealing the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse:
Revelation 6: 1-8, 7: 9-17

How can we see Revelation as a spiritual journey, as a description of our development as a human being before God?

Revelation is a cryptic document which has been interpreted in many ways. Most of the interpretations fall into one or more of the following categories: the Historicist, which sees in Revelation a broad view of history; the Preterist, in which Revelation mostly refers to the events of the apostolic era (first century); the Futurist, which believes that Revelation describes future events; and the Idealist, or Symbolic, which holds that Revelation is purely symbolic, an allegory of the spiritual path and the ongoing struggle between good and evil. These approaches are by no means mutually exclusive, and can be (and usually are) used in combination with each other.

Chapter 6: 1-8
1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.
4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

Revelation: A revealing. A revealing about ourselves as well angels and demons.
Today, the players are the same, only the names have been changed of the horsemen to distract the ignorant.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in modern attire.
Chucky, Groucho, Ziggy, and Big Al. We'll discuss these in class...

The lectionary reading:

Chapter 7: 9-17
9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

The process of spiritual development:
God may reveal himself to us in many ways and through many avenues, our surrounding nature, our society, our psyche all on the larger stage of the cosmos. If we are to develop, we must develop in relation to all of the above. Our lives proceed not in a vacuum, but one that is fraught with peril and danger. But in the end we are faithful to arrive at our fullest stage of development where “16 We shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on us, nor any heat.” For we will be the full light in Christ, having reached our full purpose as a creature created to journey to our full calling in God. Now that’s true revelation.

What is Conversion? Journey Lesson April 18, 2010

What is Conversion?

Have you ever gone through a monumental life-changing experience? How is it different than a change that occurs slowly over time, or is it different? Just how are we converted to new life?

Three "conversion" stories

Paul New Testament

Acts 9:1-6, (7-20)9:1 Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest9:2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.9:3 Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.9:4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"9:5 He asked, "Who are you, Lord?" The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.9:6 But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do."9:7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one.9:8 Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.9:9 For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.9:10 Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." He answered, "Here I am, Lord."9:11 The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying,9:12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight."9:13 But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem;9:14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name."9:15 But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel;9:16 I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name."9:17 So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."9:18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized,9:19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength. For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus,9:20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is the Son of God."

Medieval St. Augustine

In Milan, Saint Augustine came under the influence of Saint Ambrose the bishop; he began to go to his sermons, not so much with an expectation of profiting by them as to gratify his curiosity and to enjoy the eloquence. He found that the discourses more learned than the heresies he adopted and began to read the New Testament especially Saint Paul's writings. In the same time, the mother of Adeodatus his son left back to Africa leaving the child behind.
Saint Augustine's spiritual, moral and intellectual struggle went on; he was convinced of the truth of Christianity, but his will was weaker than the worldly temptations, and delayed his return to Christ for many months. "Soon, in a little while, I shall make up my mind, but not right now" he kept telling himself. In his half desires of conversion he was accustomed to beg of God the grace of chastity, but was at the same time in some measure afraid of being heard too soon. He realized that his problem was a moral one. The Divine truth for which he was seeking would never be his unless he first overcame his weakness.
Soon after, Pontitian, an African, came to visit Saint Augustine and his friend Alipius; he told them about two men who had been suddenly turned to the service of God by reading about the life of Saint Anthony. His words had a powerful influence on the mind of Saint Augustine. He was ashamed his will has been so weak and said to Alipius:
"What are we doing to let the unlearned seize Heaven by force, whilst we with all our knowledge remain behind, cowardly and heartless, wallowing in our sins? Because they have outstripped us and gone before, are we ashamed to follow them? Is it not more shameful not even to follow them?"
He rushed to the garden, greatly upset; tears filling his eyes, he threw himself on the grass under a fig tree and reproached himself bitterly crying out:
"And Thou, O Lord, how long? How long? Is it to be tomorrow and tomorrow? Why not now? Why not this very hour put an end to shame?"
As he spoke these words he heard a child's voice singing "Tolle lege! Tolle lege!" (Take up and read! Take up and read!). He could not remember any childhood game he played with any such words. He remembered that Saint Anthony was converted from the world by hearing a single verse. He took up Saint Paul's epistles and read the first chapter that met his eyes: "Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, fulfil the lusts thereof." (Romans 13:13-14)
When he told Alipius what he had experienced, Alipius took the book and read, he found the next words to be: "Him that is weak in the faith receive ye" and applied them to himself and joined his friend in his resolution.
This high point in the conversion of Saint Augustine took place in the September of 386, when he was 32 years old. He, his son Adeodatus and Alipius were baptized by Saint Ambrose at Easter the following year in the presence of saint Monica. She knew that her prayers were answered and died shortly after.

Modern Day Experience

The NDE story of Dr.Tony Cicoria is an orthopedic surgeon from Oneonta, New York, who experienced an unusual near death experience (NDE) after being hit by lightning on a summer day in 1994. He remembered seeing the lightning, which struck him on the mouth, but after that there was nothing. He felt himself falling backward, then he seemed to be going forward. His mother-in-law rushed past him without speaking to him and he suddenly came to the realization that he was dead. He was surrounded by a bluish-white light and he could see and hear the people around him, but they didn't seem to notice him. They were all looking at his lifeless body lying on the ground some distance from where he was standing. Tony was filled with an "unbelievable feeling of peace and love and warmth."

Return to Life
Cicoria could sense speed and direction while 'dead' and he saw highs and lows of his life pass by. His scientific mind was analyzing what was happening, and he was happy to go where where he seemed to be headed. Suddenly he was being jolted back to life by a woman who was administering CPR. He felt anger and pain, and cried out "Please don't make me come back." But he was back in his body and experiencing excrutiating pain. After some time thay were able to get him to sit up and they insisted that he go to the hospital. He refused. "When you are hit by lightning you are either dead or alive, and I was alive," he says. So he made his way back to the place where his family had gathered in a pavilion for a picnic. He was in great pain, his mind was in a fog, and he allowed them to take him home.

Classical Piano Music
Tony Cicoria was a child of the 60s and was raised on rock and roll, especially Led Zeppelin. He had no interest in classical music at all. However, after being checked out by a cardiologist and neurologist and being pronounced well after his experience, he began to have an insatiable desire to hear classical piano music. He purchased records and cassettes and spent most of his spare time listening to these artists. He says that he was possesssed.At this time his baby sitter needed a home for her piano for a year and Cicoria gladly offered to keep it. He began piano lessons and tried to play a composition he had first heard in his mind a few weeks after his near death experience. Every time he would sit at the piano this music would keep playing in his mind. On January 29, 2008, his 56th birthday, Tony Cicoria played this composition, along with two others he had composed, in a concert performance.

How would you tell the story of your own conversion?

Was it sudden? Has it been over time?

Is it a mission accomplished yet?

Easter Journey Lesson 2010

WDJD: What Did Jesus Do?

Last week when we looked at the Last Supper, we asked what did Jesus mean when he said “do this in rememberance of me?”

What is the "this" of the resurrection?

Can you think of a characteristic or quality that is brought to us through the resurrection? Is it amazement, awe, bewilderment or something else?

The Scripture Passages:
Luke 24:1-12

24:1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared.

24:2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb,

24:3 but when they went in, they did not find the body.

24:4 While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them.

24:5 The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.

24:6 Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee,

24:7 that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again."

24:8 Then they remembered his words,

24:9 and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest.

24:10 Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles.

24:11 But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.

24:12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

How do we incorporate the event of the resurrection into our lives for the benefit of others? Is it simply a point of belief upon which we are all to agree or is it something else? How do we do this in rememberance of him?