50th Day of Easter, Pentecost Sunday May 31: Acts 28:30-31

Paul lived in Rome 2 years, paying his own way, teaching boldly and without hindrance. Acts ignores his death. It concludes with the end of the other argument of Acts: telling truth, and doing good.

Acts doesn’t tell the story of Paul’s death. Does it imply ‘happily ever after’? Certainly not – everybody knew the tales of Paul’s martyrdom – beheaded, as befitted a Roman citizen, rather than crucified. But it was his life that mattered, not his death. Could the same be said of Jesus – or of us?

So ends the Acts of the Apostles. As with the parable of the Good Samaritan from the same Lucan tradition, the charge is implicit: go and do likewise. Pentecost marks the empowerment and equipping of the saints, the community, to go off in the power of the Holy Spirit, to tell truth, and do good. You next! Read more...

49th Day of Easter, Saturday May 30: Acts 28:17-29

Paul starts preaching to the Jews, claiming to have been unjustly charged, and not charging Jews in turn. They deny hearing anything bad about him from Judea, and invite him to present his thoughts and teaching, to defend his unpopular sect.

He teaches at his lodgings, to great crowds. Some believed, but others refused. Paul quotes Isaiah’s prophecy of people who listen but never understand, look, but never perceive, dull of heart, deaf of ear, closed eyes – lest God heal. Do you ever recognize an unresponsive crowd?

Paul concludes that God’s salvation will be sent to the Gentiles, since they will listen. Are we a religious and deaf crowd, or a secular and attentive one? Thus is concluded the great argumentative arc, to end as it began. Read more...

48th Day of Easter, Friday May 29: Acts 28:1-16

Shipwrecked on the shore, local Maltese provide bonfire and warm hospitality. A snake warmed by the fire strikes Paul out of the brushwood. The locals say it shows a criminal can’t escape his fate by drowning – but when Paul survives, they conclude that he is blessed, godlike. Even in relief from crisis, new danger appears – ‘when the heart is strangely warmed, the pus comes out’.

Publius is the local Maltese patron who takes in the survivors. Paul heals Publius’ father, and then many on the island. They help him, and he helps them. There is no account of telling truth - only of doing good. In turn, the Maltese equip the crew with supplies for the resumed journey to Rome. ‘What goes around comes around’ is folk wisdom – but sometimes you do get back what you give.

Months later, ‘we’ sail from Malta to Sicily, and in turn north toward Rome. There were already believers in Rome, who came out to meet Paul on the road – 43 miles out in Forum of Appius and 33 miles out at Three Taverns. Paul entered Rome in good company, and was given a house and guard of his own. The journey ends not with a bang, but with a whimper. Read more...

47th Day of Easter, Thursday May 28: Acts 27:1-44

Paul’s voyage to Rome is another ‘we’ section, written from the point of view of one who came along on the trip. It’s late in the season, and sailing around Crete invites trouble. Paul warns ‘them’, but the majority of ‘them’ decide to sail into the risks of stormy weather. This may be originally a true account of an actual sailing voyage, but it still works well as a metaphor, type and model. Often the majority chooses to take unnecessary risks, despite good counsel.

Carry on reading the tale of a storm at sea and a shipwreck with that same tension between description and implicit prescription. The same Paul who had warned of predictable preventable danger, now in the midst of actual danger becomes the Paul who comforts the crew that only their ship and stuff will be lost, not their lives. What do you fear, and what gives you courage: stuff or life?

In a crisis, in a shipwreck, would do you react? Paul encourages and feeds folks. The sailors try to abandon the ship and passengers. The soldiers plan to kill the prisoners rather than let them escape. It may be a true account – but these are truer lessons of people under pressure. In our economic and denominational shipwreck crises, who encourages and feeds, who bails out, and who plans killing? Read more...

46th Day of Easter, Wednesday May 27: Acts 26:1-32

Paul begins his pitch in a nearly obsequious tone. John the Baptist, recall, just told Herod he shouldn’t be sleeping with Herodias. Paul, faced with a similar case, is surprisingly generous to his judge’s personal morality. Perhaps the church would do well to remember – ‘you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar’.

Paul’s speech is a variation on what he said to Felix and to Festus in turn. Enjoy the variations, though. There are really no new sermons, just variations on the basic themes of testimony and good news. This one is pitched to a privileged, non-believer audience – not unlike the audiences most of us face. Paul seems more contentious and provocative within the church than toward the rulers!

Paul concludes with an altar call to Agrippa, inviting him to join the Way. Agrippa declines, and Paul leaves the door open. Agrippa is left without any charges that lead to imprisonment, let alone death – but can’t release Paul, who has demanded his entitlement to appeal to the emperor. How do we leave open invitations, and claim an ongoing hearing, from those beyond our own club? Read more...