"Rise Peter, slay and eat!"

One of the appointed readings for today is taken from the Acts of the Apostles where we read how Peter, a good practicing Jewish person, is confronted with the dietary laws he has followed his entire life in the context of the church expanding to include Gentiles, non-Jewish people:

 

In Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian Cohort, as it was called. He was a devout man who feared God with all his household; he gave alms generously to the people and prayed constantly to God. One afternoon at about three o’clock he had a vision in which he clearly saw an angel of God coming in and saying to him, ‘Cornelius.’ He stared at him in terror and said, ‘What is it, Lord?’ He answered, ‘Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa for a certain Simon who is called Peter; he is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the seaside.’ When the angel who spoke to him had left, he called two of his slaves and a devout soldier from the ranks of those who served him, and after telling them everything, he sent them to Joppa.

 

About noon the next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat; and while it was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw the heaven opened and something like a large sheet coming down, being lowered to the ground by its four corners. In it were all kinds of four-footed creatures and reptiles and birds of the air. Then he heard a voice saying, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ But Peter said, ‘By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is profane or unclean.’ The voice said to him again, a second time, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call profane.’ This happened three times, and the thing was suddenly taken up to heaven. (Acts 10:1-16).

 

 

These words are familiar to anyone who has been at St. Augustine’s on Sunday morning when right after the grace for breakfast Charles Lemons proclaims: “Rise Peter, slay and eat!”

 

Cornelius, a Roman officer, is described as a devout person who respects God who is ending him to see Peter.  For his part, while Peter is praying, God tells him that everything manner of thing that he has made is fit to eat because God made it; therefore, Peter is free to eat even those things that had been prohibited by the Jewish dietary laws.  What we see in this passage is the Early Church coping not only with growth, but with growth outside of its Jewish roots to a wider idea of the people of God.  Indeed, Christ came to save not only the people of Israel, but Gentiles as well.  Jesus came to restore all of creation to God, to reconcile the world.  Everything is a new creation in Christ!

 

Let us pray: Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen.

 

CALENDAR REMINDERS

 

Next Sunday is Blessing of the Backpacks at the 9 AM Eucharist.

 

Invite Someone to Church Sunday is on the 21st of September 2014.  Please invite someone to Church to experience the joy of the Good News.

 

The 6th Annual Art Show, “Let There Be Light,” will be from the 4th of October for 1 week.

 

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List.

 

Your servant in Christ,

 

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550