Sunday, May 18, 2025

Dedication of Gilstrap Family Prayer Garden

This Sunday, we are excited to dedicate the prayer garden, between the Sanctuary and the Multi-Purpose Room, to Jeff Gilstrap and has family. This dedication is in recognition of Jeff’s many years of faithful ministry at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church as a Certified Ruling Elder.

Sermon Notes

The early church, called ‘The Way,’ continues to grow. However, as with any group of people, there are some disagreements in how to best be faithful to both their tradition and where the Holy Spirit is leading them. This tension between continuity and change is seen throughout the long history of the church, up to this very day.

The book of Acts chronicles the growth of The Way, as the Apostles follow the Holy Spirit where she leads. Many gentiles have become followers of Jesus, trusting in the resurrection life that his life, death, and resurrection brings. We saw the inclusion of an Ethiopian eunuch last week.

This radical inclusion of the gentiles, as well as the challenges it creates, is seen in the story of the conversion of Cornelius in Acts 10 and 11. Cornelius is a Roman  centurion who has become a Proselyte, a convert to the Jewish religion. He has a vision of an angel of God to summon the apostle Peter. Just before the massagers get to Peter, he has his own vision of a heavenly sheet filled with animals. A divine voice tells him to ‘take and eat,’ but doing so would break Jewish Kosher rules. The voice tells Peter “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” When the messengers come from Cornelius, Peter understands the assignment, and goes with them. Even though it is against the Jewish tradition, Peter enters Cornelius’ house, preaches to his household, and they all receive the Holy Spirit.

Paul, who had formerly been a persecutor of The Way, has now become an apostle after a vision of the risen Jesus. He and Barnabas were commissioned by the church in Antioch to proclaim the gospel throughout the Roman Empire. The Holy Spirit directs them to various cities where they proclaim the good news of Jesus, starting in the local Jewish Synagogue. The Jewish response, however, is increasingly hostile, and they are starting to focus more on the Gentiles.

The ‘flashpoint’ of this conflict is over male circumcision. This ‘Sign of the Covenant’ goes all the way back to the time of Abraham, and has been passed on from generation to generation of the Hebrew people. It remains a clear and undeniable sign of inclusion in this covenant people.

For Gentile believers, circumcision is a tough sell. There is the obvious pain and humiliation involved, which could easily deter any would-be converts. But for those in the Roman world, the stakes are even higher. Many aspects of Roman social cultural life were spent in the nude, for instance all athletics and participation in Roman baths. For these men, circumcision would lead to awkward conversations or outright ostracization from their communities. It seems that many of the early converts were merchants for whom these social connections were very important. There are even historical documents that suggest that some later sought to reverse the procedure (a possible but painful process). The introduction of circumcision also presented a bit of a PR problem as gentile believers are informed of an apparent prerequisite to believing in Jesus that was never mentioned by those like Paul or Peter (a hell of a fine print surprise).

Perhaps a subtext to this issue of circumcision is that it is only a sign that can be adopted by half of believers. As The Way grows as an egalitarian movement that welcomes and even celebrates the gifts and leadership of women, perhaps they are also concerned how this sign could reintroduce patriarchal norms (which ultimately did win out over time).

The apostles gather in Jerusalem to consider where the Holy Spirit is leading them, and how to address this growing rift within the growing assembly of believers.

Questions

What are those things that must continue, what are the things that need to change?

What are some of the ‘flashpoints’ that have divided the church, are currently causing division, and will cause divisions in the future?

How can this story inform our current differences of theology and practice?