Rev. Chris Snow

North Hill Christian Church

April 14, 2024

Acts 3:1-10

As we approach our text for this morning I would like to invite you, as you are comfortable, to close your eyes and imagine with me a moment. Imagine that your whole life you have found yourself outside the doors of the church. Not just once but all of your life. Spent your days watching people pass you by as they enter into this place of faith and worship. Some people would give you money from time to time. But they never invited you in. Perhaps they saw you as unworthy, unclean, not-quite fully human, or other. Until one day, two people come walking by who really see you. Even as you go through a script that you have uttered countless times asking for money, they ask you to really look at them. To notice them as they noticed you. They admitted they had no money to offer but instead they offered you their faith that embraced you and invited you into worship with them. 

Now, open your eyes… 

We like to use the excuse of, that doesn’t happen anymore. We have gotten beyond barring people with disabilities from entering the sanctuary. And yet, this is a reality that continues to be experienced by many communities within our own country.

Yes, back within the context that this text was written, long before studies of germ theory and the reasons behind disabilities and illnesses, it was the practice to see those suffering as unclean. Barring them from entry into the sacred places and also active involvement within the community. 

We like to think that we have gotten beyond that mindset declaring, “All are welcome”, and yet, more often than not, local congregations, expect individuals to change parts of who they are and how they engage with the world, in order to fit with that congregation’s “normal.” On top of that even as we seek to be truly welcoming we tend to stop just short of extending an empathetic hand of welcome. 

It is one thing to extend an inviting hand, and another to do so with empathy. To simply extend that welcoming hand sounds like, “Welcome to our church, glad to have you here.” An empathetic hand of welcome recognizes, that an individual may have encountered congregations and people of faith that treated them horribly, and now we seek to offer welcome through our actions rather than just words. Being mindful of the various trauma’s a church has placed on their shoulders. 

When I hear the narrative of this man, many red flags go off in my mind: such as, it more than likely didn’t happen exactly like that, especially the crowd’s response in the temple. The people more than likely did recognize the man that they had recently passed by but the culture of the time required those who had been healed to go through cleansing rituals before finding acceptance in the community. That would have taken more time than is indicated. 

The crowds would have likely been astonished but also fairly disgruntled that their experience in the temple was being disrupted by this man who was loudly leaping and dancing in the temple. 

But we find comfort in the language of the crowd being filled with wonder and astonishment. It gives us hope for the way things could be in our world and in our congregations today. 

I can imagine in my own mind the individuals in the crowd muttering to themselves that this man’s behavior isn’t right. He shouldn’t be here. He needs to get cleaned up and take care of his issues before coming in. 

These are words and thoughts that in various forms continue to be pervasive in congregations today. Sometimes it is pointed to individuals with physical or cognitive disabilities, that cause disruptions to the norm. When someone has medical needs that need to be taken care of in the moment even if it causes disruptions to the community. Or their way of engaging in the world forces them to be more active, rather than sitting silently in the pew.

Or perhaps we could be mindful of the individuals of the LGBTQIA+ community who, 1) may be fearful of coming out and being their true selves to their community of faith out of fear of their response, 2) have been kicked out and ostracized by their community for daring to be open with who they are to their family and faith community. A fear that causes too many individuals to remain closeted out of fear of what could happen, in part because their community has not shown them through their actions that they would be safe. 

We could even consider communities of color and/or various cultures that are not our own. The white protestant way of doing things has become so engrained within our traditions and structures that we have a hard time of imagining anyone else getting by in any other way. So, when things don’t happen or go in the manner we expect, we become frustrated and put individuals who do not follow the same customs as us, at arms length. 

But, even as I am going hard on the crowd’s actions and responses there is still good news. The good news rests in the interaction between Peter, John and the man. I expect that the actual narrative took a bit of time and talking, but the gist of the main points remains present for brevity.

One of the first things Peter and John do as they encounter the man, is to really look at him. Take his whole existence in through their eyes. Recognizing and paying attention to the whole individual, as they invite the man to do the same. Recognizing what he has had to do to survive for his whole life. Recognizing how he has likely been treated by others in the community.  

Once they have actually looked at one another and acknowledged each other’s humanity with whatever strengths and limitations we have, Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.” This is one of those areas where I think a bit more was said. I believe that Peter and John shared their faith in Jesus and talked about what they had witnessed throughout their journey with him. They shared their faith. They shared why it was important to them to follow the way of Christ. They shared what they had to offer and in doing so brought forth healing. 

We can do the same. We can be honest with ourselves as we learn to engage with empathy with all those who come into our doors for the first time, and with all those we encounter on the street. We can share our faith in the one who welcomes the stranger, heals the injured, comforts the brokenhearted, and lifts up the lowly. We can speak to what we know of Jesus as we live our lives by the example that Jesus provided for us and is evidenced in the scriptures.