6th Sunday of Easter, May 9th
Read Acts 10: 44-48
In our text, for exploration, the author [Luke] displays his narrative skills by setting the stage for the ethnic and theological drama (See, Acts 11:1). The author also shares a scene that echos the melody of the entire book of Acts: the universal outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:17). So think! Consider the kind of melodies that tune your heart. The type of melodies that change your world forever! They are provocative, but more importantly, they produce eternal intangible ramifications in our lives, in our communities. Consider the melodies that change your perception, the melodies that you repeat and that can impact the generations to come!
Acts 10: 44-48, known as "The Gentiles receive the Power of the Holy Spirit," has everything for a good drama: a conflicted character torn between custom and conviction, between what he knows, and what could be; a rising tension produced by the presence of people that knew you, and the people that know t
he new you; a climax that pushes us to a meaning of freedom in God, and struggles against the "cancel culture"; and ends with a conclusion that pushes away anxiety and gives a bold invitation to a deeper bond.
This passage is a continuation of Peter's vision and mission to share the "Good News" with the world, with the gentile world.
It marks a significant shift in Peter's charge to "Feed the sheep" (John 21:17) and pushes Peter to a new conviction. "Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people?" See, Acts 10:47 which mirrors the words of the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8:36, "Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?". So, when you see them coming, do you get a bigger boat to fight them or welcome them?
