No one likes to be interrupted. Whether we are trying to have a conversation or trying to accomplish a task, we are usually focused on finishing. When something prevents us from doing that, we are frustrated.
A few years ago, Susan and I set off on a trip to Maine to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. We went to Northeast Harbor Maine, where I lived as a child. I was looking forward to showing Susan my old haunts and having some lobster. We were going to spend some time together.
We were driving on the 80/90 toll road and had just crossed over the Ohio border. Susan somewhat typically had drifted off to sleep. A motorcycle club passed us and pulled into the lane in front of us, and I saw a truck merging into the highway. The truck did not see the last biker in the group and pulled onto the highway hitting the motorcycle.
Everything was as if it was in slow motion. The motorcycle went down with a lot of sparks and then flipped end over end. The man was like a rag doll and tumbled on the highway. I slammed on the brakes and swerved so I would not hit the man. The truck was pulling over to the side of the highway, and out of the corner of my eye, I could see the motorcycle was on fire under the overpass.
I pulled over right in front of the truck and ran back to see if I could help the man. Susan ran with me. I was an EMT and a fireman in the late 70’s early 80’s. All that training kicking in and it was as if I was on autopilot. The man was badly injured with a compound fracture of his leg and lots of skin missing from contact with the road at 70 mph. Traffic was fairly heavy on the interstate, and a very real possibility was that we would be hit by another car whose driver was texting or something. The rest of the motorcycle club came back and a nurse was in another car that stopped. An athletic trainer was in another car that stopped.
The trucker decided to get out of the truck to tell the bikers it was not his fault, and I left the man to the care of the nurse and went to convince the trucker to get back in the truck and call his company to report the incident. Susan asked the bikers if they would let her pray with them and got them to redirect their attention from the trucker. The trainer reparked his car to block the lane of traffic and waved the approaching cars into the next lane. There were a lot of things going on.
Before long the police and the ambulance arrived, and once we gave them some information, the scene began to clear. I asked the highway patrolman if we could leave, and he said, “yes.”
We continued our wedding anniversary trip to Maine. We weren’t the same people any more in some ways. Our trip had been interrupted. We left on our trip to relax and have a good time, but as soon as we saw the accident, we were no longer free to do that. We were duty-bound to assist the injured man and duty-bound to carry him in our hearts as we continued on our journey.
Last week, we looked at the Apostle Philip and his ministry to the Ethiopian eunuch. We saw that the Holy Spirit was full of power and was the one completely in charge of the direction of Philip’s ministry, at one point even snatching him away and placing him somewhere else. We learned that maybe it is better not to be so concerned about mapping out the direction of our ministry, but to trust that the Holy Spirit will direct us too. This week we’ll look at another Apostle, Peter, and see how his ministry is interrupted by the Holy Spirit and turns out to be something totally different than what perhaps he originally intended.
There is a plaque that hangs in the Sacristy at St. Paul’s that reads, “We plan, God laughs.” It is a tangible reminder that we can have one idea about the direction of our life, but perhaps God has something different in mind all together.
Before we look at the interruptions that are happening to Peter in today’s reading from Acts, it would probably be helpful to review what has happened in the first part of Chapter 10. The Chapter begins in Casesarea at the home of a man named Cornelius who is a centurion of the Italian cohort. We don’t know a lot about him except that he was a God-fearing man who took care of his household and gave alms generously.
About 3:00 one afternoon, Cornelius has a vision in which an angel tells him to go to Joppa and send for a man named Peter. So Cornelius sends some slaves to Joppa. Now in Joppa, Peter is having some visions of his own. While the men from Cornelius are on their way, Peter goes up to his rooftop to pray. During his prayers, the first interruption happens. While he is praying, Peter has a vision where he sees a large white sheet descending. On the sheet are all kinds of four-footed creatures, reptiles and birds of the air. Peter then hears a voice, presumably from the LORD, that commands him to kill and eat. The only problem is that the sheet contains animals that are unclean, that are not considered kosher and which would be unlawful for a Jewish person to eat.
Peter tries to protest and then hears the admonition, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” This particular vision happens to Peter three times and leaves him feeling puzzled as to the meaning. While he is puzzling, Peter is interrupted for the second time when the men from Cornelius arrive at Peter’s house. Peter is directed to go to them and the next day he accompanies them back to Ceasarea and to Cornelius. As Peter enters his house, the meaning of his vision is made clear, and he says, “You yourselves know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or to visit a Gentile, but God has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean.”
Then Peter begins to preach a sermon, recounting the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is in the midst of this powerful sermon that Peter is again interrupted by the Holy Spirit. We are told that “While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astound that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God.” At the conclusion of all of this, Peter orders the Gentiles to be baptized.
So many interruptions! The Holy Spirit moves the word of God outside the boundaries that strict observance of the law would have allowed. The effect of the Holy Spirit’s work is a radical inclusion. It is a call to all of us to love and include our neighbor. This is what Jesus wants us to do when we abide with him.
Abiding with Jesus means that our life is probably going to be interrupted. As soon as we witnessed the accident on the toll road, we were no longer free to do as we pleased. Our trip had been interrupted.
Following Christ is like that. Being friends with Jesus is like that. We are no longer free to do or go as we please. We must allow the spirit to interrupt our intentions and direct us to places where boundaries are erased and people and ideas that we hadn’t originally thought to include will be included.
In what ways is the Holy Spirit interrupting your life? Who are the people God is calling you to love and include? Maybe you have an idea of where you are headed, but something seems to be nudging you in a different direction. I did not set out in the 80’s to be the rector of St. Thomas. Through a series of Godly interruptions, here I am. I am grateful.
It scary to commit yourself to a life where you will constantly be facing interruptions and re-directions. Living such a life means committing ourselves to things that we don’t understand.
I am comforted by the words of our collect this morning: “O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding…”
When we live a life open to the interruptions of the Holy Spirit, we know that while we may not understand what is going on at the time. God has a plan.
I have said these words in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Sermon preached by Fr. Tom at St. Thomas, Plymouth
May 6, 2018: Sixth Sunday of Easter
Acts 10:44-48
Psalm 98
1 John 5:1-6
John 15:9-17