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The First Sermon Set the Bar

Daily Devotional ā€¢ August 3

A Reading from Acts 2:22-36

22 ā€œFellow Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves knowā€” 23 this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law.24 But God raised him up, having released him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power. 25 For David says concerning him,

ā€˜I saw the Lord always before me,
Ā  Ā  for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken;

26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
Ā  Ā  moreover, my flesh will live in hope.

27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades
Ā  Ā  or let your Holy One experience corruption.

28 You have made known to me the ways of life;
Ā  Ā  you will make me full of gladness with your presence.ā€™

29 ā€œFellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying,

ā€˜He was not abandoned to Hades,
Ā  Ā  nor did his flesh experience corruption.ā€™

32 ā€œThis Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

ā€˜The Lord said to my Lord,
ā€œSit at my right hand,

35 Ā  until I make your enemies your footstool.ā€ ā€™

36 ā€œTherefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.ā€

 

Meditation

As we saw in the reading two days ago, when it became time to select Judasā€™ successor, Peter defined the primary work of an apostle as bearing witness to the resurrection. Todayā€™s lesson presents Peterā€™s first public witness, and he does precisely what he had already said an apostle must do: ā€œGod raised him up, loosing the pangs of death.ā€ He quotes Scripture (Psalm 16:8-11) to show that resurrection is the promise of God, and his source is the beloved and respected King David; one of the Messiahā€™s many titles is ā€œSon of David.ā€Ā 

During the time of Jesusā€™ earthly ministry, Peter made statements that were courageous and profound. At other times, he made statements that were way off target. He promised loyalty to Jesus even unto death, broke that promise three times, and was forgiven and restored by Jesus. Now here, in the first public witness after Jesusā€™ crucifixion, Peter stands and speaks with captivating effectiveness. He even accuses his hearers (twice) of being those who crucified and killed Jesus. Yet he affirms that this was done ā€œaccording to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God.ā€Ā 

Peter affirms that Jesus has been raised, JesusĀ  sits at the right hand of God, and Jesus is both Lord and Christ, i.e. Master and Messiah., and states that he and those with him are witnesses to it all. It is evidence of a Spirit-led speaker that Peterā€™s witness stops here. He does not tell his hearers what to do; he leaves them without resolution. And yet his words are so moving that one would be hard put to it simply to walk away. The hearers must decide for themselves what to do. Indeed, in the verse following this, the hearers ask, ā€œBrothers, what shall we do?ā€ Peterā€™s answer leads them to baptism and the formation of the Church.


David Baumann served for nearly 50 years as an Episcopal priest in the Dioceses of Los Angeles and Springfield. He has published nonfiction, science fiction, and short stories. Two exuberant small daughters make sure he never gets any rest.

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Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:

The Diocese of Hpa-an ā€“ The Church of the Province of Myanmar (Burma)
St. Matthewā€™s Cathedral, Dallas

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