Sunday, January 31, 2016

Reflections on "Called to Love' Deuteronomy 6: 1-9; I Corinthians 13: 1-13

this sermon seemed to well.  It was a nice day of worship withe the Troy High School Jazz Band helping lead worship, which makes the sermon part go better as well!

Lots of good biblical studies stuff that I think I used well.  Ironically, the quote from the Book of Order was my initial reflection on this passage, but then it moved down the pecking order of the sermon.  In fact, I probably could have left out the third move, except it seemed important to bring a communal aspect to the sermon. 

Called to Love” January 31, 2016; Call Mini-series; I Corinthians 13: 1-13; Deuteronomy 6:
Introduction: We began reflecting on call by noting how God calls us by name, that is, the personal nature of call. Last week we focused on God calling the body of Christ into being and calling us to be part of the body of Christ. This week, we turn to Paul to be reminded that we are called to love.

When I first began in ministry, I quickly learned that this passage in I Corinthians was the go-to passage for weddings. Still does. I have a wedding in a few weeks, and the couple asked for this passage to be read.

Even if the couple chooses not to use the passage, they bring it up and say something, like, “We don't want to use that passage because everyone does!”

often, the couple can't quite remember where this passage is found so they start describing it, and when I read it, they get this smile – not only have I found for them the passage, but it gives such a wonderful picture of love.

About 15 or 16 years ago, I met with a couple to plan the memorial service for the wife, who was nearing death. As we talked about the service, the woman said, “Would it be weird to use the love passage from I Corinthians at my funeral? I know it's usually used for weddings, but I like it.” Knowing the woman and how dearly loved she was by her family, it seemed to fit.

Since that time, I have probably used this passage a dozen times at memorials services for similar reasons.

Let's be clear: Paul was not writing this passage to an engaged couple as part of their pre-marital counseling. Nor was he writing to a family who was grieving the death of their mother. He was sharing with the church community in Corinth about how they ought to live in relationship with one another.

We can imagine how people in a church community might struggle to get along. We can look around the pews and see the challenge of being in relationship with one another Add to that, the Corinthians are new to this. They are learning what it means to be church, what it means to love and work together.

To them, Paul writes this beautiful passage that reminds them that their calling is to love one another.

Move 1: Love is the basis for their relationships, and love is also the foundation for our relationships.

a. The Deuteronomy passage reminds us that the emphasis on love is not new to Paul's writings.

1. Love of God is foundational to how God's people should relate to God.

2. The Israelite are told to love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your might.

3.. This type of relationship is all-encompassing.

4. “All your heart,” that is the deep feeling from within, is to be given over to God in love, but that alone is not enough.

5. “All your soul” all of that which is at the core of who we are is to be given over to God in love, but that alone is not enough.

6. “All your might,” or that which we have that we put toward doing good, is to be given over to God, but that alone is not enough. (Steed Davidson, Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament McCormick Theological Seminary
Chicago, Ill.
http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2610)

7. All of those – all our heart, all our soul, all our might, are to be given over to God in love.

8. That is the basis for our relationship with God, and later Jesus will use that as the model for our relationship with one another.

9. Paul is sharing with the Corinthians what it means to love God and love neighbor with all their heart, their soul, and their might.

b. I may have mentioned before that I have friend who always says, "I love you," when he says good-bye. We finish a phone conversation, and he says, “I love you.” Maybe even more challenging is to say good-bye in person because then he wants to hug and say “good-bye.”

1. At times I have found that rather disconcerting. I was a Freshman in high school when we became friends, so it was really weird to me then.

2. In my mind, "I love you" signified serious commitment.

3. I still don't have it figured out. I generally mumble something unintelligible when he says it, and hang up the phone or leave quickly.

4. Perhaps he has a better grasp of the type of relationships to which Paul calls us, or at least he puts it into words.
Move 2: love is something you do.

a. At the heart of Paul’s passage that we read this morning, the English translation uses the predicate adjective in its description of love.

1. Love is the subject, is the verb-to-be, and then an adjective to describe love.

2. In the English, that feels like love is something you can describe. Some picture of something we wish to attain.

3. But in the Greek, verses 4-8a use “love” as part of the verb form. Something you do.

4. Instead of love is kind or love is patient – a description of what love ought to be; the Greek literally says love “acts with kindness,” and “love shows patience.”

5. Not describing what love is, but talking about how love acts.

6. Love is a busy, active thing that never ceases to work. It is always finding ways to express itself for the good of others.

7. The point is not a flowery description of what love “is” in some abstract and theoretical sense, but of what love does, and especially what love does to one’s brother or sister in the church. (Brian Peterson, Professor of New Testament, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, SC; http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2734)

b. We see something like this in the Deuteronomy passage.

1. You may know that the command to love God will all your heart, soul, and might is called the shema.

1. Shema is the Hebrew word for “hear”

2. The shema also became shorthand for this passage that begins, “hear, O Israel.”

3. Notice that the Israelite were told to put this saying on their doorpost, put an emblem on their foreheads. (I'm thinking that is an exaggeration, but in our time with tattoos everywhere, it's not beyond the possibility)

4. That’s what Israelite s did. They would post the word “Shema” on their door the doorpost of the Israelites.

4. Every time they walk into the home they are reminded of it.

5. The command to love God and love one another.

6. The command that should shape their lives. Guide how they act. The command they should recite to their children so they can learn how to love.

7. Remember my friend who says, “I love you.” It was a family tradition that grew out of a tragic accident in which his sister was killed in an automobile accident. His parents decided they never wanted to part ways without the reminder that they loved one another. Over time, it also became a reminder of how they were to treat one another, a reminder to love.
c. Loving is not easy.

1. I recently read an article about a group of people from a Lutheran seminary who were on a trip to Israel and Palestine.

A couple of evenings ago on our trip we had a presentation by the Parent’s Circle, a grassroots organization for Palestinians and Israelis who have lost loved ones due to the conflict. The representatives who spoke to us were two fathers, a Palestinian and an Israeli, who had both lost daughters because of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. We had a very honest discussion about the conflict and about life before and after the Separation Wall. “No wall, not matter how high, can stop two kinds of people, one determined suicide bomber and the one determined peacemaker,” said one of the fathers. They each went through their own moments of wondering how life could possibly carry on given the death of their children due to such senseless, mindless fighting. They could have chosen revenge to ease their pain but instead realized that the only way forward was to talk to each other. (Karoline Lewis, Associate Professor of Preaching and the Marbury E. Anderson Chair in Biblical Preaching, Luther Seminary, Saint Paul, Minn. http://www.workingpreacher.org/craft.aspx?post=4249)

2. a choice in how to act in response to a tragedy in their lives.

3. Thinking about loving the enemy as a theoretical response or as an example of what ought to be done was not enough.

4. Only by acting in love, reaching out to another person, that was what they needed to do.

5. Respond by loving.

d. Closer to home.

1. Marriage, or relationship with siblings, or friends – the idyllic quickly gives way to the reality of sharing lives together.

2. In the midst of the daily living, the give and take of sharing lives, the good and the bad, in those moments we too often just react.

3 Paul calls us to different way of living together.
4. An intentional way of loving. Not just wishing that the magical image of love from the movies makes an appearance in our lives, but make choices about how we respond, choices that reveal our love.

5. I find it ironic that couples choose I Corinthians to be read at their weddings because of the picturesque image of love it offers. But what they actually hear is Paul's challenging call for how they should live their lives and love each other.

Move 3: community of love
a. In our Book of Order, we Presbyterians hold that "The church is to be a community of love, where sin is forgiven, reconciliation is accomplished, and the dividing walls of hostility are torn down."

1. Now we come back to the context in which Paul's writes – the church.

2. Our calling both individually and corporately is to love.

3. That's who we are as a community of faith.

4. A community that practices what it means to love by forgiving, offering reconciliation, and breaking down the walls that divide us.

b. We live in a complex world with complex issues.
1. We enage in lots of conversations.

2. we hear lots of conversations going on around us.

3. when the wo4rld looks to the church to see how we should engage the world, we ought to be doing and saying things that show forgiveness, work toward reconciliation, and break down dividing walls.


Conclusion: Because God loves us, God calls us. Our calling is not easy, but it is the call to love.

Friday, January 29, 2016

"Called to Love" I Corinthians 13: 1-13; Deuteronomy 6: 1-9

When I first began in ministry, I Corinthians was the go-to passage for weddings, and it still is (except for occasionally a couple that absolutely does not want to use it because "everyone uses it at weddings!").  Maybe ten years ago (maybe longer), a family asked if I thought it was appropriate to use at a memorial service.  In that case, it was a mother/grandmother who was dearly loved by her family, and they thought this passage fit the love she had shared with them.  Since that time, I have probably used this passage a dozen times at memorials services for similar reasons.  Certainly, Paul was not writing this passage about a married couple, or for that matter about familial relationships.  He was commenting on how people ought to live their lives in relationship with one another, with the immediate context being the church relationships that they share.

IN our Book of Order, we Presbyterians hold that "The church is to be a community of love, where sin is forgiven, reconciliation is accomplished, and the dividing walls of hostility are torn down." That becomes a pretty good working definition of love.

The Deuteronomy passage reminds us that the emphasis on love is not new to Paul's writings.  Love of God and love of neighbor are foundational to how God's people should relate to God and to one another.

I may have mentioned before that I have friend who always says, "I love you," when he says good-bye.  At times I have found that rather disconcerting.  In my mind, "I love you" signified serious commitment, and it always felt weird (still does) to have him say that to me when we parted ways.   Perhaps he has a better grasp of the type of relationships to which Paul calls us, or at least he puts it into words.

As I reflect on this passage in our time when fear of what others are going to do to us and concern about protecting ourselves from others seems to be a high priority, how do we hear this message of love.  Are we absolved of the call to love if people do not love us back?  Is it legitimate to leave Paul's message in the context of the church and not extend it to others in our world?  how do you hear the call to love in our world today?

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Reflections on "Different Callings' I Corinthians 12: 12-31; Luke 4: 12-21

I'm not sure the third point really fit the sermon, but since that was the initial theme for the sermon, I kept it in the final sermon.  as I worked through the sermon preparation, the first two points became the primary foci of the sermon.  I really liked the Buechner illustration from the first point.  If I preached the sermon again, I might spend more time playing with the images he offers.
In some ways, I'm not sure I interpreted Paul's letter in the way he intended.  but, I could also argue that in those 19 verses that we read, Paul shifts between different themes.  Is he writing to the Corinthians in an attempt to get them to put aside their differences and get along with each other?  Or is he trying to point out how their different callings complement each other?  Or maybe both?
As an aside (and a test to anyone who heard the sermon today and served on the PNC that heard me preach at Fairborn Presbyterian Church for my neutral pulpit 17 years ago), the commentary on volunteers was used by me in that sermon.  

Different Callings” January 24, 2016; Call Mini-series; Luke 4: 12-21; I Corinthians 12: 12-31
Introduction: Two weeks ago, we reflected on what it meant to be called by name, the personal nature of God's call for each of us.
Last week, as we honored Kathy Wehrman for her work here, we noted the gifts she shared with us in her calling as our Program Director.
This week, we reflect on our collective calling as the body of Christ, including some personal aspects of that calling as well.
Move 1: We begin by noting that God calls the body of Christ into being.
a. The body of Christ did not just magically appear.
  1. There was not a flash mob gathering of everyone who wanted to be a part of the body of Christ.
  2. Or a bunch of people answering a “help wanted” ad hanging from a bulletin board at the local grocery story.
  3. God called the body of Christ into being.
  4. The term body of Christ both a description, Christ's body on earth after Christ has ascended to heaven, and a job description, to do the tasks Jesus would have done if he were physically in our midst now.
b. Frederick Buechner, the Christian writer describes the calling of the body of Christ like this: God was making a body for Christ, Paul said. Christ didn't have a regular body any more so God was making him one out of anybody he could find who looked as if he might just possibly do.
He was using other people's hands to be Christ's hands and other people's feet to be Christ's feet, and when there was some place where Christ was needed in a hurry and needed bad, he put the finger on some maybe-not-all-that-innocent bystander and got him to go and be Christ in that place himself for lack of anybody better (http://frederickbuechner.com/content/weekly-sermon-illustration-body-christ; Frederick Buechner Center's blog)
b. We may use the term volunteers in our church life –as in, we need a few volunteers for the Breakfast club, but make no mistake, the church can only act as the body of Christ because God calls us and when we respond.
  1. Think about all the people who join with Jesus in his work.
  2. Do they come to Jesus and say, “Hey, we want to volunteer a couple of hours of our free time?” Or, “my kids need some volunteer hours for school, do you have something for them to do, Jesus?”
  3. Maybe that happened, but the stories we have about those who chose to become disciples are stories of Jesus saying, “come, and follow me,” like he did with those who were fishing.
Jesus looks out at them in their fishing boats and announces, “Drop your nets.” And they do.
    1. Or stories like Zaccheus – a person who was compelled to join with Jesus because eh felt himself called to a new way of life.
    2. Volunteers typically give their time for a specific project or moment. And, if things don't work out, they can un-volunteer.
    3. Our calling to be the body of Christ is not a momentary calling, but the reason we are here.
    4. I know we are not going to get rid of the term volunteer, but the body of Christ is about God calling people to give their lives over to being Christ’s presence in the world. (the comparison between volunteer and disciple was discussed in an article by Gayle-Bach Watson)
God calls the body of Christ into being.
Move 2: Our calling as the body of Christ is about the ministry.
a. When Jesus announces the beginning of his ministry, he uses the prophet Isaiah to declare what his mission will be.
Tweet – 140 characters
Spirit of Lord upon me; good news to poor; proclaim release of captives; sight recovered; oppressed go free; year of Lord's favor
High expectations for himself and for those who will join with him.
As we look back over Jesus' ministry, we would probably conclude that Jesus achieved his goals for ministry.
But, but Jesus eventually ascends to heaven, and God calls the body of Christ into being to continue Christ’s ministry in the world.
a. WE know that part of what we love about being connected together is the nurture.
  1. We read about the early church and their expressed need to support one another and care for each other.
  2. In fact, when we tell stories about what we love about being a part of this community of faith, the stories often reveal the power of community to nurture.
b. But our calling has to be about the ministry, as well.
  1. Those words from Isaiah that began Christ's ministry are the game plan us for the body of Christ.
  2. Our calling is to be at work doing those tasks.
3. William Wilimon tells the story of visiting one of his favorite churches when he served as bishop in AL. The church serves breakfast to 200 homeless people every morning. One visit he noticed a man in the kitchen washing dishes, up to his elbows in the dishwasher (the church believes that the homeless ought to be served on the nice china of the church). Willimon noticed that the man washing the dishes was a lawyer, a member of the largest, most affluent Methodist church in their conference.

I think it's wonderful that you are here, washing dishes for the homeless,” Willimon said to him.

Good for you,” he mumbled, not looking up from his dishes.

have you always enjoyed ministry with the homeless,” Willimon asked.

Who told you I enjoyed working with the homeless?” He asked. “Have you met any of the homeless out there? Most of them are crazy, so addicted or so messed up that nobody, not even their family, wants them home.”

Well, Uh, I think that makes it all more remarkable that you are here doing this,” he said. “how did you get here.”

I'm here because Jesus put me here. What are you doing here?” Journal of Preachers, Volume XXXII, Number 4. Pentecost, 2009 (9)
4. what are we doing here? If it's not bringing good news to the poor or proclaiming release to the captives or healing the blind and the sick or freeing the oppressed, then we are not living into our calling as the body of Christ.
Move 3: A final thought on our calling as the body of Christ.
a. Paul uses the image of the body to describe the body of Christ.
  1. the many different parts that are needed to be the body, literally, reflects the many different people and their gifts that are needed to be the body of Christ
  2. This is not just an acknowledgment of the varied gifts people have, but the need for all those varieties of gifts to do the ministry to which we are called.
  3. The ministry opportunities are as broad and deep as the needs of the world around us.
  4. None of us alone can manage the ministry.
  5. But, as Paul puts it, “god has arranged” for the many parts of the body of Christ so that we can engage in the ministry to which God calls us.
  6. Even as we pursue our calling as the body of Christ collectively, our individual calling and the talents we have join together. That's the only way we can do it.
b. Colleague – youth ministry.
  1. She's been doing youth ministry for eighteen plus years. Way longer than the average burn-out for doing youth ministry.
    1. And the excitement for her calling oozes out of her.
    1. I asked her, “Do you ever plan on leaving?” to which she quickly replied, “as long as I can keep doing youth ministry the way God calls me to do it, than why would I leave?”
    1. She also told me about how over the years her call has changed, both in her approach to youth ministry and in adding some mission aspects to her work.

5. her sense of God is a testimony to both the God who calls and the way in which God's call for us may shift as the needs for ministry change.
Conclusion: God calls the body of Christ into being. God gives you gifts to live out your calling. Go and be the body of Christ.




Thursday, January 21, 2016

"Different Callings" 1 Corinthians 12: 12-31; Luke 4: 14-21

In this passage from Paul's letter to the Corinthians, he discusses how the body is made up of different parts, just as the church is made up of different parts.

Some people use this passage to emphasize the many different gifts that different people have, which is the theme that my sermon title reveals.  Others use this passage to argue for the unity of the church, with the emphasis being on the different gifts coming together to be part of one church.  Still others use this passage to build on the image of the body of Christ, with the reminder that God gives us the gifts to be Christ's presence in the world.  All of these themes seem fair to the text and to who the church is. Does one theme seem more persuasive to you?

The Luke passage is paired with the Corinthians passage in the lectionary.  It describes Jesus' announcement of his ministry in Luke.  Jesus references the Isaiah prophecy that reads:  “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,   because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives  and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”  If we are building on the theme of the church is here to be Christ's presence in the world, the Luke passage becomes something of a template for what the church is supposed to use it's many gifts to do.

I have been reflecting on this story that William Willimon tells of visiting one of his favorite churches when he served as bishop in AL. The church serves breakfast to 200 homeless people every morning. One visit he noticed a man in the kitchen washing dishes, up to his elbows in the dishwasher (the church believes that the homeless ought to be served on the nice china of the church). Willimon noticed that the man washing the dishes was a lawyer, a member of the largest, most affluent Methodist church in their conference.

I think it's wonderful that you are here, washing dishes for the homeless,” Willimon said to him.

Good for you,” he mumbled, not looking up from his dishes.

have you always enjoyed ministry with the homeless,” Willimon asked.

Who told you I enjoyed working with the homeless?” He asked. “Have you met any of the homeless out there? Most of them are crazy, so addicted or so messed up that nobody, not even their family, wants them home.”

Well, Uh, I think that makes it all more remarkable that you are here doing this,” he said. “how did you get here.”


I'm here because Jesus put me here. How did you get here?” Journal of Preachers, Volume XXXII, Number 4. Pentecost, 2009 (9)

This sermon is part of the mini-series on call, so I'm looking at the passages through the lens of God calling us.  

What are your thoughts?

Sunday, January 10, 2016

Reflections on "Called by Name" Isaiah 43: 1-7; Acts 4: 5-14

When I read the Isaiah text (it's one of the lectionary texts for the day), I was captivated by the phrases "Called by name" and "you are mine."  The sermon ended up going in a bit of a different direction.  Not sure why, but that's how it went.  The first point worked well; second point not so much; third point had an interesting play between "called by name" and "in the name of Jesus Christ." I'm not sure the sermon held together with a consistent theme.

Called by Name” January 10, 2016; Call Mini-series; Isaiah 43: 1-7; Acts 4: 5-14
Introduction: Lent, and then Easter, come early this year. Ash Wednesday is just a month or so away. AS we have done in recent years, we will spend Lent sharing a Lenten study with small groups and the sermon series.
In the few weeks before Lent, we will reflect on our sense of call.
As the prophet Isaiah reminds us this morning, our sense of call begins with God calling us by name.
No surprise that names play an important role. Names seem to be part of lots of the stories in the biblical record.
Christmas story – “Emmanuel” is the name the Gospel of Matthew gives to baby Jesus, with the powerful reminder that “Emmanuel” means, “God with us.”
Move back in the biblical story and we are discover how Abram and Sarai become Abraham and Sarah when God claims them for a special role.
Or move forward from the Christmas story to when Saul, who had been persecuting Christians, has his conversion experience and becomes Paul, the great leader of Christians.
Move 1: Called by name
a. speaks to God's relationship with us.
1. In fact, biblical scholars note that Isaiah uses the idiom, “called by name” to express God's sovereignty (New Interpreter's Study Bible, notes on Isaiah 40:26)
    1. Those whom God names, are connected to God who created them.
    2. They (we) they literally owe our lives to God.
    1. Called by name identifies the unique relationship that God has with us.
      b. an intimate relationship.
        1. A group of professionals posed the question "What does love mean?" to a group of 4- to 8-year-olds and the answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:
"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth."
    1. God calling us by name expresses God's love and desire to be in a relationship with us.
    2. When God calls us by name, it is not the call to be in relationship with a dictator, or a person trying to force us into a slavery, or someone trying to gain power over us for their own selfish purposes.
    3. God calls us by name out of love and a desire to bind us together in that love.
c. Comfort
1. Isaiah writes in a difficult time in Israel's life. They are unsure about their future and feel threatened (rightfully so).
    1. Isaiah reminds the Israelites that God calls them by name to give them hope.
    2. Isaiah ties this relationship to God's commitment to redeem and save Israel.
d. Might also be a bit scary to be called by name by God.
  1. I have been Santa's helper a few times through the years. Dressing up like Santa to visit with kids on Santa's behalf.
I dressed up like Santa one year when we lived in KY. My oldest daughter was maybe four years old. I went and played Santa's helper at the local pre-school at their Christmas program.
After the program, I figured since I was dressed up as Santa, I might as well stop by and visit my daughter. I called my wife to let her know I would be coming home dressed up like that, and told her to have my daughter in the front room looking out the bay window.
I parked down the street and walked up to my house. Caitlin was in the front bay window and saw me coming.
She immediately grabbed hold of Leslie's leg and started saying something I could not hear.
Leslie walks to the front door with Caitlin clinging to her leg for dear life. Leslie opens the front door, at which time I try to alleviate my daughter’s fear by calling out “Caitlin, I just wanted to know where you lived so I could bring your presents fro Christmas.”
Now, the whimpering became a scream: “Santa knows my name. Santa knows where I live. Santa knows my name”
I make a hasty retreat with her words full of fear, “Santa knows my name” filling the neighborhood.
Christmas Eve she made us take cookies and orange juice for Santa and put it on the front sidewalk. She wanted no part of the Santa in her house, even if Santa knew her name.
    1. It could be a bit terrifying for God to know us by name.
    2. Maybe safer to keep a low profile and not be noticed.  
    3. Sort of the sit at the back of the classroom with your head down low so the teacher never calls on you approach.
    4. If God knows us by name, God might all on us to do something.
    5. what expectations might God have for us?
God calls us by name, both a comfort and maybe a bit scary.
Move 2: Accept the call
a. Visiting one of our members in the hospital and the doctor came in later than expected. He apologized and then told us he had been running late.
He'd had to go to his youngest daughter's school to deal with an issue.
Little girl starting at a Catholic school, several older siblings; Third day of school, they won't serve her in the cafeteria because her name and money on her name is not in the computer. Long drawn out ordeal. Finally, they bring over older sister who notes that she is telling them the wrong name.
Apparently, the little sister prefers to ignore her name and use the make-believe name she has for herself.
But that won't get her lunch.
Her doctor father had to go to school to explain to his daughter that she has to use her correct name.
b. I suppose we can ignore the name by which God calls us.
  1. and in doing so, turn away from this call God has for us.
  2. But to respond to God calling us by name means giving ourselves over to the following where the one who calls us by name sends us.
Move 3: The one who calls us by name, also sends us out in the name of Jesus Christ.
a. That's what Peter is doing.
  1. Peter knows the importance of being called by name. In the Gospel of Mark, we are told that when Jesus calls Peter to be one of his disciples, Peter is known as Simon, but Jesus tells him he will be called Peter.
  2. Certain irony that Peter dares to speak Christ's name.
    1. Remember Peter had gone from the important disciple, the rock on whom the church would be built, to Peter, the one who stays silent about his connection to Christ on the night that Jesus was arrested.
    2. Three times the someone makes the connection between Peter and Christ; three times Peter denies and stays silent about his relationship with Christ.
    3. But the resurrected Christ has forgiven Peter and sent him out to minister in his name.
      b. Peter does.
      1. he heals and teaches and invites people follow Christ.
      2. All that he does, he does in the name of Christ.
      3. when the authorities bring him up on charges and ask 'By what power or name do you do these things?” Peter's answer the name of Jesus Christ.”
        4. later in the story, the authorities are looking for a way out of this issue, the authorities basically say, “We'll let you go, but quit telling people that you are doing this in Jesus' name.”
    1. To which Peter replies, “we cannot keep from speaking about Jesus and what Jesus has done.”
        6. the one who is called by name by God goes out into the world sharing the name of Christ.
Conclusion: The people called by name ministering in the name of the one who calls them.

That is our invitation.