11A Worship - Peter, the Ambassador of the Future

Greetings Friends in Christ!

Our passage today is one of the unsung pivotal moments in the history of Christianity. So important is Peter’s meeting with Cornelius, that it should probably be a church holiday. That’s because this is the moment the whole story shifts both for Peter and for the whole movement of God’s people. Instead of a focus on a specific ethnicity, now God’s Spirit empowers historical enemies of God’s people… and it’s Peter of all people, the one who wants God “to restore the kingdom to Israel” who is asked to eat with Cornelius the Roman occupier. The gospel going to the Gentiles is momentous, as, within a few generations, the Gentiles will almost entirely supplant any Jews who lay claim to following the Jewish Messiah, Jesus. Peter is unknowingly meeting the future.

Rev. Dr. Gregory Wagenfuhr