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"WHY ONE AND NOT THE OTHER?"
NEW TESTAMENT SCRIPTURE TEXT:
ACTS 12:1-11

DAVE RING, PASTOR
LOS ALAMOS 1ST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
SUNDAY MORNING, MAY 2, 2010
A MEDITATION FOR HOLY COMMUNION

SCRIPTURE TEXT: 1IIt was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. 3When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. 4After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. 5So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. 6The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 7Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. "Quick, get up!" he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists. 8Then the angel said to him, "Put on your clothes and sandals." And Peter did so. "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me," the angel told him. 9Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. 10They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him. 11Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating."

MESSAGE: Two disciples are the subject of today's scripture text, two of the three known to be among that most precious, inner-circle of Jesus' earliest followers. That circle consisted of James, John, and Peter. They were Jesus' closest-support group while He walked this earth.

And here are two of them - both under persecution by the evil King Herod for their faith in Jesus. James is arrested and, without further ado, put to the sword. One swipe of the blade and, from an earthly perspective, it's all over. A lifetime of discipleship for Christ is finished with but a single verse. There's no postscript, no further mention of the disciple James whatever in the Bible.

But there's also Peter. He, too, is arrested by Herod. Verse 3 of Acts 12 makes it plain: Herod intends that Peter meet the same fate as John. But wait! In Peter's situation God suddenly and miraculously intervenes. Chains fall off, an angel appears, prison doors open - and Peter's life is preserved.

After this, Peter goes on to become the most revered of the original 12 disciples. He is credited by many as being, next to Jesus Himself, the most important building block of the Christian Church ever. The story of how God wrought miracle after miracle in Peter's life is one that you can read throughout the Book of Acts. Clearly the covering hand of God was present throughout the full span of Peter's life.

But what about James? Why didn't he receive similar treatment and equal protection? God certainly could have stopped the execution of James just as easily as that of Peter. Didn't God love James as much as He loved Peter? Wasn't James as precious to Jesus as was Peter? Why one - and not the other? Why, God, why?

If you think I'm about to pull a magic rabbit out of a hat, providing a poignantly sweet, cute, and all-satisfying answer to this - and to all the other great questions of the universe this morning, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed by my preaching today. For the only true answer is this: acceptance of the sovereign will of God. Isaac and Rebekah gave birth to twin boys, and before they were dry from the womb, God's Word says, "Jacob I love, but Esau I hate." Why? The will of God. Job entreated God a thousand times over with his "why me's," but the one answer he received was God's query in return: "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Who stretched a measuring line across it? Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place?" The will of God. The disciples of Christ, just before His ascension into Heaven, asked, "Lord, are You at this time going to restore the Kingdom to Israel?" Jesus' reply was this: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority." The will of God.

The will of God. Not subject to debate, question, vote. For the man or woman of faith, it is simply to be accepted - because it is the will of God.

Please don't mistake this for "fatalism" - a limp, "what will be will be" kind of acquiescence. As Christians, our model is Jesus - who, on the night that He was betrayed, took bread, broke it and gave it to His disciples, saying "Take, eat, this is my body - which is about to be broken." After supper, He took wine and shared it among them, saying, "This is my blood, which is about to be poured out for you." Then He left them to go and entreat God to confirm His will. Jesus' labors in prayer, in the Garden of Gethsemane, were the most fervent ever offered in entreaty to the Almighty. Obviously, Jesus knew the plan of God - and at that point was obviously less than fully satisfied with it. "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me." For hours on end, Jesus prayed thus - not in fatalistic acquiescence to an uncaring, mechanical deity - but in earnest entreaty to a loving, heavenly Father. Throughout, however, His prayers were conditioned by His overarching faith in God's plan - in God's sovereign will for the best in His life - and in all creation. "Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done."

The will of God - fully accepted by One who knew "why" - our Savior, our Lord, our model, our Christ. Let him or her who has ears hear the word - and accept the will - of Almighty God. Amen.

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