RCL: Acts 3:12-19; Psalm 4; 1 John 3:1-7; Luke 24:36b-48 Acts 3:12-19 You might have heard of Christians “sharing their testimonies,” either in a church setting or with friends and family outside of church. Usually, a testimony refers to the personal story and experiences that have led one to the Christian faith. In other words,…

RCL: Acts 3:12-19; Psalm 4; 1 John 3:1-7; Luke 24:36b-48 Acts 3:12-19 Today’s passage from Acts is a tricky text that has contributed to Christianity’s unfortunate anti-Jewish and antisemitic history of violence. From the crusades to the Holocaust to today’s rise of neo-Nazism, misunderstandings of passages such as this one from Acts have led to…

Acts 3:12-19 My first thought in this problematic passage is, “Oh dear, Peter goes from calling attention to the healed man to blaming this Jewish audience for Jesus’ death.” Living in a post-Holocaust era, we know where the evil of anti-Semitism can lead. We ask, why does Peter make that inappropriate—even offensive—leap when he says,…

Acts 3:12-19 At this point in the church year we read from the New Testament’s Book of Acts rather than the usual Old Testament source, yet this passage of Acts shows deep connections to the Old Testament. It reminds us that our salvation history includes the family history of Genesis and the prophecy of Isaiah….

Acts 3:12-19 Peter has just healed a man on the front steps of the Temple in Jerusalem. Seeing the astonishment of the crowd at this healing, Peter makes a clear point that God did the healing – not Peter, who is merely an agent of God’s healing. In fact, God did something even more miraculous…