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There are some terrible images of judgment in the Bible, no doubt intended to keep us on the straight and narrow.

No Other Name? -- Isaiah 28:14-20; Acts 4:1-12 - June 13,2010 - Cicero United Methodist Church - Everett J. Bassett

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There are some terrible images of judgment in the Bible, no doubt intended to keep us on the straight and narrow. Fire and brimstone, apocalyptic battles, winnowing forks, and so on. But this morning's Old Testament lesson contains one I had never noticed before, and one that strikes me in a very personal way. Isaiah 28: 20 says, "For the bed is too short to stretch oneself on it ... " All those other images of lakes of fire and earthquakes and thunder are scary enough, but as someone who has been over six feet tall
since I was fourteen years old, I know from experience what it is like to have to sleep on a bed with your feet hanging over the edge, and that's just bad!

Some people would say that the second part of Isaiah 28: 20 is just as scary: " ... the covering (is) too narrow to wrap oneself in it." That's pretty annoying too, I guess, but since I'm told I'm kind of a blanket hog, that one doesn't strike me as so scary. But the bed being too short - I know I don't want to mess with that.

Sometimes I think we read the Bible in such a serious mood that we miss the humor in it. The prophet Isaiah had serious matters to deal with; things were bad. But I think he's also not above throwing a little Woody Allen or Stephen Colbert in there as well. And chapter 28 looks like one of those places. God is not pleased, and many of the phrases in the chapter reflect that: there will be an 'overwhelming scourge', the deluge of lies will be swept away, the 'waters will overwhelm the shelters,' There will be 'sheer terror,' and the Lord will 'rage in the valley,' and so on. And right in the middle of all that devastation Isaiah says, "Oh, by the way, your bed will be too short, too; and your blankets won't be wide enough to cover you." Scary.

Still, if I'm right, and that verse is a little comic relief from Isaiah, it nonetheless has an important point to make, as all of the best comedy does. Israel is in trouble - it has forgotten the way of the Lord, the way of justice and righteousness, according to verse 17. As a result, instead of being able to say with the writer of Psalm 23, "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures," they will have to lie on a bed that is too short under a blanket that is too narrow. They could have everything, but they have chosen something
far inferior. In another, more serious image in this chapter, they could build their lives on the cornerstone that God has laid down - but they have settled for shifting ground.

This brings us to the New Testament lesson for today, which is also about God's cornerstone. Over the last few weeks we have been reading from the beginning of the Book of Acts, and today, as we come to chapter 4, we see the first story in Acts of the resistance and persecution the disciples of Jesus are going to face. In fact, Peter and John are arrested after healing a lame man, and challenged by the angry religious leaders.

Their response, as always, is to continue to teach, and they pull no punches. You may recall last weeks' scripture, where the phrase of accusation Peter and John used against the Jewish leaders was that they had 'killed the Author of life.' They continue in the same vein, in Acts 4: 10, saying, " .. .let it be known to all of you, and to all of the people of Israel, that this man (who was healed) is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified ... " It would be hard for us to imagine the irony and the disappointment in those words - you crucified him! And then, they quote Isaiah, the scripture we read this morning: "This Jesus is 'the stone that was rejected by you .. .it has become the cornerstone.'" And the message they share there in the Temple in Jerusalem is no different than that of Isaiah: Why would you settle for the shifting sands of mere human existence, and even attack the very Source of life, when you can stand on the cornerstone that God Himself has sent? Why would you sleep on a
bed that is too short, under a blanket that is too narrow, when you can rest in the arms of grace, and be fully covered by the saving love of Jesus Christ?

I think what we should remember as we read this is that those first Christians were just beginning to understand their own passion for sharing Christ. Standing up for their faith was going to be a dangerous act. This, of course, was the early stage of what became a signature feature of the Church - that those who followed Christ would continue to speak of their love for Jesus despite terrible persecution, and full-scale martyrdom. They would continue to speak because they absolutely believed that they were the carriers of the best news the world had ever known. The message had to be delivered.

It's like the couple who were walking along the shoreline, and suddenly she spotted the fins of dolphins cruising by out in the distance. "Look! Look!" she cried. And he stopped, and couldn't see them at first, but she kept pointing out when they would surface, until finally he spotted them, and they could enjoy them together. Later, when he was writing about the incident, he reflected on what an act of love that was on her part. She could have just quietly enjoyed the sight, and not gone to the effort to make him see it. But she was intent that he be able to share the beauty and joy as well.

And that, I think, is something like what was motivating those first Christians. Speaking about Jesus was an act of love, with a spirit behind it of, "I don't want you to miss this. Look! Look!" They could look around and see so many people who were living in fear and discouragement, and they had something new and wonderful to share.

And doesn't that challenge us to examine our own passion for sharing the Good News, because the situation is no different today. People are still hungering for assurance of hope, and aren't even aware that the bed they have chosen is too short. There are so many who have given up on any sense of meaning beyond mere survival, and a few good times before death comes knocking. And in contrast to that is the Spirit-filled life, assured of acceptance by God, assured of forgiveness and salvation, part of a body of believers who care for one another, and work together to do great deeds in the name of Jesus, and empowered by the miracle of Easter to live victorious and fruitful lives. If that is truly what we believe faith is, how can we help but share it? Look what God has done!

We live, of course, in not only a spiritually hungry time, but in a spiritually sensitive time. We don't run up to people and shout Jesus! in their faces. In a free society, and a pluralistic society, there are considerations of respect for others that affect how we share our faith in the classroom or the courtroom or at the office or in the marketplace. We do no honor to our Lord when we disrespect the rights of others. But that doesn't mean we don't live out our faith, and speak up for the love of Jesus when the situation arises. And there is really no magical trick to it, or no fancy words. Faith is something that is shared humbly and simply. "I'm a follower of Jesus; this is how it happened to me; this is what I believe, and why." And if you back that up with a life of integrity and kindness and
service, the Holy Spirit will reach those who need to be reached.

The actual words that Peter said to those: Jewish leaders have been talked about for centuries, especially in discussions about Christianity and other faiths. It's in Acts 4: 12: "There is salvation in no one else (but Jesus), for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved." Those words have been controversial, because they have been used to make exclusive claims, like: only Christians will go to heaven after they die. Or only Christians will be allowed in when the kingdom of God comes on earth. That's a theological debate in the Church, and I
know that people in this room have diverse interpretations about it.

But at least we can all see what is happening in this story - Peter is sharing what he knows, what he's seen. The Book of Acts, from almost its first words, is all about witnesses. "You shall be my witnesses," said Jesus, and the words are repeated over and over. Tell people what you've seen. Share the Good News. And what Peter and the other apostles have seen is the power and love of Jesus. To them, there is no other name. No other way. Whether we should take their words and make them universal, and use them to say that God doesn't accept this group or that group is not even the direction they were going. All they knew was that this way works, and they knew no other.

So if you come up to me, and you are Buddhist, or Jewish, or Hindu, or Moslem, or pagan, or any other religion, or no religion - I hope I would treat you with respect and humility, and be open to learn from you and strive for mutual understanding, and to love you with the heart of Jesus. And if you ask me what I believe, I hope that I would share the grace of Jesus that I have witnessed in my life with such passion and such conviction that you will have no doubt how beautiful Christ is in my experience. There is no other name by which I could seek salvation. You may speak of your faith just as passionately, and all I can do is pray that your spiritual road is as powerful to you as mine is to me. I can't accept every road, because some of them are absolutely contrary to the spirit of Christ. Peter and John were facing the very people who had put Jesus to death just weeks earlier. There is no way they could say This is another valid path to God, because it was clearly a rejection of God's ways. And we have to determine that sometimes. But aside from that, there are many beautiful and powerful faith expressions in the world - and maybe God is big enough for many of them.

What should be clear to all of us is that there are too many people today who have no path - and they are hurting and hungry and discouraged - their bed is too short, and their hope is too thin to cover them. We have something to say to those folks, and Someone to introduce them to. We have a wonderful Saviour whose outreaching love brings salvation and newness of life. It is too important not to be shared.

When I was ten or eleven, I went to summer camp at Dempster Grove. A preacher talked about being saved, and a group of friends and I decided it was the thing we should do. A counselor sat and talked with me, showed me some Bible verses, and had me repeat a prayer. I would have to say that that was pretty much a lost experience for me.

But that same week, I saw something I've never forgotten. A teenage boy, maybe five years older than me, and someone I looked up to. He was an athlete, the best baseball player in camp, which I dreamed of being someday. -He had an ease and comfort with people that I envied. He was popular, and enjoyed every part of camp. And he was friendly to everyone -- even to a painfully shy younger kid - me. And one night in the chapel I looked over and saw him praying. It was nothing dramatic or showy; I can't believe he imagined anyone saw him. It was just real. And the totality of everything I
saw of him that week made me realize that he had something I wanted, and what he had was named Jesus. I have pursued that name through decades of experiences, sometimes embracing grace, sometimes fighting it - but God has been patient.

For me, there is no other path - no other name. And now I am a witness for how faith can touch a life, and form a rich and meaningful path to wholeness. And so are you. And if your words and your deeds are real, Jesus will use that to touch a life - maybe some shy child you don't even know is watching. Let the light of Jesus shine.