The Neighborhood Podcast

"A New Hope" (May 18, 2025 Sermon)

• Rev. Dr. Stephen M. Fearing

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Preaching: Tony De La Rosa

Dreams and visions have the remarkable power to transform not just individuals, but entire communities of faith. When Peter dreamed of a sheet filled with "unclean" animals and heard God declare "what I have made clean, you must not call profane," it revolutionized early Christianity. This pivotal moment expanded the faith beyond its Jewish origins to embrace Gentiles, fundamentally altering Christianity's trajectory and allowing it to become the global religion we know today.

Similarly, when John of Patmos experienced visions during Roman persecution, he glimpsed "a new heaven and a new earth" where God would "wipe away every tear" and make "all things new." These promises sustained early Christians through terrible suffering and ultimately proved prophetic as Christianity outlasted its oppressors. Though imperfectly realized, this vision continues pulling us toward God's promised future.

The Presbyterian tradition particularly embodies this visionary spirit through our commitment to mission. By balancing love of God with love of neighbor, we constantly reimagine how faith communities can meet unmet needs. Our congregation's summer sheltering program represents this commitment in action, addressing homelessness as fundamentally "a failure of community." When we open our doors to those without basic shelter, we restore the essential human need for belonging.

Sometimes divine inspiration comes through unexpected channels—even through innocent mix-ups like confusing a Star Wars-themed youth service with another congregation. But perhaps such "mistakes" contain deeper truths. After all, both our scriptures and our mission efforts offer what the beloved film saga proclaims: a new hope. By creating community for those who have lost theirs, wiping away tears, and working toward God's vision of renewal, we participate in making all things new. Will you join us in this mission to refresh thirsty souls?

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Speaker 1:

Good morning. The prayer for illumination. O God of promise, your word made flesh in Jesus Christ, is trustworthy and true. By the power of your Holy Spirit, may it rise up in us this day like a gift from the spring of the water of life to refresh our thirsty souls, amen. Amen. To refresh our thirsty souls, amen. Our first reading today is from the book of Acts, chapter 11, verses 1 through 18.

Speaker 1:

Now the apostles and the brothers and sisters who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, their circumcised believers criticized him, saying why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them? Then Peter began to explain it to them step by step, saying I was in the city of Joppa, praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four. I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners, and it came close to me. As I looked at it closely, I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles and birds of the air. I also heard a voice saying to me Get up, peter, kill and eat. But I replied by no means, lord, for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth. But a second time the voice answered from heaven what God has made clean, you must not call profane. This happened three times. Then everything was pulled up again to heaven.

Speaker 1:

At that very moment, three men sent to me from Caesarea I probably did that wrong arrived at the house where we were. The spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me and we entered the man's house. He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying Send a japa and bring Simon, who is called Peter. He will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.

Speaker 1:

And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, just as it had upon us at the beginning, and I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. If, then, god gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God. When they heard this, they were silenced and they praised God, saying Then God has given, even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life. Holy wisdom, holy word. Thanks be to God.

Speaker 2:

Amen, indeed, amen indeed. Friends, it is wonderful to be in a room full of friends and I feel your friendship as the executive presbyter for Salem Presbytery. You have been such generous and warm supporters of our work at the Presbytery and you have given us outstanding leaders to staff our committees. I'm pleased to let you know that one of the very newest posts that has been filled at the presbytery is something called the engagement pastor for for what we call parish B, which is all of our churches in Guilford and Randolph counties, and our new appointment as engagement pastors of regional outreach to all of our churches has been filled, and Guilford Park is a part of that, because those engagement pastors are two, and that is dr Stephen Fearing and Tricia Fearing serving as co-pastors of engagement. So thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing him with us. Thank you for the very kind introduction and for all the lovely words that are printed in your bulletin. There is one correction I should make, and that is Michael and I have actually been together for 18 years. Michael would insist on getting full credit or sympathy, not sure which one, but thank you again for all of your love and support.

Speaker 2:

Our second reading for today comes from the book of Revelation, chapter 21, verses 1 through 6. Let us hear John's words speaking to us through the book of Revelation. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from out of heaven, from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying see, the home of God is among mortals. God will dwell with them as their God. They will be God's peoples and God himself will be with them. God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more. Mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away. And the one who was seated on the throne said See, I am making all things new. Also, he said Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true. And then he said to me it is done. I am the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. Friends, this is holy wisdom, holy word. Thanks be to God. Will you pray with me. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in thy sight, o God, our strength and our Redeemer, amen. I need to begin with an apology.

Speaker 2:

Last week I prepared a written report listing some of the wonderful things happening in our churches throughout the Presbytery and that report was published in the meeting packet for Salem Presbytery's stated meeting last Tuesday. And in that report I lauded this church's observance of Youth Sunday, the day when our youth, or your youth, undertake to design and lead the Sunday morning worship service. And because your Youth Sunday fell on May the 4th, also known as Star Wars Day, because you know, may the 4th be with you. Yada, yada, yada, the youth had decided to incorporate a Star Wars theme into their planned worship. They had even arranged for someone in a Darth Vader costume to greet the worshipers arriving that Sunday. As you are no doubt aware, no such thing happened here that Sunday. I had misidentified the church in question. There was no Star Wars theme at Guilford Park inspired by your youth here on May the 4th, and Vader will have to wait some other opportunity to make his presence felt among the faithful here.

Speaker 2:

But what is worse, I tried to correct my error, first privately among a few pastors, and then publicly at the Salem Presbytery meeting. I wanted to give credit where it was due. Just whose youth group observed Star Wars Day on May the 4th? Did Darth Vader make an appearance anywhere? But no one came forward and the silence was deafening. I know I heard about it from somewhere, but I just could not track it down. Perhaps I dreamed the whole thing up, but then again, dreams are powerful things and maybe my mistake was not a mistake at all, but instead meant to communicate something other than a band of youth having fun with a cinematic craze. Maybe, maybe, just maybe, I was divinely inspired. So let me explain. In today's first scripture lesson, the Apostle Peter is also confronted with a dream that was meant to communicate something groundbreaking about the newly developing church in his midst.

Speaker 2:

Unlike the gracious response I received from your pastor, stephen, regarding my misattribution, peter was dealing with some very contentious challenges to his authority. The church was still in its infancy and still associated with Judaic practices and especially, especially, food restrictions. In a word, this nascent band of Christian witnesses saw themselves as a part of God's chosen people, chosen people, parties to the covenant that God had blessed the Israelites from their days wandering about the Judean desert. Early Christians kept kosher because they self-identified as, and in fact were, jewish, but Peter was expressly engaging in practices that some saw as anathema. They were uncomfortable with the fact that he kept company with non-kosher Gentiles, and he even dined with them. This was a step too far for the presumed head of this newly established sect of Judaism. Just what was he thinking? In response, peter told them of a strange vision where he was presented with a series of animals and expressly instructed to slaughter and consume them.

Speaker 2:

Upon raising his own objections to some of the non-kosher selections presented, peter was admonished that what God had made even the non-kosher beasts clean and thus available to be consumed clean and thus available to be consumed. To further make his case, peter described an incident immediately following, wherein someone else, a Gentile from Caesarea, sent for him, accompanied by a retinue of both Jews and Gentiles. Peter came to share the good news to the man, and instead he encountered an entire household, an entire Gentile household, possessed by the Holy Spirit and witnessing to him. Peter concluded his argument with a rhetorical question If, then, god gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God? He left it to his critics to voice the logical conclusion to those events. Then God has given, even to the Gentiles, the repentance that leads to life. So let me be clear this is earth-shaking stuff, because few things are as central to Jewish practice and identity than keeping kosher. And now, now all the dietary bets were off, the rules were undergoing revision, and few could deny that this new reality would shape this new faith for years and centuries to come. The whole rest of the book of Acts outlines just how effective that expansion beyond Jewish identified believers was for the eventual establishment of the international faith we know today. Were it not for Peter's dream that allowed Christian witness to expand beyond the meeting point of Asia and Africa, europe would probably still be drinking blood out of the skulls of the vanquished. The expansion of our faith to the Gentiles allowed most of us to be here today proclaiming Jesus, who lived as a Jewish man in Roman-occupied Palestine, who conquered death, as a living Christ to save the entire world. Changing the rules always comes with a price. As early Christians began their diversity initiative, it meant that important potential sources of support were lost. Jewish adherents who held fast to their identity, took exception to the non-kosher in their midst, and parted company with the newfound faith in Jesus Christ. With the newfound faith in Jesus Christ.

Speaker 2:

By the time of the Book of Revelation's authorship, christians became subject to Roman imperial persecution under the reign of Emperor Palpatine I'm sorry, I'm sorry Emperors Nero and Domitian in the first century, and there were few natural sources of support to which they could appeal. Thus they had to go underground, working covertly to convert the heathen and bring the reign of Christ on earth. In the book of Revelation, john of Patmos follows on Peter's pattern and describes a series of visions he encounters during his island exile away from Roman persecution. His visions culminate in the familiar text we heard from this morning's second reading. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. In the midst of chaos and suffering at the hands of Roman oppressors, john dares to dream of a different day in the future, where the tabernacle of God is with us, where God will dwell with us and we, at long last, will be God's people, and God will wipe away the tears of mourning and pain from our eyes, because the old reality has passed and the new reality has taken its place. Allow me, then, to add this postscript to John's vision. He was right. His vision came true.

Speaker 2:

Roman persecution did not wipe out Christendom. In fact, those of us who know our history remember that Rome became the center of Christendom, expanding it throughout the then known Earth's four corners. The oppressors became the evangelists. Now we know that the Roman expansion of Christianity was far from perfect or mishap. There were misdeeds and even atrocities committed in the name of the risen Christ that ensued in latter centuries. While every age advances forward, there will be persistent instances of sinfulness and fallen nature that hold us back and impede perfect progress. But we should never, ever cease moving forward toward the new heaven and new earth of revelations.

Speaker 2:

Imagining Our efforts to express our gratitude to a gracious God should not come to a close, because we cannot love perfectly God, and God alone shows us the way toward perfect love. One way we Presbyterians express a more perfect love is through expression of our identity as a Christian body of people focused on mission. We labor to maintain that delicate balance between loving God and loving neighbor, because we believe both mandates from God are of equal standing. Perhaps that's why our denominational calendar combines the observances of Presbyterian heritage and mission worker Sunday, on this same day, may 18th. Because mission is such a core part of our identity as Presbyterians In the face of a new heaven and a new earth, the shifting realities that govern our lives, our mission must never be allowed to remain stagnant.

Speaker 2:

New realities require new means to meet needs unmet that are not being addressed elsewhere, and your congregation is taking such a step in this direction with the opening of your summer sheltering program here on your campus.

Speaker 2:

You are living into the call to bring about the day when no one knows the suffering of being without basic shelter, being in a place to experience belonging. I have learned that homelessness represents first and foremost a failure of community, the fraying of ties to family and friends, to the point where the most basic safety net is lost. All of us, I think, have experienced a time in our lives when we needed to spend the night somewhere else and someone opened the door to us. You are bringing community back into the equation for people who have lost theirs and now have none. God bless you for making all things new and wiping away the tears and bringing comfort and healing to those who mourn, to those who mourn. So you see, maybe my Star Wars dream was not all that, far off Darth Vader in the Narthex aside, you are offering and proclaiming by your new mission commitment what the movie and our scriptures foretold a new hope. May it be so Amen.