The Time Has Come to Tell the World

Acts 1:6

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?”

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Time has come today
Young hearts can go their way
Can't put it off another day
I don't care what others say
They say we don't listen anyway
Time has come today

"Time Has Come Today" by Joe and Willie Chambers recorded by The Chambers Brothers

Pink Floyd sings "Time is the same in a relative way but you're older, shorter of breath and one day closer to death." There's a pessimistic fatalistic attitude in our time that can't disagree with this statement. I guess if you look at life one day at a time with the only goal being the end of days, this is your song. It's tempting on a very bad day, but this is not our call. This view of time is not our vocation.

So the Apostles asked Jesus "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" Jesus said, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.” The time is not for us to know, but Jesus shares two words with his disciples. He tells them that they will receive the power of the Holy Spirit and they are to be God's witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. They were called to share the Good News from the End of the World to their towns.

Well, we still don't know the time when Jesus will return in glory. So far everyone who has made that prediction was wrong. But the time has still come today. The time has come that we have been filled with the Holy Spirit. The time has come that we have been given the power of God. The time has come when we are called to share the word of God with the world.

We are called to tell the world that Christ has come, Christ has risen, and Christ will come again. Scripture doesn't tell us to get ready, scripture tells us to be ready. So take the power we have been given and share the word with the world.

As the Chambers Brothers sing, there are people who will not listen. There are those who are so hard hearted that they may never hear, but there are still others who haven't listened in the past who may hear today. So share and know that it doesn't matter what others say, the time has come today!

Are You Going to Eat That?

Suggested by Marie, actually it was more of a dare...


Acts 10:9-16

About noon the next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat; and while it was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw the heaven opened and something like a large sheet coming down, being lowered to the ground by its four corners. In it were all kinds of four-footed creatures and reptiles and birds of the air. Then he heard a voice saying, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is profane or unclean.” The voice said to him again, a second time, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” This happened three times, and the thing was suddenly taken up to heaven.

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I wish I was in Tijuana
Eating barbecued iguana

"Mexican Radio" Written by Charles T. Gray, Marc Moreland, Oliver Joe Nanini, and Standard Ridgway Funsten, recorded by Wall of Voodoo on "Call of the West"

Have you ever been offered something to eat that you just look at and want to say, "er...No thank you, I just ate!" If you say no, here's a word for you, tripe. If that didn't work, how about escargot? It just takes one word, or maybe two, to make you think again.

Some animals and parts of animals have such a weird reputation that the TV show "Top Chef" once did a street vendor challenge using entrails. People were making meals of pig ears, cow brains, and yes, tripe. The judges said the tastes were good, though some much better than others. Still, the "tripe fajita" will never catch on at Taco Bell.

Let's not even discuss what happens when foodie Andrew Zimmerman shows up with take-out.

The Jewish dietary restrictions were many. In the day though, one of the reasons for the restrictions was food safety. Undercooked pork and poultry still cause disease today. Storage of raw foods was another matter. What other animals ate was another restriction that could make someone sick if consumed. Bottom feeders beware, it may not be safe to eat.

Peter almost brags to God that he has never eaten anything that is unclean. But God tells Peter to kill and eat. Yeah, some of this stuff isn't in the same time zone as kosher, but you can eat it now. Peter then almost boasts to God that he's never done that! Unclean food has never passed his lips. So God tells him that “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.”

In Peter's time, it was very obvious that God is doing something new. Some of the old restrictions were being changed, and that was all in the plan. Yes, now we can have bacon wrapped lobster tails stuffed with shrimp... and God love us for it. Crawdads, the mudbug is now on the menu so get ready to suck the heads. Catfish, it may not have scales but it is very tasty. At one time you could get Rocky Mountain Oysters at Coors Field in Denver, strangely, it tasted like shrimp. At least it does to me.

We can even go to Tijuana for barbecued iguana if we wanted, and it's all good.

God is doing something new. This was obvious to Peter and it should still be obvious today. God continues to do something new. We are called to be a part of that work, and if we can do it with a hot dog that'll be fine too. It doesn't have to be Hebrew National.