Readings: Acts 14:19-28; Psalm 144; John 14:27-31
In Acts 14, 5-18, which was the ordinary reading for yesterday, we have an account of how in the town of Lycaonia, the people were determined to worship Paul and Barnabas as gods. In today’s reading, we see that the same people who nearly worshipped them, stoned Paul and wanted him dead, simply because some people from Antioch and Iconium turned their hearts against these disciples. This shows us how fickle people’s loyalty could be. This is why living for human praises is a miserable life.
Today, I want to pay attention to two things.
I. The message of Paul to the Christians in Lystra and Iconium.
He says to them, “We all have to experience many hardships…before we enter the kingdom of God.”
Dear friends, this is a message for us all to consider. The kingdom of God is our ultimate target. It is the place that Jesus has prepared for us but to enter it, we must go through the narrow way. The narrow way is the way of temptations, persecutions, tests and trials, experiences that will shake our faith and test the genuiness and depth of our love for God.
Let us therefore not be discouraged when we face hardships. These are things we must go through on our journey to the kingdom. The good news is that amidst everything, we can still have peace in the Lord, the peace of the Holy Spirit. This is the peace that Jesus promises us in today’s Gospel and that He continues to bestow on those who open themselves to Him.
II. In Antioch, the disciples gave an account to the Church.
Take note, the disciples were persecuted and they suffered so much but what account did they give? They didn’t mourn or complain or give a miserable account. They gave an account of all that God had done with them, and how He had opened the door of faith to the pagans.
They focused on what God was doing through them and through what they had been through. This shows a positive mentality, an attitude of faith, an optimistic mindset, a spirit of peace, and a joyful acceptance of life’s crosses.
What account of life do we give people, or better still, how do we give the account of our experience of life?
Sermon preached by Rev. Fr Emmanuel Baraka-Gukena Okami on April 30, 2024.