Get Up and Walk!
A sermon based on Acts 3:1-10
Sunday, September 10, 2017 – Pentecost 14B
Have you ever noticed how many times we stand up and sit down in an average worship service? We stand up for invocation, confession, and absolution. Then sit down for the reading of the first lessons. Stand up for the reading of the Gospel. Then sit down for the hymn of the day. Stand up for the confession of faith. Then sit down for the offering. Stand for the prayer of the church and sit again for the next hymn. Stand for prayer and sit for the closing hymn.
No wonder some people joke about our "Lutheran Aerobics." J Now, maybe with some instruction as to why we stand when we stand and sit when we sit, you appreciate those "Lutheran Aerobics." But maybe if you've had a surgery on your knee or foot, or if you've got a bad back, maybe you'd rather not do the up and down and up and down of our liturgy. But either way, I'll bet the ability to stand and to walk is an ability that you and I far too often take for granted.
The man in our lesson for this morning was crippled from birth. That meant he couldn't stand. He couldn't walk. And in a day without wheelchairs, he couldn't get around on his own at all. He needed to be carried. And in that day there were no such thing as "desk jobs." If he couldn't work in the field or at some trade—obviously made much more difficult by his inability to walk—well, he didn't have too many options on how he could make a living. He would have to rely on the charity of others.
Well, thankfully he had some friends who were willing to carry him into the city each afternoon so he could lay at a busy entrance into town where he could beg for money to buy food. But one day, he didn't get what he wanted. He wanted silver or gold coins to buy food and drink, to pay the rent, to buy clothes, to live, to survive. But he didn't get what he wanted. He asked for money, but instead he would get so much more. Our text for consideration is from Acts 3:1-10…
One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.
6 Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
This unnamed man didn't get what he wanted. He wanted silver or gold, but he got so much more. He just wanted a few coins, but instead he got a miracle. He wanted to buy his next meal, but he got the truth of Jesus of Nazareth and sins forgiven. He wanted something, but got so much more.
Can you relate? I think we all can. Because God gives us so much more than we could ever ask for. Let's face it. We're all pretty short sighted aren't we? I don't mean with your physical vision, but in thinking ahead. Think of it this way, if you had a magic lamp with a genie inside who could grant you any wish (and you can't ask for unlimited wishes, that would be cheating), what you wish for? A never-ending supply of money? Perfect health that could never be lost? A relationship restored? But all of those things will only last this lifetime.
Imagine there's a steel cable that's cutting through this room. It goes through that wall and keeps cutting through anything in its way for two thousand miles. And it goes through that wall and keeps going for two thousand miles in that direction. Now if I were to take a marker and put the smallest dot that I could make right here on that steel cable, and that dot represented this life on a timeline and the 4,000 miles of cable represented eternity in heaven or hell, well… the scale would still be waaaay off. We'd need billions of miles of cable and a microscopic dot.
As motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar, used to say, "We're all going to be dead a lot longer than we're going to be alive. So we'd all better do some really long-range planning."
You see, we're all short-sighted. We think way too much about this life and way too little of the life to come. That's why we're just like that unnamed cripple. We ask God for way too little. We ask for better health and more wealth, for a nicer spouse and bigger house. We ask for silver and gold, and miss out on the real treasures that he has to give.
And what's worse, in our short-sightedness, seeking only the blessings for this life, we sin against God. And remember, sin isn't just the wrong things we do—doing what God forbids. It's also the good things we don't do—failing to do what God commands. And we who can walk, don't!
We have opportunity to get up off the couch, walk to the kitchen and serve a spouse by cleaning up and taking out the trash. But… "It's not my turn." So we don't. We have the opportunity to travel to and from church freely—and you don't even have to walk! You can drive! But instead of it being a joy, it often feels like a chore—when we even go. We have the opportunity to walk across the street and invite a neighbor to hear of God's grace with us in this place. But it might be awkward, so we stay silent and we stay put. So we who can walk, often don't.
And because we care more about the comfort and convenience of the moment instead of thinking long-term, for our bad priorities, for our apathy toward others, for our inaction in service, for seeking silver and gold more than righteousness and holiness… we are sick. We may not be crippled, but we're sick with sin. And that's a terminal illness—which terminates in an eternity of hell. And, in a sense, we are crippled, because on our own we could never do anything about it.
So what we need most is not silver or gold, better health or more wealth, a nicer spouse or bigger house. What we need most is healing—not from being crippled, but from our sin. And though we don't even seek it—though all we hope to get is more silver or gold like that beggar sought—God gives us so much more! He gives the healing that we need.
Silver and gold God doesn't always give, but he always gives his forgiveness. He always gives us the healing we need. God gives perfect spiritual healing in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Though he doesn't send an apostle to heal us, he sends one even better! He sends his Holy Spirit! "Get up!" the Holy Spirit says to us as he raises us from spiritual death to life. And he does that through the Word.
Through the Word of God, he leads us to believe the message of the apostles—a message backed by the miracles they did; miracles like this one! And what is that message? It's all about Jesus Christ of Nazareth! Jesus is God! He did take on flesh and walked this earth to become the perfect sacrifice for us. He lived a perfect life remaining spiritually healthy in all that he did. He died an innocent death taking the sickness of our sin on himself. And he paid for every one of our sins, taking the punishment they deserve, so that he might make us healthy and whole. As Isaiah put it, "Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:4-5)
And in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth—that is, by who he is and what he's done—we are healed! Maybe not yet in body, but in soul! We are sinless and spotless! We are healthy and whole! We are perfect in God's sight. And one day soon, he will restore our physical health and give us glorified bodies. One day, even after we're dead and gone and these bodies of flesh are decayed, nevertheless Jesus will say to us, "Get up and walk!" He'll say that to us on Judgment Day and our bodies, even having been turned to dust, will be restored! We will rise to be with Jesus and to walk with him forever in heaven!
But what about now? What do we do in this short blip of time we call life on this earth? What do we do while we wait for him? Well, we follow the example of this man in Acts 3. "He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God."
How foolish it would have been if this man, having been healed, said, "Thanks a lot, Peter. Thanks a lot, John. There goes my easy life of begging. There go the handouts. There goes the welfare! Now I have to work again, you jerks!" Of course he didn't say that! Instead he was eager to walk, eager to serve, eager to go to church and to praise God!
Well, friends, you've not only had your sins forgiven, but you've been given abilities too! You can walk! And you can do so much more! So get up and walk! Walk across the room to serve your parents, your spouse, or your kids! Walk across the street to take the message of God's grace to a neighbor. Walk with us at our next "Praise and Proclaim" walk. It's not as scary as it seems. Use all your gifts to praise God for the healing he's brought you!
And you know what will happen when we do? Well, look at what happened when this man, formerly crippled from birth, started walking: "When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him."
When we use our gifts and abilities to bring praise to God in thanks for the healing he's brought us, the Gospel will spread throughout Kenai and Soldotna, across the entire Peninsula, through all of Alaska, and around the globe! Others too will learn of the healing Jesus has won for them. They too will be filled with wonder and amazement. They too will praise God! So get up and walk, dear friends, for Jesus' sake. Amen.
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