Acts 13:26-43 “People of the Cross”
26 “Brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you that fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. 27 For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets which are read every sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning him. 28 Though they could charge him with nothing deserving death, yet they asked Pilate to have him killed. 29 And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead; 31 and for many days he appeared to those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. 32 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, 33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus; as also it is written in the second psalm,
‘Thou art my Son,
today I have begotten thee.’
34 And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he spoke in this way,
‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’
35 Therefore he says also in another psalm,
‘Thou wilt not let thy Holy One see corruption.’
36 For David, after he had served the counsel of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid with his fathers, and saw corruption; 37 but he whom God raised up saw no corruption. 38 Let it be known to you therefore, brethren, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and by him every one that believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. 40 Beware, therefore, lest there come upon you what is said in the prophets:
41 ‘Behold, you scoffers, and wonder, and perish;
for I do a deed in your days,
a deed you will never believe, if one declares it to you.’”
42 As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next sabbath. 43 And when the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.
It is remarkable, that for all the changes in history over 2000 years, for all the changes in the external shape of Christianity, the core Good-news message that Paul proclaimed here in this first-century Jewish synagogue is still the same. No matter what are your sins, no matter how you’ve struggled and failed to be freed from bondage to your sins, God offers you forgiveness through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
As Paul would later say, this message of the Cross is sheer foolishness. And so it is equally remarkable that despite this, and despite scoffers and persecutors from the first century until today, we are still here as “people of the cross.” Indeed, this is how the monstrous ISIS murderers contemptuously labeled the 21 Coptic Christian martyrs they beheaded in Libya.
As we enter Great Lent and prepare ourselves to remember the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ, may we live up to our name and be recognized—like the Libyan martyrs—as people of the Cross.
Update
Wednesday marked Chaplain (Colonel) Peter Baktis’ retirement from the US Army at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. He is the senior Orthodox military chaplain, and I joined Metropolitan Tikhon, Father Theodore Boback (Dean of our military chaplains), Matushka Jeanne, daughter Kristina and many of Father Peter’s family, friends and military colleagues for the moving ceremony.
Yesterday morning the officers met with Metropolitan Tikhon to go over last week’s Metropolitan Council meeting and the tasks ahead of us in the months leading up to the 18th All-American Council.
Yesterday evening, Metropolitan Tikhon, Protodeacon Joseph Matusiak, and I were in Staten Island, New York, at the Coptic Church of the Archangel Michael and Saint Mena for a special service to commemorate the 21 Coptic Christians martyred in Libya. Coptic Bishop David of New York and New England presided and His Beatitude and others (including Cardinal Dolan of New York) brought messages of condolence and support. But, throughout the evening, there were also repeated calls to nations of good will to unite in protecting the world from the barbarity of ISIS. The Libyan martyrs demonstrate both the steadfastness of “the people of the Cross,” and the need for governments in our violent and fallen world to defend and protect.