JoBeth Hawkins, Small Group Leader

Acts 4:13-21 (NIV)
13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. 14 But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. 15 So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. 16 “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it. 17 But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.”

18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! 20 As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
21 After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened.

Reflection:
Recently we commemorated the anniversary of 9/11. That day was exceptionally tragic for our country. However, within the events that occurred, were stories of brave men and women who courageously worked to save the lives of potential victims. In one such story, two retired marines from separate cities heard the news of the attacks, donned their old uniforms, and rushed to the towers to help excavate people trapped under the rubble. Together, they recovered one individual who was buried 20 feet deep under the wreckage and another from 28 feet below. Despite the horrific odds, both individuals survived the crushing weight of concrete and debris. In another incident, four civilians overtook a fourth hijacked plane, the now infamous Flight 93, headed for Washington, D.C. Upon seizing the cockpit from the hijackers, four brave passengers crash-landed the plane in Shanksville, Pennsylvania in a vacant field. While this flight was in the air, two Air National Guard pilots had scrambled to intercept Flight 93. They were unarmed, as the planes had not been sufficiently outfitted prior to 9/11. Due to this limitation, their mission was to ram the plane and drive it down, which would’ve been a suicide mission for both pilots. Flight 93 went down before they could complete their mission.

Each of these stories exemplifies the extraordinary acts of ordinary people. Like Peter and John, these heroes were ordinary people who were inspired to use their gifts to help others in a very extraordinary way. I suspect each of them, had they known what their day would hold, would’ve said they were ill-equipped for the role they would play. However, God fully equips each of us for God’s good works. Miracles happen, and if you’ve ever experienced one, you know how compelled you are to share it with others.  

Just like in the story of Peter and John healing the lame man, it was so extraordinary that the people of Jerusalem could not contain their amazement. Everyone was talking about it. Everyone acknowledged that Peter and John had been with Jesus and they knew of the miracles Jesus had performed. It was uncontainable. Although the Sanhedrin attempted to silence Peter and John from speaking of what they’d done, Peter and John acknowledged the authority of God over that of the Sanhedrin. They would not be silenced, nor would those who observed the miracle.

Each of us is called by God to speak his word, to be his hands and feet in the world. Despite our reservations and insecurities, God equips us with all we need in order to serve God well. Although it’s been 19 years since 9/11, now is a perfect time for us to share the hope of Christ with others. In a time in which it is often hard to find good news, as believers, we know the good news, and that is Jesus. We should not remain silent. We must tell our story, God’s story. We must speak up about the miraculous power of our savior and his transformative ability to change the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Prayer:
Father God, while we’ve seen evidence of your miraculous works, we often doubt our own abilities to make a positive difference in this world. We question whether or not we’re equipped to meet the challenges at hand. Father, remind each of us that it is your transformative power that allows us to be simple, ordinary people empowered by your holy spirit to do extraordinary things. In Jesus’ name, Amen.