From the Word

To a man lame from birth who sat begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, Peter offers no silver or gold; instead he declares in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth that the man should get up and walk, and he takes him by the hand and raises him up. A man who has never walked in his life immediately stands up, walking and leaping and praising God. When the astonished people come running, Peter makes it clear that this did not come from his own power or godliness.

Peter turns the people’s eyes away from himself to Jesus and proclaims that this healing is an occasion to reveal who Jesus is and to invite people to repent and turn back. The power of Jesus’ name does not stop at solving the body’s problems; it is the saving power that causes us to turn from sin and return to God. Today, when it is easy to find the purpose of faith in having our prayers for our needs answered, the sermon leads us to ask together where that name is calling us, what we must turn from, and whom we must care for. Prayer becomes a time to bring our needs to God and, at the same time, to look together at the neighbors God looks upon.