Do you believe in miracles

Sermon given at Sydenstricker UMC 12/11/16
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^NRS  Acts 3:1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o'clock in the afternoon. ² And a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple. ³ When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms. ⁴ Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, "Look at us." ⁵ And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. ⁶ But Peter said, "I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk." ⁷ And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. ⁸ Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.

There is a song with the line, “There can be miracles when you believe, though hope is frail, It’s hard to kill!” This morning I want to ask you the question, do you believe in miracles? When I was growing up I used to watch the Preachers on Television heal people and I thought that was awesome. Awesome that is, until I learned that most of it was staged and a hoax. And yet, we know that God has the awesome power to heal, to move mountains and to do miracles in the world around us. 

I heard a story some years back about a woman who found out she was pregnant. The doctors told her that the baby inside of her had serious medical challenges and might not make it to full term. Some people may have considered other options at that point. Her pastor prayed over her that following Sunday. She went to her next visit to the doctor full of anxiety and fear and left full of hope and surprise. The illness that had been diagnosed the prior visit was no longer evident. This special baby would be born healthy and routinely kept our church entertained on Sunday mornings during our worship hour. His name is Brandon.

The reason that I share these stories with you is not to pull at your emotions though that definitely is happening, but to give you real world examples of God at work in our world. We should not be surprised when miracles happen. In fact, we should expect them. In the first century, the Hebrew people were not surprised by miracles. In fact, they anticipated that they would be in the presence of a God who brought miraculous healing. They had the stories of God’s awesome presence in the flame and cloud that led their ancestors out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. We know from the stories of the Old Testament that God’s presence was both real and profound. After Jesus death, the Apostles went to many places and performed miraculous healings. So here we are some two thousand years later and the great many of us struggle to believe in miracles.

Our scripture today is about Peter and John going to worship. It is as simple as that isn’t it? They had continued to follow the teachings of Jesus. They continued to worship as they had been taught to do. And on this day they came to the temple prepared to worship. Did you come to this place and this hour prepared to worship? Are you prepared now to be in the presence of God’s power, mercy and grace? Did you come anticipating witnessing the power of God in the people of the congregation this morning? Without any doubt, I believe that Peter and John approached the temple that day knowing that God was with them and that God would be present there when they got there. In their time with Jesus they had come to expect miraculous things to happen. Jesus had taught them to do powerful things in his name. I believe that they come to this place prepared to encounter Jesus in whatever way Jesus decided to present himself.

Part of the reason we no longer see miracles when they happen, is that we have programmed ourselves into a state of denial. We justify prayer being answered by arguing that it is science, or coincidence or just plain luck. We argue that God is no longer present with us in the world today. This story of Peter and John is to remind ourselves that we need to prepare ourselves. Peter and John prepared themselves to go to the Temple that day and see God, feel God and experience God’s presence. They did not know how that would happen, but they prepared themselves for it to happen. They followed Holy Disciplines, like constant prayer, daily Bible reading and fellowship. Maybe the problem we have experiencing miracles is that we don’t prepare ourselves.

Let’s look at the passage again. When Peter and John approach the temple they encounter a man lame from birth. Friends or family had laid him at the gate to collect money from those going to the temple. And when he saw Peter and John approaching he begged them for alms. Peter said to him, look at us. We have neither silver nor gold to give to you. But what we have to give you is the power of the one who died for your sins, gave his life to give you eternal life. Stand up and walk! And the lame man did just that. Peter and John have come prepared to meet Jesus. They met Jesus in the lame man. They used the teaching and training they had received from Jesus to prepare them for this moment. They provided the lame man what he really needed, not necessarily what he was expecting. Are your prepared to meet Jesus face to face today? Have you prepared yourself to be the instrument of his power and grace to someone you don’t even know? Peter called upon the power of Jesus name and told the lame man to get up and walk. The lame man believed and did just that.

There are two significant things in this passage for us to see. First, that Peter and John prepared themselves to be in the presence of God. They do not know how they will encounter Jesus. But they prepare themselves to do so. And it is with this anticipation that they come to the Temple. And they second thing is that they have prepared themselves to be used as the instruments of God’s power. Are you ready to see a miracle? Are you ready to be used as God’s instrument to perform a miracle? Do we truly believe that God might use you to do wonderful and powerful things in the world? Maybe it is little things like smiling on a day when no-one feels like smiling. Or maybe it is throwing change in the Salvation Army pot as you pass by or taking one of those Angel Tree children for Christmas. I remember years ago asking God to help me with public prayer and witness. I found myself on a plane from Erie, PA to Pittsburgh, PA. One of those little puddle jumpers that they wind up the rubber bands and you can only go so far. The young man that set beside me seemed troubled so I asked him if he was ok. He said that he was traveling home, having been away a long while. He went on to say that his mother was dying and they were estranged. That he was on the way home to reconcile things and was worried that he would not get home in time. We walked off the plane and I asked him if I could pray with him. He and I bowed heads and prayed. Imagine my surprise when we finished the prayer and most of the passengers and part of the flight crew was there praying with us. God can and will use us, as broken as we are. 

Recently a woman, a nurse, who has a heart for mission, learned of a great need in Haiti for medical supplies and medical assistance. And she set about gathering the supplies and making plans to go there to assist in the effort to deal with the Cholera outbreak. But she needed $ 31,000 in order to get all the supplies plus pay for the travel for her and two other nurses. Well she contacted churches in her area and began to collect donations. After several weeks she had $ 4,000, far short of her goal of $ 31,000. She was telling one of her patients about her desire to achieve her goal. Imagine her surprise the next day when a check arrived for $ 27,000. Now this was a great gift. This man stepped up and performed a miracle.

I wonder how many of us come to this place believing that they will experience something exceptional. The real difference between modern day ministry and the early disciples is that they came expecting to see God do incredible things every time they encountered God’s people. Sometimes God calls on us to be the instrument of his mighty power and grace. Sometimes God brings miracles into our lives. Truth is we must prepare ourselves just as John and Peter prepared themselves.

We are in the season of Advent, a time of preparation and anticipation. A time when the world truly encounters the living God more fully than any other time of the year. It is a time when we celebrate the greatest miracle of them all, the birth of a child to a young maid who had never known what it is like to be with one you truly love in a human way and yet she is bringing a child into the world like no other child in the history of the world. Yes, today we celebrate a season when miracles happen, when things that are unseen become real and walk the earth just as you and I. It is a season when we encounter a loving God who gives us the greatest miracle of all. The question is, are you ready for a miracle?