Acts 5:27-32 (John 20:19-31)
Most of us have known someone who at one time lacked confidence in a big way—who grew up in an environment largely responsible for that low self-esteem, believing he or she would never amount to much; or instead, due to a later unfortunate event or series of events, lost confidence and began a downward spiral in his or her life. But whichever it was, then that individual ended up making it after all—in spite of the odds. And not only that, but even excelling in some important aspect of life. Either by a personal decision to do so and sticking with that decision—or receiving guidance, opportunity, and a great deal of encouragement from someone who believed in her or him.
These encouragers enter others’ lives in any number of ways, for example, as teachers or coaches or employers. Sometimes it’s a friend, or even more than that. For instance, I have a relative whose self-image improved remarkably in a relationship that eventually blossomed into marriage.
After Jesus’ crucifixion, Peter and the other disciples, if anything, felt no confidence whatsoever. They were completely demoralized—and so scared that they were hiding behind locked doors. Then, suddenly, there he was, standing among them. And they were overjoyed! Among other things, he blessed them with the Holy Spirit—the Comforter, the Advocate, the Encourager. Later, in a very public way, the Holy Spirit was made known to them again—on the Day of Pentecost.
After that, Peter seldom had any more confidence problems—as when, with the others, he fled from the garden after Jesus’ arrest and later even denied he was a follower of the Lord.[i] Getting in trouble for his faith no longer worried him. By the time he was called before the religious authorities in today’s passage in the Book of Acts, he had already been sent two times to jail. Then, after being flogged, he went right back to “teach[ing] and proclaim[ing] Jesus as the Messiah.”[ii]
In terms of our faith, how do we Christians today speak and act with confidence—especially in times of controversy? As you’ve heard me say before, we are blessed to live in a nation where religious liberty is the law of the land. Unfortunately, that law has not always been respected—even for Christians. For instance, in the 1950s and ‘60s, when black (and some white) Christians who protested peacefully were beaten and jailed for their words, for their actions.
Even today, some Christians in the United States claim they’re being discriminated against because of their beliefs—but in a very different way when compared with those earlier decades. Such persons have sometimes turned to Acts 5:29 as a sort of proof text—the part where Peter declares: “We must obey God rather than men,” or, in the version we have before us this morning, “We must obey God rather than any human authority.”[iii]
Two cases that come to mind have involved persons employed by the government. You probably recognize the name of the first one—Kim Davis, a former county clerk in
Kentucky. She’s the one who, when the U.S. Supreme Court in 2015 legalized same-sex marriage, refused to issue licenses to such couples. She held that to do so would violate her religious beliefs. She said: “My constituents elected me [to my position], but the main authority that rules my life is the Lord.”[iv] After spending a few days in jail for contempt, followed by a court battle, a compromise was reached: In the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the names of county clerks would no longer appear on marriage licenses.[v] In my opinion, she had a right not to act against her conscience. However, since she was a public servant bound to uphold the law, I believe she should have done what a county clerk did in another state: Protest by resigning from office.[vi]
That same year, a second court case came up about religious freedom—involving a high-school football coach. Unlike Davis, his name, Joe Kennedy, is probably unfamiliar to you. A popular and beloved coach who served as a role model for his players, he was a vital member of the athletic program at the local high school in Bremerton, WA. In contrast to Davis, the issue was not something he refused to do, but something he refused to stop doing, that is, a ritual he practiced after every game—when he would walk over to the fifty-yard line, kneel, and begin praying, often joined not only by his own players but also those from the other team. On top of that, he then sometimes “gave motivational speeches with religious content…”[vii]
Obviously it must have come to the attention of the school district, or someone forced the school administration to pay attention to it, because later he was directed to stop this practice. Believing his religious liberty was being violated, Kennedy engaged a team of lawyers to represent him. In court he asked for a religious exemption under the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964. A compromise that was reached was that he could pray only “after students and parents had left” the football field. That worked a few times, until he decided to return to his former practice.[viii] That’s also when some other students enlisted another religious group—some local Satanists—to demand equal time. Before long, national politicians got in on the act: “…47 members of Congress sent [to the district] a letter of support for the coach…” Two candidates in the presidential campaign also cheered him on.[ix] In the end, the school district “suspended Kennedy with pay and did not rehire him when his contract expired.”[x] Undeterred, the coach appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court. This is what the panel said in its ruling in 2017:
When [Coach] Kennedy kneeled and prayed on the fifty-yard line immediately after games while in view of students and parents, he spoke as a public employee,
not as a private citizen, and his speech therefore was constitutionally unprotected.[xi]
And that was that.
Here’s one more example of Christians being bold, declaring, “We must obey God rather than men.” And this one is still unfolding. Unlike the other two, it’s a clear-cut, black-and-white example of believers challenging the immoral actions of the powers that be. I’m talking about the Roman Catholic Church standing up to a regime not far away from us. I’m talking about the Central American nation of Nicaragua.
Just a year ago, President Daniel Ortega announced that taxes would be raised while pension payments and social security benefits would be reduced—in a country where up to 50% of the population is impoverished. In response, university students began organizing protest marches, which, after several of them were shot and killed by police, were joined by the public at large. Much of the Roman Catholic hierarchy—from the archbishop down to parish priests—have supported peaceful protesters, not only opening up churches as sanctuaries and places for medical treatment, but also serving as intermediaries in talks betweeb the government and its opponents.[xii] However, more and more protesters kept being killed—many of them by paramilitary forces—and before the end of 2018 more than six hundred had been thrown into prison. As a result, talks broke down, not being resumed until this past February. People claim that Ortega and also his wife, who serves as the Vice-President, aren’t truly interested in sharing power with anyone else.[xiii]
Meanwhile, the Catholic Church itself has come under attack—houses of worship damaged, priests roughed up, bishops receiving death threats.[xiv]
[And this past Good Friday—a]s 100’s of [the] faithful walked…the Stations of the Cross [on the way] to the cathedral [in the capital city], dozens of protesters …carried wooden crosses bearing the names of those who [had] died during the past year”—more than 300 victims of the violence committed by the government and its allies.[xv]
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In the midst of controversy, laying claim to religious liberty—to one’s rights as a Christian and as a critic of public authorities—can be dangerous. Other times, especially in nations such as our own, not so much. While believing some hills are worth dying on, I also believe many are not.
All that aside, how do peaceful, law-abiding people—like ourselves here in the United States—how do we have the confidence to proclaim to others the good news of the risen Christ?
First of all, we have to want to do that, don’t we? We need to see that as a basic part of practicing our faith. And we do it by identifying experiences in our lives when we have especially felt God touch our hearts and the difference that that has made to us.
Second, we need to find the words that will help us share those experiences. Like the faith stories collected in a booklet this past fall—as part of our Heritage and Hope Campaign.
Third, we need to practice telling these stories out loud to one another—maybe in some organized training sessions.
Last, we need to get out of our comfort zones by sharing some of them with friends, neighbors, and others—not in a loud, public way like Peter did—but rather one on one. And for those who don’t have a church home, who don’t belong to a Christian fellowship, we might invite them to come worship with us.
In a non-threatening way, we keep that invitation open; we keep it alive. All the while, like those in the early church, we turn to the Holy Spirit to give us confidence, to give us encouragement, to give us the boldness to accomplish such things.
[i] Doug Bratt, “Easter 2C” (March 28, 2016), in https://cep.calvinseminary.edu/sermon-starters/easter-2c/?type+old_testament_lectionary.
[ii] Acts 5:42.
[iii] Brian Peterson writes: “When we stand up to such powers in what we claim is faithful opposition, how do we know that we aren’t simply projecting our own desire, prejudices, and politics onto God, when in fact we are simply serving ourselves?,” in https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=4032.
[iv] In an ABC news interview, as cited by Susan Heavey, Reuters News Agency (September 22, 2015) as appearing in https://www.businessinsider.com/r-kentucky-clerk-davis-rejects-marriage-licenses-as-invalid.
[v] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Davis.
[vi] Ibid.
[vii] Maura Dolan, “Football Coach’s On-field Prayer not Protected by Constitution, Appeals Court Rules,” in https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-football-coach-prayer-20170823-story.html.
[viii] Ibid.
[ix] Dahlia Lithwick, “What Does the Constitution Say about a Praying High School Football Coach?” (November 11, 2015) in https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2015/11/football-coach-joe-kennedy-is-violating-the-constitution.
[x]Dolan.
[xi]Ibid.
[xii] Hayes Brown, “Catholic Priests Are at the Forefront of Nicaragua’s Protests,” BuzzFeed News (May 1, 2018); and Linda Bordoni, “Nicaragua Protester: ‘Catholic Church Is Doing Amazing Work,” Vatican News (July 2018).
[xiii] “Nicaraguan Activists Sentenced to More than 200 Years,” BCC News (February 19, 2019) in https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-47290527; and “New Peace Talks in Nicaragua Raise Hopes, But Many Skeptical” Associated Press (February 27, 2019), in https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-americas/2019/02/27/new-peace-talks-in-nicaragua-rais…
[xiv] Leila Miller, “Nicaraguan Clergy Face Threats after Providing Refuge for Protesters Fleeing Gunfire: ‘The Church Became a Type of Morgue,’” The Los Angeles Times (March 26, 2019); and David Nussman, “Church in Nicaragua Victimized amid Unrest, Violence: Clergy Assaulted, Protesters Besieged in Church, Sacrtilege against the Eucharist,”ChurchMilitant.com (July 20, 2018). Also in https://www.pagadiandiocese.org/2018/07/21/church-in-nicaragua-victimized-amid-unrest-.
[xv]Gabriela Selser, “Nicaraguans Use Good Friday Processions to Protest,” Associated Press (April 20, 2019), in https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-americas/2019/04/20/nicaraguans-use-good-friday-proc…