Readings

Acts 15.7–21 – After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, ‘My brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that I should be the one through whom the Gentiles would hear the message of the good news and become believers. And God, who knows the human heart, testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us; and in cleansing their hearts by faith he has made no distinction between them and us. Now therefore why are you putting God to the test by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? On the contrary, we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.’ The whole assembly kept silence, and listened to Barnabas and Paul as they told of all the signs and wonders that God had done through them among the Gentiles. After they finished speaking, James replied, ‘My brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first looked favourably on the Gentiles, to take from among them a people for his name. This agrees with the words of the prophets, as it is written, “After this I will return, and I will rebuild the dwelling of David, which has fallen; from its ruins I will rebuild it, and I will set it up, so that all other peoples may seek the Lord— even all the Gentiles over whom my name has been called. Thus says the Lord, who has been making these things known from long ago.” Therefore I have reached the decision that we should not trouble those Gentiles who are turning to God, but we should write to them to abstain only from things polluted by idols and from fornication and from whatever has been strangled and from blood. For in every city, for generations past, Moses has had those who proclaim him, for he has been read aloud every sabbath in the synagogues.’

John 15.9–11 – As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

Reflection

In both of today’s readings, there is a question quietly sitting beneath the surface: who belongs? In Acts, the early Church is wrestling with whether Gentile believers must first become culturally Jewish before they can fully belong to the people of God. It is not simply an abstract theological debate. It is about identity, tradition, and fear. The Church is growing quickly, and growth often brings uncertainty with it. People begin asking: how do we hold on to what matters? What are the boundaries? What is essential?

Into that discussion, Peter stands and reminds the assembly of something important: God has already acted. God has given the Holy Spirit to Gentile believers just as he did to Jewish believers. God “made no distinction between them.” Before the Church had settled its arguments, before committees and councils had reached their conclusions, God had already poured out grace. That is often the way with God. We spend time drawing lines, while God is already opening doors. And then James speaks with wisdom and gentleness. The decision of the council is not to burden these new believers with unnecessary weight. They are not to be crushed beneath expectations they cannot carry. Instead, the Church seeks a way forward that protects fellowship, honours one another, and keeps the heart of the gospel clear.

And then we hear Jesus in John’s gospel saying: “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love.” At first glance, these readings may seem quite different — one about church disagreement, the other about love and joy. But they belong together more closely than we might think. Because the question in Acts is ultimately this: will the Church remain rooted in the love of Christ, or will it become rooted in fear?

Jesus does not say, “Remain in anxiety.” He does not say, “Remain in suspicion.” He says, “Abide in my love.” The Church is healthiest when it remembers that it is first a community shaped by the love it has received from Christ. Not a community held together by uniformity or control, but by grace.

And notice something else in the gospel: Jesus says these things so that “my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.” Joy is not always the word people associate with church meetings and disagreements. Yet here, even in Acts, we glimpse what joyful faithfulness looks like. It looks like people listening carefully to one another. It looks like making space for those whom God is calling. It looks like refusing to place obstacles where God has offered welcome. That remains a challenge for the Church in every generation. There are always temptations to confuse our preferences with the gospel itself. There are always moments when we risk making faith feel like a burden rather than good news. But today’s readings call us back to what is central: the grace of God given freely in Jesus Christ.

And perhaps that is the invitation for us today. To ask ourselves not simply whether we are busy with church life, but whether we are abiding in Christ’s love. Whether our words, our decisions, and our relationships are rooted in that love. Whether people encounter, through us, something of the joy of the gospel. Because when the Church remains close to Christ, it becomes a place where others can breathe a little more freely. A place where grace is visible. A place where people discover that God’s welcome may be wider than they had dared hope. And that, in the end, is good news indeed.

Amen.