I. Introduction

Throughout life, we interact with various individuals including family members, neighbors, colleagues, and others both nearby and far away. Each individual influences our lives in a distinct manner, due to the inherent differences among us. These experiences can be positive or negative, but they help shape our lives in ways we might not achieve alone. While human interactions are wonderful, the journey with God and the Holy Spirit is deeply meaningful and transformative. Let's have a look at an example of this.

II. The Holy Spirit will always be with you

On June 8th, the church will commemorate the Holy Spirit's outpouring on the first Christians, causing many to speak in different tongues and adding three thousand people to the original group of about 120 in prayer. The power of the Holy Spirit was manifested in this young group of congregants, and the lives of the apostles would be forever changed, from humble followers of Christ, to becoming apostles to the Jews in Jerusalem and surrounding areas, and to the Gentiles beyond Judea. Simon Peter was one of the most prominent disciples of Jesus Christ. Jesus called him the rock on which the church would be built, and he was the first disciple to preach the gospel on the Day of Pentecost, and later to the Jews and the gentiles. The word gentile means a person or a nation who was not from Jewish origin or descent. In the Old Testament they were portrayed as those who worshipped other gods, different from Yahweh. In the New Testament, however, Jesus opens the Good News of God and extended it to the gentile nations as well. Jesus' ministry was therefore a ministry of inclusion of all people. We see in the letters of Paul how he makes the distinction between Jews and Gentiles and how in Christ they are made all one.

Our passage describes Simon Peter receiving a vision while he was in Joppe, engaged in prayer. In this vision, he observed a large sheet descending from heaven, containing various four-footed animals. God conveyed the message to him that he must eat these animals, and despite Simon Peter's initial resistance by declaring them impure, God assured him that nothing is considered impure in God's eyes. After this episode he was called by Cornelius, a devout and God-fearing person to come to his house. Upon his arrival, he found a large crowd of people who were all gentiles. It is at this point that Peter realized what the vision really meant. He was sent by God to Cornelius' house to preach the Good News to those who were viewed as unclean or impure, but in God's eyes no one is unclean or impure. Everyone is included under the grace of God, and Jesus demonstrated that to him and the disciples who were close witnesses of His love and ministry for and towards all people.

This was a transformative experience for Peter. As a Jew, he still operated according to the Jewish laws which prohibited the mixing with Gentiles. But he was also a new follower of Jesus Christ who brought a new dispensation of grace, mercy and openness towards all people. His transformation took place on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came down on all of them and transformed their lives from the old to the new. It is through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that they, the apostles, were able to love everyone the way Jesus taught them to love, irrespective of their background, their beliefs, their faith, their persuasions, and more. They began a journey with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ and the Spirit of God within them. The Holy Spirit guided them in accepting others, refraining from judgment, showing kindness, and not treating individuals as outcasts, like the gentiles of that era.

III. Conclusion

Dear Confirmands, now new members, and everyone here this morning, the Holy Spirit will always be with you and me, to guide and comfort us. But the Holy Spirit is also calling us this morning to let go of the things that stand in the way of being a loving community, church, nation and world. Like Peter and the apostles, we are called to accept others despite differences in beliefs, culture, and background. We are called to listen deeply, to respect each other, and to not hurt each other. We are called to love, to be love, because God is love. May God help us to surrender to this love of God and allow the Holy Spirit to transform us. Amen.