Empowered to Endure

**Rev. Josiah Ling** (0:00)
You're listening to the Christ Church Toronto Podcast, a recording of the Sunday Sermons of Christ Church Toronto.
Christ Church Toronto is located in Toronto's East End, and seeks to practice the ancient Christian faith today. We would love for you to join us in the future. Until then, here is today's scripture reading.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:24)
Today's scripture reading is taken from Acts, chapter 4, verses 1 to 31
And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day for it was already evening. But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about 5,000.
On the next day, their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem with Anas, the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high priestly family. And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, by what power, by what name did you do this? Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today, concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed? Let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by him, this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is a stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven, given among men, by which we must be saved. Now, when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished, and they recognized that they had been with Jesus. But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, saying, what shall we do with these men? For that, a noble sign has been performed through them, is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. We cannot deny it. But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name. So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
But Peter and John answered them.
Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge. For we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard. And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them because of the people. For all were praising God for what happened. For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than 40 years old. When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and elders had said to them. And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and earth and sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, why did the Gentiles rage and the people's plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his anointed. For truly in this city, they were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place in which they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
This is the word of the Lord for our church and is given for our good. Thanks be to God.

**Rev. Josiah Ling** (4:19)
Amen. Well, in many places around the world, there's a moment where a boy becomes a man, and it usually involves some sort of rite of passage ceremony that around the age of 13 or 14, that a young boy is to go out into the wilderness and hunt for their first skill. Perhaps this is a wild boar, a moose, whatever have you. And that in facing this trial, in facing this sort of opposition, that in overcoming it and bringing their hunt back, that it would mark them as a person ready to enter into society as an adult, with all the rights, the privileges, and the responsibilities thereof. And this sort of idea of a right of passage can seem like a foreign concept in a modern city like Toronto. I mean, maybe this is an incredible scary thing for some of you parents, that you can hardly imagine a context where you would let your kids play alone by themselves on their street, let alone going into the wilderness to hunt for a wild boar. But what so much of the rest of the world understands is that in order for maturity to happen, that there is an opposition, a trial that needs to be overcome. And then in overcoming that trial, there is a maturity that's reached because there's lessons that are learned, that you are trained, that you're equipped to then enter into society.