|
Stranger in a Familiar Land The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 Frank Ramirez Keith Hewitt Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 — Isaiah 43:1-7 Acts 8:14-17 — Psalm 29 |
 |
|
|
|
Contents
"Stranger in a Familiar Land" by Frank Ramirez
"Eyewitness" by Keith Hewitt
* * * * * * * *
Stranger in a Familiar Land
by Frank Ramirez
Acts 8:14-17
Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.
-- Acts 8:14
It was tough for Peter and John to travel to Samaria. Samaritans and the various branches of Judaism were as close as cousins -- and fought like family too! Put simply, the Samaritans were those members of the people of God who'd been left behind while others were dragged off to exile in Babylon. When the exiles returned and took over, there was a good deal of resentment, anger, and fighting between two groups that shared the same concept of God, as well as the same scriptures, culture, customs, and language.
But then, fighting is what families do, until extraordinary events brought them together in Christ.
During the height of the Cold War between the ...