An Unexpected Change of Menu

Sermon May 18th, 2025

Sermon May 18th, 2025

Acts 11:1-18; An Unexpected Change of Menu

So I want you all to think back to a big celebration you have had in the past. Perhaps it was a wedding, a graduation, a Thanksgiving or Christmas feast. Okay, is the scene set in your mind? Can you see the faces around the table - friends? Family? Now I want you to picture the food in front of you. What are you eating? Our celebrations and even church events tend to revolve around food. What’s that saying, Presbyterians do two things really well - food and committees? Our memories of events can often center around the meal that was served - we often remember the food more than we remember the conversations had.

So you are still picturing that event in your head, right? Now here’s a twist: the menu has unexpectedly changed. You have arrived at the next celebration expecting the standard fare for the event and SURPRISE, the food was all very different, not at all what you were expecting. How do you feel? Startled? Upset? Disappointed?

In our passage today, Peter experiences a divine “menu change”—a shift in God’s instructions that challenges centuries of religious tradition and ethnic boundaries. And the early church struggles to accept it.

The early Jewish believers had a certain “menu” in mind—a set of rules, traditions, and expectations about who was in and who was out in God’s kingdom. But God, in His infinite wisdom, was about to change the menu radically. Are we willing to accept God’s unexpected invitations, even when they challenge our established traditions?

The Jewish believers in Jerusalem were upset. They had heard that Gentiles had received the Word of God, but that was not the actual problem. It was the method by which they received it. They focused on Peter’s actions of going into a house of uncircumcised men and ate with them. The issue here is not just association; it was communion. Eating together was a sacred act, a sign of fellowship and acceptance. Their concern was rooted in deeply held convictions about ritual purity and separation from Gentiles. These were not malicious people; they were trying to be faithful to what they understood God’s law to be. They had a menu of separation.

At the beginning of the passage, Peter receives a vision where God presents all kinds of animals and commands him to “kill and eat.” As a devout Jew, this goes against everything he knows—certain foods were unclean, and eating them would defile him. God insists in verse 9: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” There are times when we hold onto things, like traditions so tightly that we forget God is doing something new. Where in our lives might we need to rethink what we’ve considered “unclean” or “off-limits”?

In his commentary on this passage, Stephen D. Jones offers this perspective: “We learn from the early church that believers were not reluctant to voice their differences. Peter entered the Jerusalem church and squarely faces his critics…this text reminds us that controversy needs to be voiced, not avoided, and conflict needs to be transformed, not ignored.” The early church knew that in order for them to continue on, they had to face conflict head-on in order to keep spreading the gospel and Peter knows this.

Peter faced criticism when he returns home. Not a celebration, not curiosity—criticism. Why? Because he ate with Gentiles. More than that, he welcomed them into the family of God without requiring circumcision or adherence to Jewish customs. This was not about food and it still is not about food. This was all about control. It was about identity. And it was about fear: if we let Gentiles in just as they are, what happens to our way of life? We often resist God’s work when it threatens our categories. Who do we struggle to accept because we assume God would not chose them?

Peter, rather than arguing, recounts the events. He tells them the story of Cornelius, the God-fearing centurion and the vision he received. Peter describes his own vision—the sheet lowered from heaven, filled with all kinds of animals, and the voice saying: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” Peter emphasizes the role of the Holy Spirit. The Gentiles in Cornelius’ house received the same gift, the same outpouring, as the Jewish believers had at Pentecost. His argument is simple, yet profound: “Who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?” He recognized that God was doing something new, something that transcended their traditional understanding. What Peter is conveying is “God changed the menu!”

What is even more astounding than Peter’s vision is his announcement of who to expect around the table. We all know the phrase: “You are what you eat.” But in Peter’s day, it would be more like: “You are whom you eat with.” It was common practice for Jewish people to not eat with Gentiles. They did not accept the Gentiles’ hospitality. They felt that if they did, it would mean they would become culturally and spiritually polluted. The menu has now changed, and so have those around the table, and this radical change causes quite a stir amongst the first followers of Christ, who were Jews first.

None of this was about food, that bears repeating. It was about people. God was breaking down centuries of ritual separation to reveal a deeper truth: holiness is not about avoiding others—it’s about embracing God’s heart. I remember reading a story some years ago about how Princess Diana would make visits to those with HIV/AIDS who were in hospitals and she would hold their hands and touch them to show there was no separation, no fear of being unclean. This is the same thing with Peter and the church in Jerusalem with his dining with Gentiles. Peter is showing there is nothing wrong. God may lead us to love people we have been trained to avoid. The gospel does not erase truth—it expands it. It does not lower the bar of holiness; it raises the bar of grace.

When Peter was preaching to Cornelius’ household, the Holy Spirit did not wait for them to clean up or convert to Jewish law. The Holy Spirit just fell on them. Just like it did on Pentecost. God did not ask for permission. God poured himself out. Peter’s conclusion? “Who was I to think I could stand in God’s way?” And that is the turning point of the whole passage. Not just for Peter, but for the whole church. God’s grace outruns our traditions. The table is so much bigger than we ever thought. Are we standing in God’s way? Do we need to repent of gatekeeping what God has opened? What would it look like to follow the Spirit—even into places that make us uncomfortable? Are we standing in the way of God’s work by refusing to accept change?

The passage ends with worship. Not because everyone’s preferences were affirmed, but because they recognized God had moved. A community that once divided people by birth, culture, and law now began to praise the God who gives repentance that leads to life—to everyone. Worship is the right response to a God who shatters our boundaries. When we give up control and let God set the menu, we find that the feast is richer, wider, and more beautiful than we ever imagined. When God calls us to new things, do we respond with resistance or rejoicing?

There was a shift in perspective—moving from criticism to acceptance and praise. The church recognized that God was doing a new thing and accepted it. God’s grace is not limited to any particular group or tradition. God is always expanding the table, inviting people from all backgrounds to partake in the Kingdom. Where are we limiting God’s grace?

God often works in unexpected ways and we ought to be willing to step outside our comfort zones. We ought to be sensitive to the Spirit’s leading and to follow His guidance, even when it challenges our assumptions. Perhaps this week we can extend the invitation of God’s grace to those who are marginalized and/or excluded. God’s table is a welcoming place for all. We have preconceptions about who belongs in God’s family. But God consistently calls us beyond our comfort zones, breaking barriers so that all people can know Him.

An unexpected change of menu may unsettle us at first. But if we trust the Chef—the One preparing the feast—then maybe we will discover that the change is not just acceptable, it is essential. God’s kingdom is not built on who we allow in—it is not a country club. It is built on who God invites. And if we follow the Spirit, we will find ourselves eating at tables we never imagined, with people we once excluded, and tasting grace we never knew we needed.

Are we open to the possibility that God might be doing something new, something that challenges our assumptions? Are we willing to let God change our “menu”? The gospel is radically inclusive. It is for everyone—regardless of who they are and where they come from. The early church learned this the hard way but we know it is true.

Much like Peter, we need to be willing to listen to God’s voice, even when it contradicts our own expectations. This requires humility, prayer, and a willingness to be led. The story in Acts 11 is a powerful reminder that God is always at work, expanding the Kingdom, breaking down barriers, and inviting all people to the table. May we, like the early believers, be willing to embrace the unexpected changes of menu that God sets before us, and may we always give God the glory as He leads us into a deeper understanding of His boundless love.

God has changed the menu. The only question left is: will we sit down and eat?

To God be the glory this day and always. Amen.