What God Has Made Clean

Today’s sermon text from Acts 10 includes Peter’s striking vision of animals descending from heaven, including animals that the Jews considered ceremonially unclean. A divine voice commands him to kill and eat these “unclean” creatures, foreshadowing the spreading of the gospel to gentiles—people likewise considered ceremonially unclean. You’ll notice many references to cleanliness in this morning’s worship service. We’ll hear Jesus say “be clean” (Matthew 8:3) and an angel refer to “what God has made clean” (Acts 10:15). We’ll recognize both the inability of animal sacrifices to “wash away the stain” of sin (Not All The Blood Of Beasts) and that Jesus’ blood “can make the foulest clean” (O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing). We’ll pray and sing from Psalm 51, confessing our need for “clean hearts” (Psalm 51:10) and asking the Lord to “cleanse me from my sin” (God Be Merciful To Me—Psalm 51). We cry out, “Wash me, Savior, or I die” (Rock Of Ages, Cleft For Me), trusting that Jesus can “change the leper’s spots” and wash our garments white (Jesus Paid It All).—Henry C. Haffner