What if Acts was a movie?

​The most powerful testimony you can offer, isn’t your words. It comes through your heart and hands. ​

You might not know this about me, but I love movies. Dark comedies are my favorite genre, a passion that grew out of my early love for film noir from the 1950’s.
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There is a famous opening scene in Billy Wilder’s classic film Sunset Blvd. where the protagonist, played by William Holden, is seen floating face-down in a swimming pool.

He’s dead, staring blankly into the camera underwater. As the police start to fish him out, our dead hero begins to narrate the story of how he got there.

It’s a classic cinematic "hook"—starting at the finish line and working backward to reveal the truth. The lectionary cycle for Eastertide does something similar with the Acts of the Apostles.

Our readings start after Pentecost, when everyone is filled with the Holy Spirit. Each week we "rewind" the tape to discover exactly how the Christian Church was born on that fateful day.

So let’s imagine our reading today is a film that opens on a busy marketplace in first-century Jerusalem. It’s loud, dusty, and chaotic. Tented stalls line the streets; merchants shout over one another, each barking for you attention.

The camera follows a teenager weaving his way through the crowd before turning down a narrow, shadowy alley. As he runs, the camera follows him frantically. His heart races. His feet pounding on the cobblestones. And then, he bursts into a sun-drenched plaza, … and the screen is suddenly flooded with light.

There, standing before a massive crowd, is a young, charismatic Peter. He isn’t the trembling fisherman who denied Jesus by a charcoal fire. Now he’s a man on fire himself.

“Fellow Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know--this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. But God raised him up, having released him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power. ...“This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you see and hear. . . . . Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah,this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.     - Acts 2:22-42

This is "Pentecost Peter." He and 120 other believers have just been doused in the promised power of the Holy Spirit. And they cannot contain it at all. The atmosphere is a strange, beautiful cocktail of joy and utter confusion. People are speaking in a kaleidoscope of languages, yet every listener hears the message in their mother tongue.

The cynics are there, too. They see the ecstasy and assume it’s just a morning bender. But Peter stands up, debunks the insult, and lays out the cornerstone of our Christian faith. He wasn't the first to tell the story, though.

Last week, we watched the prequel. The story of Mary Magdalene at the tomb, where, in the final scene, Jesus tells her to go and let the others know what she has witnessed. And her testimony—“The one who was dead is now alive; where there was weeping, there is now joy”—would launch a great franchise. And set the foundation of the church for Peter and the others to build upon.

In our "movie," the camera now pans across the faces in the crowd. It’s a sea of humanity. Men, women, young and old. All awe-struck. You have pilgrims from every corner of the Roman Empire.

Some are hearing the name "Jesus of Nazareth" for the very first time. Others were there on Friday; they saw the cross, they heard the rumors of an empty tomb, but they haven't connected the dots.

To all of them, Peter gives an Oscar-worthy monologue: "Listen! This Jesus—the one you crucified—is more than a teacher. He is the Messiah. He is the Holy One promised by the prophets."

As he speaks, there is a mixture of emotions in the crowd. But filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter continues to profess: “We are witnesses to this truth that this Jesus we are talking about … God has raised up from the dead …everyone here today is now a witness to this truth.”

Scripture says the Holy Spirit “pierced their hearts” with his words.

Then from the crowd, a  voice cries out from the back: "Brothers, what do we do?"

Peter’s face softens as the camera pushes in for his close up. He answers, "Change your direction. Return to God. Be baptized. Let Christ be your Lord. And let His grace be your joy."

​More than a 5-step plan; Peter gives them the way to a whole, new life. The crowd erupts in a loud, riotous roar.

From this one impromptu sermon, we are told three thousand people were baptized that day. Let’s pause the film for a moment. Think about what that says to the power of testimony?

From Peter’s public proclamation, the Church and her faith was established.

How, then, can your story help change the direction of someone’s life? You might think you have nothing important to say. But here’s what I’ve learned.

The most powerful testimony you can offer, isn’t your words. It comes through your heart and hands. For compassion always speaks louder than doctrine. Tenderness lasts longer than platitudes. The way you show love has the power to change someone’s life forever.

Now, back to the movie.

The film transitions to a montage: this crowd moves toward the Jordan River in numbers so vast they seem to stop the flow of the water. With hearts aglow, these pilgrim people return to their homes in Egypt, Mesopotamia, Crete, Arabia, all over the Roman empire, carrying the message of Christ with them to their communities.

The opening credits roll over a montage of the unlikely: rich and poor, free and enslaved, Jew and Gentile. It’s a visceral reminder that God’s love is a wildfire that refuses to be contained by a single city, a single building, or a single heart.

We know from our journey through Lent that Jesus started with twelve ordinary people to build a Kingdom. Those twelve—plus a few hundred "extras"—rose above their own flaws to become not just the voice of God, but the hands and feet as well. This is important for us to remember, today, as we face deep divisions within the church.

This story in Acts, reminds us that with our powerful testimony, we are given a great responsibility to carry the gospel out into the world - not just with our words, but in our deeds as well. We are called to manifest God’s love in all that we say and do.

The cynics are out there. People are watching us. But what do they see? Christians in name only? Or Christ followers? A community who intentionally live the Way of Jesus? People who will put aside their ego, and care for the least of these, so no one is without.

It doesn’t matter what we say on Sunday, if our actions are silent the rest of the week.

I’ve spent decades speaking in front of people. That might seem terrifying to you. I get that. But my words don’t mean anything if I don’t practice what I preach.

You may not have the right words, but you’re willing to sit with a friend going through a break up. That says more than any sermon I could give.

You might not understand church doctrine, but that doesn’t stop you from organizing a clothing drive to help single mom’s who are struggling to make ends meet. That’s testifying.

Like Meister Eckhart famously said: Go preach the gospel, using words only when necessary.

Scripture tells us that Peter eventually steps down from the pulpit to serve others, just as Jesus did. He shared the good news by loving God, loving others, and serving both…just as we are called to do. This is how the first church lived out the gospel. Their way would go on to inspire others to do the same.

Think about St. Francis who gave up his family fortune to care for the poor. Or St. Catherine of Siena who risked her life caring for victims of the plague. And St. Teresa of Calcutta loved those the world had left for dead.

Then there are the "Everyday Saints" in our communities. My friend Kerry shows up every Monday at the food pantry to handout groceries to those suffering with food insecurity. Julie Garcia, a great-grand mother who walks the hallways of her retirement home, praying for her neighbors.

God uses ordinary people like you and me to be everyday saints. To proclaim Christ’s glory and love.

One of the last things Jesus taught his disciples was, “Love one another as I have loved you.”That’s the gospel. That’s it. Two thousand years later, love still remains the best way to proclaim Jesus as Lord and Christ. But we have to be willing to do it.

After the opening credits and montage of people having their lives transformed, the camera settles in a great room of a private home where many have gathered for a meal. The camera focuses on a Roman soldier. His eyes are wet with tears. He unbuckles his sword, hands it to Peter, and falls to his knees. Peter doesn't look down on his former enemy; he reaches down, pulls him up, into a loving embrace.

Here the gospel is proclaimed without a single word spoken.

In that hug, Peter shows him what the resurrection looks like in real-time. He repeats the message of the empty tomb. "The one who was dead is now alive. Where there was weeping, there is now joy."

In that sacred space—somewhere between mercy and grace—the Church comes alive.

Work Cited
Originally published as From Resurrection to Proclamation Pt.1 on April 16, 2023.