Just before the passage chosen for today, Peter has had a dream in which he realised that God no longer imposed rules about which foods could and could not be eaten. He interpreted this as God saying that the Kingdom was for all - and that, even as a devout Jew, he could now eat with Gentiles - something hitherto impossible.

And so, Peter comes to the house of the Roman Cornelius declaring that God does not have favourites: that anyone who fears God can be saved.

Proof of this is given when Peter proclaims the Good News of Jesus’ death and resurrection to Cornelius and his household, the Holy Spirit is poured out on them in the same way as on the Jews at Pentecost.

The Jews found it hard to believe - but the evidence was there. With such clear consent from a divine source, it became clear that to withhold Baptism from them would be wrong.

This is a turning point in the mission of the apostles. They began to realise that, through Jesus, the Gospel was for all humanity.

We are the inheritors of that mission. Because Peter was prepared to allow God to be God - trusting to God’s prompting rather than relying on “common sense”, the Good News broke out into a wider world - preparing to spread from Jerusalem - as Jesus had prophesied, right to the ends of the earth