What are you a fan of? Is it a particular sports team? (Maybe one with the color red?) Are you a fan of a particular musician or band? Or maybe a particular brand or product? Are you a fan of some particular celebrity? I would wager that all of us have at least one person, place, or thing that we are a fan of. For me, I’m a fan of the Chicago Cubs, author Rick Riordan, the Harry Potter book and movie series, and SPAM lunch meat (though not in an “eating it” sort of way). Most of us could easily name at least one thing we are a fan of. But what does it mean to be a fan of something? Merriam Webster’s Dictionary defines a fan in this way:
1) an enthusiastic devotee (as of a sport or a performing art) usually as a spectator
2) an ardent admirer or enthusiast (as of a celebrity or a pursuit)

A fan seems to be someone who is enthusiastic in their support of something, whether that thing be a sports team, a celebrity, a book series, or a canned lunch meat that helped keep American soldiers alive in World War II.

Jesus has (as he did in his own time) a lot of fans. He has a lot of people who are enthusiastic in their support of him. They speak out on his behalf, wear t-shirts with his words or likeness on them, and even quote some of the things he said. But when we are talking about Jesus as God, then is being a fan enough? Before we answer that question, I’d like us to look at our text for this morning from Acts 2:36-41. In this passage, Peter stands before a crowd in Jerusalem and tells people about Jesus. The first verse of our reading, verse 36, Peter summarizes his message, saying, “Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Peter’s sermon is not full of bells and whistles. It is a simple message about who Jesus is. But when Peter finishes speaking, the text tells us that people were “cut to the heart” and about 3,000 of them were baptized that day. This is a pretty amazing story, and I’d like to take a little time to look at this story through the eyes of fandom. I think we can see three aspects of fandom in this story.

First, fandom requires commitment. I couldn’t very well call myself a fan of the Harry Potter books and movies if I hadn’t ever watched or read them. I couldn’t really consider myself much of a Chicago Cubs baseball fan if I didn’t commit to paying attention to the team members and coaches or to follow the game scores. Fans show commitment to the object of their devotion. When Peter is asked by the crowd what they must do to receive Jesus’ message, Peter tells them to “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.” Basically, Peter is telling them that being a fan of Jesus requires some commitment. Peter suggests we do that by repentance (an act that reconnects us with God) and by baptism (an act which connects us to one another).

So, fandom requires some commitment, but it also requires some background knowledge.  Movie fans know character lore and can often quote verbatim many, if not all, of the lines from their favorite movie. As a fan of the movie Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure when I was in high school, I could quote large sections of script with hardly a thought. Even now, when I haven’t watched that movie for quite a few of years, I can still pull out quite a few lines from the movie with little trouble. Now, you don’t necessarily have to be a fan to be able to quote some memorable lines from popular movies. For instance, whether you are a Star Wars fan or not, you know the line “May the Force be with you!” You don’t necessarily need to be a fan of the Harry Potter movies to know lines like “You’re a wizard, Harry.”

Peter knew the background of Judaism and could quote the Scriptures. In this sermon, he states, “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.” This may not be a direct quote, but it is clearly a reference to Genesis 17 where God says to Abraham, “I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.” Many people quote Bible verses, sometimes without even realizing it. Quite a few people know “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him will not perish, but will (let them fill it in).” Or how about, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And love (let them fill it in).” Or maybe, “This is the day that the Lord has made… (let them fill it in).” True fans of Jesus may know some of the more obscure lines. “I say these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will face trouble. But take heart for I have overcome the world.” Just like with movie quotes, knowing Scripture verses allows us to use them in our daily lives. When Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, what was his response to the devil every time? He quoted Scripture.

Fans are committed and fans have background knowledge, but fans also mimic the thing or person they are a fan of. They dress like them, talk like them, pretend to be them. When I was in middle school and high school, I used to get my baseball bat out every time I’d watch a Cubs game. And as the different players came up to bat, I would mimic their batting stance and try to swing at the same time as them, with the same motion as them. I wanted to be like them. I would practice pitching with my left hand in order to be like “Wildthing” Mitch Williams, my favorite Cubs pitcher at the time who would lift his leg wildly in his wind up and would then fall off the mound when the ball was released. I wanted to be like him.

As Christians, we want to be like Jesus. We know that we can never BE Jesus. He’s the Son of God, something we could never be. But we still want to follow in his steps. We ask ourselves, “What would Jesus do?” The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians, “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” Because of our love for Jesus, we want to follow his example. After washing his disciples’ feet, Jesus told his disciples, “I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.” We mimic the way Jesus lived, the way he treated others, and the love he showed to the world. When the crowd wants to follow Jesus, they ask Peter what they should do, and he tells them to repent and to  follow Jesus’ example by being baptized.

This is where I think we move from being a fan to being something more. When I was coming up with a title for this sermon, I saw the line, “when they heard this, they were cut to the heart.” The first title I’d thought of was Heartstopper, because that is the name of a Netflix show that my family watched somewhat recently, but then I thought of the word Heartstruck and began to consider which would be better. When looking at their definition, a heartstopper is someone or something that is exciting and emotionally intense. I’ve been to Christian events that had charismatic Christian speakers. Those events and those speakers were heartstoppers, they sent me away with excitement, on a spiritual high. But eventually, that excitement died down, and I usually went right back to the life I’d been living before. Being heartstruck means being profoundly impacted by those emotionally intense moments, being changed by an emotional experience.

As those 3,000 people in the crowd heard Peter’s message, something piqued their interest. But it was more than just an emotional experience. They were heartstruck, the text says “cut to the heart.” So they asked Peter and the other apostles, “What should we do?” And Peter told 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.” This was more than becoming a fan of Jesus. Interestingly, the word fan is derived from the Latin word fanum, which means sanctuary or temple. There is a connection between fandom and faith. But what following Jesus calls for is deeper, what following Jesus entails is being heartstruck, being changed by our connection to the Son of God. This week, may you welcome Christ’s message anew, finding deeper commitment, immersing yourself deeper into the Scriptures, and imitating Jesus’ life, love, and compassion. For this Jesus, who we crucified, truly is both Lord and Messiah. Praise be to God. Amen.