How To Train Your Dragon

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By Dan Osborn, February 08, 2026

Now Playing: How to Train Your Dragon

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Acts 10:1-2, 9-16, 28, 34-35 (ESV)

At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God…

The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven…

And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean…”

So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.

Series Introduction

  • We aren't doing this just to have a movie day; entertainment is not the goal.
  • There is a difference between getting lost in a story and understanding what that story is doing to us.

The Logic of Berk

  • Berk is a community that is defined by war.
  • Their unity comes from having a common enemy.
  • According to their Manual, safety requires separation.
  • Hiccup believes that the only way to be accepted is to kill the enemy.
  • We intuitively root against the hero doing what will make him a hero in his world.

Acts 10: The First “Other”

A. The Setup

  • The early believers did not view themselves as a new religion, but as the True Israel.
  • For centuries, the “Manual” (Torah) drew a sharp line between the Clean and the Unclean.
  • Cornelius: A Roman Centurion representing the oppressor.
  • Peter: A faithful Jew operating under a code of identity.

B. The Vision

  • God lowers a sheet representing what Peter views as chaos.
  • Peter’s disgust feels like a violation of the natural order.
  • The command: What God has made clean, do not call common.

C. The Meeting

  • Peter enters the house, breaking the law of association.
  • Like Hiccup, Peter looks at the “monster” and sees a reflection.
  • God shows Peter that He shows no partiality.

The House of Fear

  • We tend to identify with the hero (Hiccup) rather than the Village.
  • The Village isn't evil; they are protectors trying to keep families safe.

“In this world… we are increasingly tempted to make fear our house, to live in the house of fear." — Henri Nouwen

  • In the House of Fear, fear usually looks like faithfulness.
  • We do not see our walls as exclusion; we see them as conviction.
  • To find your “Other,” look for the people you feel the need to protect yourself against.

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The Gospel Solution

  • We build walls because we think we are the insiders protecting the light.
  • The Gospel reminds us that before we were children of God, we were the Dragon.
  • Jesus became the Outsider so that we could be brought in.
  • Because He laid down His life for us when we were enemies, we have no right to hold a weapon against anyone else.

The Wall of Hostility

  • Ephesians 2: Jesus tore down the hostility, He did not tear down the Truth.
  • The Jesus way is not to stay away to avoid infection, but to get close.
  • The goal isn't to make “Them” like "Us," but for both to become like Jesus.

Have a question or pushback on this? Ask it here.


Application:

  • Acts 10 was not just a nice moment, it was a paradigm shift.
  • The Kingdom of God is built on unity, not uniformity.
  • Our lives are meant to be extended echoes of Peter in Cornelius's living room.
  • Challenge: Instead of building a fortress against them, build a table for them.

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