Sunday, April 30, 2023  Easter  4

Scripture Readings:    Acts 2: 42-47

                                      Psalm 23

                                      1 Peter 2: 19-25

                                      John 10: 1-10

What’s so important?

"They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers.” (Acts 2:42, MSG)^[1]

Sounds great, doesn’t it? Kind of idyllic, but not really anything we’re familiar with in our daily lives or our life together in St. Simeon’s.

I’ve heard and read many scenarios explaining how we could apply this to our church community. We should meet for meals at church, host Bible study teaching sessions and prayer meetings of various kinds. All excellent suggestions, and I’m sure the most successful churches all do this, but in recording this, did Luke intend that we should see this as a formula for a thriving church? Is that what this is there for? And as I always like to reflect on when reading one of Paul’s letters, we need to ask what the ‘therefore’ is there for.

When Luke goes on to say, “… all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person’s need was met,” (44-45) it becomes obvious that he is speaking to a particular situation of need in the early church in Jerusalem.

It was a solution in response to particular necessities of the community. We know from historical records that life wasn’t a bowl of dates for the everyday person in Jerusalem, nor even those better off. Under Roman occupation, taxes were burdensome and poorly administered, so corruption flourished. We are told in Acts 6:7, “The Word of God prospered. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased dramatically. Not least, a great many priests submitted themselves to the faith.” These temple priests and Levites were to receive their income from the Temple service, but we know from history that many, with their families, were left poor and destitute. Paul indeed records many persons of position and wealth coming to the faith and supporting the mission of the early church, but this was in wealthy Greek and Roman cities trading around the Mediterranean Sea. Paul speaks elsewhere of gathering and transporting a collection from these churches to Jerusalem to help alleviate the situation during a particularly bad famine.

Much like our own wealthy North American society, the Romans and the ‘haves’ of Jerusalem were concerned only with themselves and their own continued prosperity. And the have-nots seem to have followed suit, trying to attain a better situation on the backs of whomever they could stand upon.

This is so consistent with the picture we have of Jesus’ ministry, reaching out to the orphaned, widows, lame, diseased and destitute. Not just because there was so much need, but to shed light on the sin that those whom God had blessed weren’t moved to compassion, weren’t being good neighbours, like the parable of the Samaritan and the hurt Jew. (I don’t like calling it the “Parable of the Good Samaritan”; it leaves the impression that he may have been the only one.)

What we see in this idyllic community that Luke describes are believers full of faith who come together to answer the needs of their community. Luke goes on to say of this community of believers, “People in general liked what they saw.” (2:47) And why not? This was radical compassion. A total reversal of the way life was lived in Jerusalem and, in fact, in the Roman Empire, according to what we know. Things like sacrifice and charity, some of which we take for granted today, for compassion's sake, were decades in the coming, mainly due to the proliferation of the Christian Church.^[2] Although part of the Mosaic law, caring for the needy had become much corrupted, as Jesus often pointed out.

It’s no wonder that “people in general,” the common people, “liked what they saw.” What the apostles and the believers were doing was unheard of and infinitely welcome. “sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.” (45) What was important was fulfilling the need of those around them, not hanging on to what they had, but sharing it liberally, trusting in God, as we say in the Lord's Prayer, for their daily bread.

They were able to be this way, to see the need and focus on satisfying it, I think, because of what Luke tells us of how they were living. “They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers.” (42) Community, the life together, centered around the teaching of the apostles, which was the gospel of Jesus Christ. The common meal may refer to the Eucharist, as we are told later that they usually had meals at home, although probably with larger family and friend groups than we are used to. And the prayers would be the daily Jewish devotionals.

And you might say to me, “Gord, this is all very good and informative, but we do all this at St. Simeon’s. We devote ourselves to the scriptures and prayers, as we are this morning, and we meet as a community for both hospitable meals together, as well as coffee after church, and we are assuredly charitable, both as a church community and individually. What’s so important?”

I think we might find our answer in the words of Peter we read this morning. Reflecting on the lot of servants in his time, Peter calls believers to a higher standard. Whether treated unjustly or not, it is their conduct that is being tested. That for God’s sake, their good behaviour in all circumstances is what pleases God. Doing well, above and beyond, so that people in general see and like what they see. As Peter goes on to say, “This is the kind of life you’ve been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. … He used his servant body to carry our sins to the Cross so we could be rid of sin, free to live the right way.” (1 Peter 2:21, 24)

What’s important is the quality of life we live. Do we bring honour to God by the sacrifices we make in our daily lives as Jesus sacrificed himself for us? Not based on how much we have to give, of ourselves, our time and resources, but governed by the needs of our community, those around us, that they are satisfied. The example Luke records in Acts of the early church in Jerusalem isn’t a model of what to do, although all of it is commendable. Luke highlights two distinct qualities of that church.

First, that what they were doing was totally out of the ordinary, “Everyone around was in awe.” (Acts 2:43) This kind of active, overt expression of charity and compassion had never been experienced before. And second, that “each person’s need was met.” (45) No one was counting the resources; they were counting the needs and doing whatever was necessary to meet them. Just as Jesus did, “His wounds became your healing. You were lost sheep with no idea who you were or where you were going. Now you’re named and kept for good by the Shepherd of your souls.” (1 Peter 2:25) We are healed because our Shepherd didn’t count the cost to see if He was willing to pay the price. I think that is what the parables in Luke’s Gospel mean about counting the cost of things, building a tower, or going against an enemy. It’s not about prudence but sacrifice. Jesus gave it all, having faith in his Father that it would win the day. Jesus didn’t count the cost. He trusted His Father to accomplish all that was promised.

And when in Acts we’re told, “They committed themselves,” (Acts 2:42) and that “They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God,” (46) we see they were looking first to Jesus, not counting what it would cost, but just living it.

It’s interesting in our Gospel reading this morning from John^[3] that in the first half of the passage Jesus tells, as it says, “as plainly as [he] can” of the shepherd and the sheep rustler. And the audience just doesn’t get it. So he tells another analogy saying, “[He’ll]be explicit”, of the Gate and the sheepfold. But in both analogies, Jesus states that His sheep will “follow because they are familiar with his voice.” And although he explained it twice, they just didn’t get it. In other words, the Good Shepherd called to them twice, and they didn’t recognize his voice.

This story from Acts of the early church is like that. We either get it or we don’t. What are we doing that is different from everybody else? What is different about what we as individuals are doing, about what we as a church are doing, that distinguishes us from any other person or organization? I used to say that if you want to be charitable, join the Legion, not the church, the Legion does a much better job of fundraising and donating. However, thanks to Andy and Ann and the Ukrainian Project, we may give them a run for the money.

The advantage we have, individually and as a church, is exactly what the early church held on to and what sustained our Lord Jesus. If we hear his voice in our hearts and minds, we “will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture.” (John 10:9) We will know that we have “more and better life than [we] ever dreamed of.” (10) We aren’t bound by our resources, only our faith that there is a need to be met and everything we need to meet is provided. What I indeed find amazing in this story is that they weren’t wringing their hands, scrimping and worrying about the budget and the ‘ways and means’ committee. They were “exuberant and joyful … every meal a celebration … as they praised God.” (Acts 2:46)

I think it was an extraordinary time. Because they had seen and heard what the Lord Jesus had done for them, it changed how they valued everything else in their life. “They committed themselves,” (42) and “[e]very day their number grew as God added those who were saved.” (47) They heard the Shepherd calling them by name, and they came. May we also listen, and hear, and come, “so [we] can have real and eternal life, more and better life than [we] ever dreamed of.” (John 10:10)

Amen