Sermons for the Month
To Be is to Belong
DATE: April 23rd, 2006
SERVICE: Second Sunday of Easter
TEXT: Acts 4:32-35 and John 20:19-31“To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN
I read this week about an African proverb that says, "To be is to belong". Or, it's sometimes stated this way, "To be human is to be in family" (or in relationship). That certainly is contrary to the way many Americans live; for many of us "to be is to do". We live in a culture that champions individuality and achievement. And, the technology of recent years has made it possible for people to become more and more isolated from one-on-one personal contact. In an article on this topic Mark Thomsen from the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago tells about his years teaching in Nigeria. He writes that it was immediately apparent that within African culture belonging and family had a priority. Individual interests were again and again subordinated to the well-being of the family and the community. Families made decisions about who should receive an education and for what vocation people should prepare in order to benefit the whole community. Students often came to seminary because their church and community had decided that was to be their vocation. Within the tribe, clan or family, persons had corporate responsibilities that took priority over personal desires. He says that there were times when it appeared that individual gifts and dreams were needlessly sacrificed. Yet…the solidarity within communities was impressive. (1) Many of us would struggle, as he did, with admiring the emphasis on community, and yet believing that looking out for oneself is the way to go. That's why the verses we read from Acts 4 today both attract and repel us. On the one hand we think it's charming that the first Christian community was of one heart and soul, and that they held everything in common, so that there was no needy person among them. On the other hand, it sounds just plain unrealistic and somehow unfair. If have land and a house that I've worked hard to own, why should I sell it to help support the person who has not put forth such effort? I mean, I'm willing to give a few dollars now and then, but to let go of private ownership for the sake of the community … come on…! Why, we might ask, would those early Christians be willing to do such a thing? Perhaps they understood what an advertisement in Sunday's Akron Beacon Journal was attempting to convey. I was watching for an ad of this type on Sunday since the company that placed it put a similar one in at Christmas. You may recall that ad; I mentioned it in worship one Sunday. It was a full page, white words printed on black that said, "It's a boy!" When I investigated it I learned that the parent company for Hobby Lobby stores places these full-page advertisements with a Christian message at Christmas and Easter. At the bottom is this message, "If you'd like to know more about Christ call, 1-888-NEED-HIM." Sunday's ad was a full page; this time black words were printed on a white page and it said, "You're to die for." Indeed, that's what Jesus did; he died for us, and of course was raised from death to life. I surmise that those first followers "got it". I mean they REALLY got it, so much so that they were willing to become a true share-everything community of faith. Their belief that God had raised Jesus from the dead made a difference to them. They could not help speaking about what they had seen and heard. (Acts 2:32) So, these uneducated and quite ordinary followers of Jesus - having been filled with the Holy Spirit - proclaimed their message with boldness. In Jerusalem converts joined the movement in huge groups, first 3,000 people, and then increasing to 5,000. (Acts 2:41, 4:4) The Jesus community was radical. Following their Lord's example they broke down social barriers of wealth, ethnic background, religion and gender. Walls that separated people and kept them in well-defined groups were destroyed. They were literally of one heart and one soul. And, they lived compassionately, making sure that everyone's needs were met. (2) I love one particular phrase in these verses. "Great grace was upon them all." I imagine that as being a circular effect - the grace of God that was poured out on them created grace among them and it just kept increasing. They had learned well from their Lord who exemplified radical love. Every year, on the Sunday after Easter, we read about what happened on that first Easter evening. The followers of Jesus are hiding behind locked doors; that morning they had seen the empty tomb and Mary Magdalene had encountered the resurrected Jesus. Yet, they are afraid, unsure of what will happen next. What happens is pure grace; Jesus entered in spite of the locked door and to these fearful, unbelieving, people he offers a word of peace - not just once, but twice. I think of it as his way of saying, "All is forgiven; receive my calming presence and the power to share this peace with the world." And the conveying of grace continues as Thomas, who was not present to receive the peace of the Lord and in spite of his outrageous demands to touch Jesus, is later offered that word of peace. "Thomas, let go of your doubt," Jesus might have said, receive my calming presence and the power to share this peace with the world." What was happening to them? Well, that African proverb was being fulfilled in their lives. "To be is to belong." They belonged to the family of believers, and that transformed them into people who not only were gifted with great grace but who shared it in very concrete ways - no one claimed private ownership of any possessions … with great power the apostles gave testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus … there was not a needy person among them …. Unfortunately the New Testament testifies to the fact that it was not long before the gift of belonging began to give way to the quest for individualism. But, the model had been created and we marvel at it. Could such a community ever exist again? People have certainly tried to make it happen - Catholic religious orders, the Shakers, base communities in Latin America - the list could go on and on. Such groups are often viewed as being extreme, out of touch with reality. But, here's a challenging question (I know it certainly challenges me). What if that reality is what God wants for us? If so, then how do we begin to incorporate the radical love of Jesus in our individualistic lives? It seems that the first step is to recognize exactly what that advertisement I mentioned proclaimed. We are to die for, and the death and resurrection of Jesus opens the door for us to belong to a community of believers upon whom great grace is being poured. In other words - to be (who we are created to be) is to belong. The second step is to acknowledge that grace is upon us. And the third step is to be motivated by it to be like those first followers, bold in proclaiming and generous in living. I don't suppose we'll ever hold everything in common, like they did. But, shouldn't we be different from those who are not covered by that grace? I read an essay this week by Dan Clendenin in which he quotes a professor who asks university students who grew up outside of the church to write an essay on their impression of Christians. The result is descriptions that are consistently negative - for example, Christians are self-righteous, judgmental and bigoted. (3) What's that about? Is that what was being said about that early Christian community? No it was not; in Acts 2 we read that the followers of Jesus "enjoyed the favor of all people." No doubt their radical love attracted people and made the Jesus community appealing rather than something to be avoided. Now that's something for us to consider, isn't it? Let me rewrite the proverb: To be people who love radically is to belong to Jesus, and to his family. If we take that seriously - we will become people of one heart and soul who are obviously covered by grace but also are pouring that grace onto our world. Through us people will come to realize that the message of that Easter advertisement applies to them, "You ARE to die for." AMEN (1) "Reflections on the Priority of Belonging" by Mark Thomsen, "Currents in Theology and Mission", August 2004, www.findarticles.com
(2) "Much Grace was with Them All: Our Distinctive Sign" by Dan Clendenin, "The Journey with Jesus: Notes to Myself", April 17, 2006, www.journeywithjesus.net
(3) Same as #2.
AMEN