What Is Our City?
Sermon
Sermons on the First Readings
Series III, Cycle B
Object:
In the text from Acts 4, we get a glimpse of life in the Christian community after the resurrection event. The text offers some answers to the question of T.S. Eliot:
When the Stranger says: "What is the meaning of this city?
Do you huddle close together because you love each other?"
What will you answer? "We all dwell together
To make money from each other"? or "This is a community"?1
What makes the church community different from other communities?
In the first place, we read that "... the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus ..." (v. 33). Luke's mention of the testimony of the apostles recalls the earlier testimony of Paul himself in his first letter to the Corinthians, which he was passing on the message about the good news that he had already received from fellow apostles (1 Corinthians 15:1-2). If the scholars are right, the description of the community provided by Luke in Acts 4 was of a community harboring apostles proclaiming the good news perhaps twenty years after Paul proclaimed his good news to the Corinthians. And Paul said that he was somewhat late in the chain of communications. Here we see evidence of a tradition already perhaps three or four decades in place. The leaders of the Christian communities recognized that their job was to keep proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus. The implication is that the early church communities shared the earmark of resurrection proclamation!
This suggests that there is some credence to the claims of some Christian communities today that they possess an "apostolic succession" of one kind or another. Most Protestants today reject such lists of bishops or church leaders that trace the proclamation of the good news physically from one leader to another backward all the way to Peter, but all Christians agree that one mark of the continuity of the Christian church is the faithful passing on of the apostolic good news that "He is risen! He is risen indeed!"
Four great ecumenical councils beginning with the one in Nicaea in 325 and ending in Chalcedon in 451 went to a great deal of effort to dot the "i's" and cross the "t's" of the good news, just to make sure that the succession of teachers in the church would keep it straight. The early church adopted Sunday as its day of worship in order to keep the resurrection event at the center of the story of Jesus.
A young American student at the University of Heidelberg in Germany was discussing theology in one of the local student taverns one evening with two German students who attacked his naive take on scriptural witness. How could he possibly believe in the resurrection of Jesus? A few days later, the American learned that one of his good friends, whose father was a church superintendent, also rejected the resurrection. The friend was committed to a career as a pastor in order to promote social causes. The American was rattled. Didn't Saint Paul say once that faith is futile without the resurrection component? (1 Corinthians 15:17-19).
The American embarked upon a mission to read up on all the latest scholarly German commentaries on the five accounts of the resurrection (the end of the four gospels and 1 Corinthians 15). He discovered that his friends had not done the same and had not, for example, read the latest material written by Wolfhart Pannenberg, the popular New Testament scholar who advocated the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus. Pannenberg and other contemporary scholars applied the tools of historical research in their examination of the resurrection accounts and concluded, "If Washington crossed the Delaware to surprise the Hessians at Trenton on Christmas Day night, then Jesus was also raised from the dead!"
Providentially, the chain of gospel delivery has not been broken, thanks to leaders like Augustine (who battled the heresies), Pope Gregory the Great (who sent missionaries to Britain and Ireland), Benedictus XI (who returned the church to Trinitarian teaching in 1305), Martin Luther, the Wesley Brothers, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. However, most of us did not sit at the feet of any of those stars. We received the message passed on in catechisms, hymns, liturgies, and prayers. More likely, we received it from parents, Sunday school teachers, pastors, priests, or college professors. Whether born and raised in a church community or grafted in later in life, we went into the community through the door of faith. In spite of the weaknesses and foibles of human vessels, we caught the vision of a glorious, life-changing assertion, that Jesus died on the cross for us and was raised from the dead to lead us as well into a glorious future. That future (and present) is already accessible and at hand in the community of believers where testimony to the resurrection of Lord Jesus is given.
Actually, the power and vitality of the church can only be at maximum strength when the message of the church is about the resurrection. A member of a church in Michigan enjoyed the frequent company of his pastor at his home in the evenings. He loved to talk religion but he didn't waste the pastor's time talking about the resurrection. He initiated serious discussion about the height of candles in the sanctuary and the protocol dealing with the most holy sacred lighting of them by the acolytes. He was annoyed when the congregation called a new assistant pastor who was shorter than the senior pastor. It just didn't look right! That was his religion. It was a poor substitute. If the early community mentioned in Acts 4 talked about candle height or proper vestments or a church building drive, it's not noted. We do know that the "apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus" (v. 33).
What makes the church community different from other communities? The Christian community is the place where resources and gifts are shared. "No one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common" (v. 32). Furthermore, they sold their lands and houses and "laid (the proceeds) at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need" (v. 35).
In an American capitalist society, it might be considered a bit radical to cash in one's equity and bring the money to the church council for distribution. But there are models. We think about the Amish communities, the Kibbutz communities of Israel, Native American communities, and cults (dangerous or not).
Few congregations, if any, are communal. There are many congregations that enjoy an attitude of sharing: hot dishes delivered to the doors of the ill, trucks pull up when someone needs help with a move, younger parishioners transport the elderly to the supermarket or to the physician's office, benevolence dollars are distributed to the local and national churches to feed the hungry and provide homes for the homeless and the abused. The spirit of sharing is alive and well in many parishes and congregations.
Few congregations are like the small church upon which a lot of oil was discovered. As the money rolled in, the forty members attended a special meeting to decide what to do. Deacon Brown made a motion that the money be divided equally among the forty members and, "furthermore," he suggested, "I move that no new members be taken in."
The embryo church of Acts 4 took to heart the new command of Jesus, "that you love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35). There are Christian communities who place the greatest emphasis on saving souls, and rightly so. But the decision of the penitent to accept Jesus as one's Lord and Savior is a decision to accept his call to discipleship. Step one: Accept Jesus as Savior. Step two: Go forth to serve in his name. You can't have one without the other. The many sales of Rick Warren's book, The Purpose-Driven Life, prove that many people are searching for purpose and meaning in their lives.
For Christians, the purpose-driven life is the life that is given to Jesus who said, "Take up your cross and follow me" (Matthew 16:24). It is troubling that it sometimes appears that leaders of megachurches seem to imply that big churches are an expression of the "real" church because of the great numbers of "members" who worship there. One thinks about pastors and priests serving in small rural churches where spectacular numerical growth is not possible. The "glory" of the church is not large edifices with the best sound and lighting technology, but it is the loving and the sharing and the sacrifice of the community of faith. The church that follows the model of Acts 4 is the church that shares and serves, and that means more than giving out a few turkeys at Thanksgiving. A beloved Catholic priest in the Detroit area always ended his visits with an admonition, "Remember to pray for the poor." His parish also gave to the poor. Charity begins at home. It's not surprising that congregations that share their collective good fortune with each other also have impressive ministries to those outside their doors, in their neighborhoods and beyond.
The community model embedded in Acts 4 stood on the two pillars of proclamation and loving one another. There is a small congregation in eastern Arizona in a mining town that saw its glory days pass about a half-century ago. The parish has about 125 members and there are usually at least 125 people at Sunday services. When the pastor announces that the choir will sing, about half of the congregation stands up and approaches the altar. When the offering looks a little meager, the president of the congregation stands up and tells the ushers to pass the plate again. Closing prayers are long and detailed and cover those facing surgery to those who are worried about the kids to those who are about to go on a trip. The "refreshments" after the service include cakes, sandwiches, hot dishes, meatballs, gelatin dishes, and several kinds of beverages. In other words, it's a Sunday lunch and it's time to visit with one another and catch up on the latest happenings within the community. If someone should mention that they resemble the community described in Acts 4, they would be embarrassed. What if a stranger would confront the people? "What is the meaning of this city? Do you huddle close together because you love each other? Or do you dwell together to make money from each other?" The people in that community would say, "There's not much money to make from each other. We just enjoy each other's company. We share our mutual woes and joys. And by the way ... we meet up there on the ridge at 5 a.m. to greet the Son on Easter morning."
That community is an Easter community. It is a sharing community. Enough said. Amen.
_____________
1. T.S. Eliot, "Choruses from 'The Rock,' " The Complete Poems and Plays (New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., 1952), p. 103.
When the Stranger says: "What is the meaning of this city?
Do you huddle close together because you love each other?"
What will you answer? "We all dwell together
To make money from each other"? or "This is a community"?1
What makes the church community different from other communities?
In the first place, we read that "... the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus ..." (v. 33). Luke's mention of the testimony of the apostles recalls the earlier testimony of Paul himself in his first letter to the Corinthians, which he was passing on the message about the good news that he had already received from fellow apostles (1 Corinthians 15:1-2). If the scholars are right, the description of the community provided by Luke in Acts 4 was of a community harboring apostles proclaiming the good news perhaps twenty years after Paul proclaimed his good news to the Corinthians. And Paul said that he was somewhat late in the chain of communications. Here we see evidence of a tradition already perhaps three or four decades in place. The leaders of the Christian communities recognized that their job was to keep proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus. The implication is that the early church communities shared the earmark of resurrection proclamation!
This suggests that there is some credence to the claims of some Christian communities today that they possess an "apostolic succession" of one kind or another. Most Protestants today reject such lists of bishops or church leaders that trace the proclamation of the good news physically from one leader to another backward all the way to Peter, but all Christians agree that one mark of the continuity of the Christian church is the faithful passing on of the apostolic good news that "He is risen! He is risen indeed!"
Four great ecumenical councils beginning with the one in Nicaea in 325 and ending in Chalcedon in 451 went to a great deal of effort to dot the "i's" and cross the "t's" of the good news, just to make sure that the succession of teachers in the church would keep it straight. The early church adopted Sunday as its day of worship in order to keep the resurrection event at the center of the story of Jesus.
A young American student at the University of Heidelberg in Germany was discussing theology in one of the local student taverns one evening with two German students who attacked his naive take on scriptural witness. How could he possibly believe in the resurrection of Jesus? A few days later, the American learned that one of his good friends, whose father was a church superintendent, also rejected the resurrection. The friend was committed to a career as a pastor in order to promote social causes. The American was rattled. Didn't Saint Paul say once that faith is futile without the resurrection component? (1 Corinthians 15:17-19).
The American embarked upon a mission to read up on all the latest scholarly German commentaries on the five accounts of the resurrection (the end of the four gospels and 1 Corinthians 15). He discovered that his friends had not done the same and had not, for example, read the latest material written by Wolfhart Pannenberg, the popular New Testament scholar who advocated the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus. Pannenberg and other contemporary scholars applied the tools of historical research in their examination of the resurrection accounts and concluded, "If Washington crossed the Delaware to surprise the Hessians at Trenton on Christmas Day night, then Jesus was also raised from the dead!"
Providentially, the chain of gospel delivery has not been broken, thanks to leaders like Augustine (who battled the heresies), Pope Gregory the Great (who sent missionaries to Britain and Ireland), Benedictus XI (who returned the church to Trinitarian teaching in 1305), Martin Luther, the Wesley Brothers, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. However, most of us did not sit at the feet of any of those stars. We received the message passed on in catechisms, hymns, liturgies, and prayers. More likely, we received it from parents, Sunday school teachers, pastors, priests, or college professors. Whether born and raised in a church community or grafted in later in life, we went into the community through the door of faith. In spite of the weaknesses and foibles of human vessels, we caught the vision of a glorious, life-changing assertion, that Jesus died on the cross for us and was raised from the dead to lead us as well into a glorious future. That future (and present) is already accessible and at hand in the community of believers where testimony to the resurrection of Lord Jesus is given.
Actually, the power and vitality of the church can only be at maximum strength when the message of the church is about the resurrection. A member of a church in Michigan enjoyed the frequent company of his pastor at his home in the evenings. He loved to talk religion but he didn't waste the pastor's time talking about the resurrection. He initiated serious discussion about the height of candles in the sanctuary and the protocol dealing with the most holy sacred lighting of them by the acolytes. He was annoyed when the congregation called a new assistant pastor who was shorter than the senior pastor. It just didn't look right! That was his religion. It was a poor substitute. If the early community mentioned in Acts 4 talked about candle height or proper vestments or a church building drive, it's not noted. We do know that the "apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus" (v. 33).
What makes the church community different from other communities? The Christian community is the place where resources and gifts are shared. "No one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common" (v. 32). Furthermore, they sold their lands and houses and "laid (the proceeds) at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need" (v. 35).
In an American capitalist society, it might be considered a bit radical to cash in one's equity and bring the money to the church council for distribution. But there are models. We think about the Amish communities, the Kibbutz communities of Israel, Native American communities, and cults (dangerous or not).
Few congregations, if any, are communal. There are many congregations that enjoy an attitude of sharing: hot dishes delivered to the doors of the ill, trucks pull up when someone needs help with a move, younger parishioners transport the elderly to the supermarket or to the physician's office, benevolence dollars are distributed to the local and national churches to feed the hungry and provide homes for the homeless and the abused. The spirit of sharing is alive and well in many parishes and congregations.
Few congregations are like the small church upon which a lot of oil was discovered. As the money rolled in, the forty members attended a special meeting to decide what to do. Deacon Brown made a motion that the money be divided equally among the forty members and, "furthermore," he suggested, "I move that no new members be taken in."
The embryo church of Acts 4 took to heart the new command of Jesus, "that you love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35). There are Christian communities who place the greatest emphasis on saving souls, and rightly so. But the decision of the penitent to accept Jesus as one's Lord and Savior is a decision to accept his call to discipleship. Step one: Accept Jesus as Savior. Step two: Go forth to serve in his name. You can't have one without the other. The many sales of Rick Warren's book, The Purpose-Driven Life, prove that many people are searching for purpose and meaning in their lives.
For Christians, the purpose-driven life is the life that is given to Jesus who said, "Take up your cross and follow me" (Matthew 16:24). It is troubling that it sometimes appears that leaders of megachurches seem to imply that big churches are an expression of the "real" church because of the great numbers of "members" who worship there. One thinks about pastors and priests serving in small rural churches where spectacular numerical growth is not possible. The "glory" of the church is not large edifices with the best sound and lighting technology, but it is the loving and the sharing and the sacrifice of the community of faith. The church that follows the model of Acts 4 is the church that shares and serves, and that means more than giving out a few turkeys at Thanksgiving. A beloved Catholic priest in the Detroit area always ended his visits with an admonition, "Remember to pray for the poor." His parish also gave to the poor. Charity begins at home. It's not surprising that congregations that share their collective good fortune with each other also have impressive ministries to those outside their doors, in their neighborhoods and beyond.
The community model embedded in Acts 4 stood on the two pillars of proclamation and loving one another. There is a small congregation in eastern Arizona in a mining town that saw its glory days pass about a half-century ago. The parish has about 125 members and there are usually at least 125 people at Sunday services. When the pastor announces that the choir will sing, about half of the congregation stands up and approaches the altar. When the offering looks a little meager, the president of the congregation stands up and tells the ushers to pass the plate again. Closing prayers are long and detailed and cover those facing surgery to those who are worried about the kids to those who are about to go on a trip. The "refreshments" after the service include cakes, sandwiches, hot dishes, meatballs, gelatin dishes, and several kinds of beverages. In other words, it's a Sunday lunch and it's time to visit with one another and catch up on the latest happenings within the community. If someone should mention that they resemble the community described in Acts 4, they would be embarrassed. What if a stranger would confront the people? "What is the meaning of this city? Do you huddle close together because you love each other? Or do you dwell together to make money from each other?" The people in that community would say, "There's not much money to make from each other. We just enjoy each other's company. We share our mutual woes and joys. And by the way ... we meet up there on the ridge at 5 a.m. to greet the Son on Easter morning."
That community is an Easter community. It is a sharing community. Enough said. Amen.
_____________
1. T.S. Eliot, "Choruses from 'The Rock,' " The Complete Poems and Plays (New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., 1952), p. 103.
