Service sheet, with readings and hymn suggestions
What is your ideal life? If you could describe a life that to you would be idyllic — in other words, ideal, perfect — how would you describe it? Would it be like you are living now, in the midst of Covid-19? Maybe a few adjustments, but substantially the same? Or would it be completely opposite to how you are having to live right now? Would it be the way you were living before Covid-19 descended upon us all?
Or would it be something completely different? Maybe some elements from before, some elements from now, but substantially different.
And now, I’ll broaden the question out a bit. If you are listening to this, then theoretically you are part of one of our four parishes, or perhaps belong to another church. To you, what would be the ideal life for your church?
I ask these questions because of our first reading this morning, from the Acts of the Apostles. Remember when this takes place: It is in the very early days of the Church, not long after Jesus has been resurrected, not long after his ascension into heaven and the coming of the Holy Spirit on the disciples. They are now apostles, spreading the message about Christ. And one of them, Peter, gives a speech about Jesus, and Acts tells us that on that day about 3,000 souls were baptized and were added to the number of believers in Christ, which before this had been about 120.
And then we hear a description of these first believers, in the passage for today. It sounds idyllic, perfect. I have always liked this passage because it says in just a few sentences what is important, even essential, about being a Christian.
First we hear that the people “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”
Four things: learning the teaching about Jesus; having fellowship with one another — being sociable together; worshipping together; and praying. These four things are so important that this line from Acts is taken wholesale into the promises of baptism. When we renew our baptismal promises, we are asked: “Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?” And we answer, “With the help of God, I will.” Teaching, fellowship, worship, and prayer. We struggle these days with fellowship and worship, in the midst of a lockdown, but we are finding ways to do them, because they truly are important.
But Acts goes on with more descriptions of those first believers.
The apostles do signs and wonders. That means the power of Christ comes upon them to do wondrous things — often healing.
The people shared their possessions and their goods with one another, so that no one had any need.
The people spent time together, both in worship and in eating together, and they praised God.
And all these things that happened among the people meant that their numbers increased. Acts tells us, “And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.”
It reminds me of something I have heard from several different teachers over the years, that what made the Church grow, what made people follow Jesus, was how those early Christians treated one another. In a world that believed that if you were sick, God did not love you, Christians said, that’s wrong, and instead they prayed for the sick. In a world that was harsh and indifferent, Christians said Jesus is like a shepherd, who cares for us and guides us. Those early Christians offered people something totally different from what the world around them offered. They went about with glad and generous hearts, offering love, care, healing, and fellowship.
I am reminded of a song that perhaps you know, which I encountered sometime when I was in seminary, called “They’ll know we are Christians by our love.” If you look at the service sheet, you’ll see a link to a recording of this on YouTube by the band Jars of Clay. I had a history professor in seminary who said this is exactly what made people become Christians: they saw how those early Christians treated one another and they wanted to be part of it.
Now we might say, oh, this is just some ideal. We might say, life is more complicated these days. We might say, as some do, those signs and wonders that happened then, they certainly don’t happen now. But that is wrong; I have seen such things happen. And mind you, it was not an ideal time for those early Christians. They lived in the midst of uncertainty and persecution. As their numbers grew, they had to figure out how to adapt in the different towns and countries where they went. It was dangerous to be a Christian, but people did it anyway, because their life was transformed.
Acts mentions something else. You could say it even sums up the rest. It says, “Awe came upon everyone.”
Awe. It’s a feeling of respect and wonder, perhaps tinged with a little fear, because we don’t quite know how something happens. People were amazed by what was happening among the apostles, among those early followers of Christ. Life was completely different among these people. Despite the danger of being a Christian, despite the seeming craziness of what these Christians taught — God became a human being, was put to death on a cross, but was resurrected from the dead and brings new life to those who believe in him — despite all this, there was no mistaking that the power of Almighty God came among them and brought about signs and wonders, and glad and generous hearts, and indeed a complete change in life. And that is just awesome.
An ancient sage, from a different part of the world, once wrote that disaster comes upon a people when they lose a sense of awe. We need to notice the awesome and awe-inspiring things around us: not just the birds singing and the sun making things grow again, as lovely and awesome as these are. But also to know and be assured that the power of God still can and does come among us, that Christ is still capable of changing, even transforming, our lives, and that Christians are still capable through God’s power working in us of being known by how we treat one another.