Abundance in Each Other: Acts 2:42-47

⁴²[The baptized] devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
  ⁴³Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. ⁴⁴All who believed were together and had all things in common; ⁴⁵they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. ⁴⁶Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, ⁴⁷praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. (NRSV)

Urban sheep (5) by Bernard Spragg. NZ. Creative commons image on flickr

Every week at Camp Lutherlyn begins with goodbyes:

§  Goodbye to parents and siblings

§  Goodbye to television and the comforts of home

§  And goodbye to your cell phones…

The third goodbye is always the most difficult for campers and their parents—because cellphones give campers 24-hour access to parents, social media, games, music, and everything else smartphones can provide.

The reason behind the rule is that camp is an opportunity to “live in the moment” in an “intentional Christian community.”   In time, the campers don’t miss their phones—because of the relationships they come to have with their fellow campers, their counselors, and most especially, Christ.

I can’t help but think of Lutherlyn as I hear the words of today’s first reading from the book of Acts.  Much of what happened at the birth of the Church happens at camp: teaching and fellowship; breaking of bread and prayers.  Young people’s lives are radically transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This kind of intentional community doesn’t just happen on its own—because it is certainly not reflected in the world we live in.

Just consider the meaning of the word abundance.  In America, abundance is wealth and power.  Yet wealth and power—along with poverty and powerlessness—can prove toxic to human relationships.

We see this all the time: There’s corporate greed putting people’s health and safety at risk or ruining the planet…  Our elected officials work harder to defeat their opponents and dominate the systems of government, rather than working collaboratively toward constructive solutions to our nation’s challenges.  People hate other people whom they believe are getting a free pass to the American dream that they themselves can’t have…  Then you have “entitled” people exploiting those are considered “below them.”  People who believe “the highest good” is “my highest good.”

Wealth and power are especially toxic to the church: Christians compete against one another for control or domination of the institution.  Factions form out of conflicting visions and values.  Outreach ministries die out of fear that people will mess up the building.  Strangers are rejected for being different.  Transformation is halted for fear of upsetting the status quo.

It bears keeping in mind that the intentional Christian community created at Pentecost didn’t just happen.  New believers had to open their homes to other new believers who had traveled long distances.  The generosity of a few provided food for the many.  New languages were spoken. And, when the new believers went home, the Christian faith continued to spread. 

When Christians devote themselves to teaching and fellowship, breaking of the bread and prayers, something amazing happens: Jesus comes alive.  Christian faith is nurtured and supported in relationships as needs are met and offenses are forgiven.  Abundance is no longer measured in terms of the size of your house or the amount of money in your bank account, but in the lives being shared. The relationships themselves reflect the salvation God gives in Jesus Christ. 

Because if you measure this church in terms of what you get out of it, you will eventually be disappointed.  Church is not a consumer good.  I hope and pray that you do receive comfort and encouragement here today.  But at the same time, the sum of blessing that you get still depends on the sum of blessing you’re willing to give away. 

The highest good we as a church must strive to achieve is the intentional Christian community of relationships that magnify Christ’s faithful love and care for all people, without exceptions.

Then, entitlement and resentment dissolve into humility and forgiveness.  Loneliness and alienation dissolve into inclusion and accompaniment.  Abundance is known not in material terms, but in terms of faith, hope, and love.  When God’s people dedicate themselves to teaching and fellowship, breaking of the bread and prayers, the Lord will add to the number of those being saved.