Throughout the season of Easter, our first reading will come not from the Hebrew Bible, but rather from the book of Acts. Acts, sometimes called “Acts of the Apostles”, is found directly after the gospels in the New Testament. It continues the narrative of the Gospel of Luke, in particular, and tells the story of the fledgling early Church after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension. Empowered by the Holy Spirit and aided by the missionary work of Peter, Paul, and others, the small group of Jewish believers who first gathered in Jerusalem soon expanded into a larger movement of both Jews and Gentiles, in Jerusalem and far beyond.
Acts begins with the ascension of Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, which are both stories we hear each year at the end of the Easter season. Following those big, memorable events, though, is the often less exciting but nonetheless necessary work of building the community. What will the presence of the Holy Spirit actually mean for their life together? Will they be able to come together as equals, even though they have different levels of wealth and status and ability? What kinds of activities will be the focal point of their life in community?
From the few verses we heard this morning, we learn that mutuality and care for the most vulnerable among them were priorities for this community of early Christians. Hear again these words from Acts 4: “Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.”
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In the face of a culture that attached honor and status to wealth and one’s ability to offer favors to others, the early believers were committed to a different kind of lifestyle. Rather than focus on their individual wealth and status, the believers were “of one heart and soul”. No one was needy, because everyone shared what they had.
It can be off-putting to hear about this model of communal living, embedded as we are in such an individualistic culture. From our homes to our transportation to our possessions, we often prefer the convenience and certainty of having our own space and relying on ourselves, rather than utilizing more communal arrangements. There is, however, a growing movement towards minimalism and a sharing economy. These shifts are spurred on in part by the recognition of the damage done to our planet by unchecked consumerism, as well as the awareness of how deeply important community and relationships are for our mental, physical, and spiritual well-being.
What the early believers found, and what we also know to be true, is that we cannot do this alone. Self-sufficiency is a myth. We were created to be in relationship - with God, with one another, and with creation. Status and hierarchies and wielding power over others has no place in the kingdom of God. We cannot flourish when others are suffering, because we belong to each other in Christ.
Of course, none of this is easy. Sin turns our gaze inward, and we are easily caught up in the desire to ensure our own comfort and perceived needs, often at the expense of the whole community. In the verses that follow this selection from Acts, the story of Ananias and Sapphira illustrates the human heart’s inclination toward dishonesty and selfishness, and the painful consequences of those choices.
Even so, the presence of the Holy Spirit is transformative for this community of early believers, and it is for us, too. It is by the grace of God and the power of Jesus’ resurrection that we are joined together into one body in Christ. We belong to each other, and we share one heart and soul, because we all belong to God.
Like the early believers, we, too, have the opportunity to engage in the work of building a community. So much has changed over the past year, and as we get closer to being able to regularly worship in person again, it is my hope that we can be in conversation about what we want our life together to look like.
How will the things we’ve experienced over the last year shape our community? What aspects of our life together are essential? What might change about how we worship, and how we care for one another? What might we hand over control of in order to create an equitable, thriving community? What will be our testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and where might we look for the great grace that is upon us all?
As we listen and reflect and share in this time of uncertainty and opportunity, we give thanks for the resurrection of Jesus, which makes possible a new kind of life together. As it was for the earliest Christians, this life is not without difficulty or heartache. But whatever may come, we rejoice in a God who is faithful, a God who has joined us together as one, a God who breathes peace on us, and a God who is with us always.
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