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John Wesley: 18th century English pastor, reformer, and one of the founding fathers of Methodism, is quoted as saying,
“If I should die with more than ten pounds, may everyone call me a liar and a thief for I have betrayed the Gospel.”
This sentiment…this unease with the conflict, the hypocrisy, between the teachings of Jesus and modern living, especially as it relates to earthly wealth and community…has always been present within the Christian church since its nascent days.
Throughout the centuries various individuals and groups have sought out ways to live more intentionally in line with the teachings of Jesus as found in the Gospels.
Some of the early Christians created what we call monastic communities, where they formulated rules and expectations that would inspire individuals to faithful living; some of those values including manual labor, regular prayer and worship, sharing of possessions, and vows of poverty.
And this seeking to live one’s life more in line with the values of the Gospel continues to this day. Even as traditional monasteries still are flourishing around the world today, here within the United States a movement called “New Monasticism” has revived the quest for faithful living within Christian community, now with men and women wearing more contemporary t-shirts and jeans in place of hooded robes and sandals.
Themes of localized living, sharing of economic resources, hospitality, and creation care, continue to promote the values of Christian living, now for a modern day and age.
Still today, these communities embrace and celebrate the timeless aspirations of Christian living that have been shared over the past 2,000 years.
Confession: I have flirted with the idea of communal living at various points in my life.
There is something romantic about the idea of living beyond the distractions of modern-day life here in the United States, and devoting one’s entire life to God.
I read all sorts of books on the subject, including practitioners like St. Benedict, Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen, and Shane Claiborne.
I visited intentional communities like the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky, the Iona community in Scotland, and the Taizé community in France.
I remember falling into a rhythm of daily prayer, simple eating, and spirit-filled dialogue with Christians from around the world.
“Ah!” I said, “I can stay here forever!”
I also visited more local expressions of new monasticism in places like Chicago, Miami, and New Jersey.
I shared in communal meals with others from around the neighborhood; people of all different backgrounds and persuasions. The homeless and the wealthy, young and the old, gay and straight, black and white, sitting side by side in fellowship. We ate vegetables that were grown in neighbors’ backyards, meat that from nearby farms, and even food that was formerly considered trash by a grocery store giant. Deemed “expired” by one corporation, it was manna for those that feasted that night, including myself. Here we had modern-day Christians and seekers of God, genuinely striving to live in the way of the New Testament, right in the midst of 21st century America—how inspiring!
With each visit to these Spirit-filled places I felt the conflict of being pulled in both directions: a life of simplicity, contemplation, and prayer within intentional communal living on one hand, and “the real world” from which I came on the other.
Where is that place that I can live out my life, as a Christian, as my best self?
And maybe a more general question for us to wrestle with as a church:
What does it look like to live intentionally as a Christian community today?
Was John Wesley right? Are we called to depart from this earth only after giving away all of our earthly possessions?
In an age of lengthening lifespans and growing economic stress, is there anything really wrong with desiring financial stability for myself and my future generations?
What does it look like to live as a Christian today?
To function as a local church today?
This week we will move forward from the Pentecost celebration, as we now reflect on the church being called forward in faith: a new church, for a new day, as we continue with the book of Acts…of the Apostles…of the Holy Spirit.
Let’s get to the text.
We are reading today from Acts, chapter 4. Last week we celebrated the story of Pentecost. Since then, the Holy Spirit has been quite active throughout the book of Acts.
Three thousand people were converted on the day of Pentecost; the church was alive!
Peter and the other apostles went throughout the region healing and testifying to the risen Christ.
The religious authorities were fearful of this newfound power being wielded by the apostles, and threatened them to leave.
The apostles returned to the others, and prayed for the Spirit’s power once again.
31 When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4:31)
Today’s reading picks up as our author, Luke, reflects on some of the distinguishable characteristics of this new community.
We read that,
“…the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul…” (Acts 4:32a)
There was a tangible unity to this group of believers. I’m sure that there were disagreements from time to time, as any gathered community of humans is bound to experience,
but on the whole, this new church was characterized by its “team first” (or perhaps, more appropriately, “Jesus first”) attitude.
The author then mentions the themes of property and possessions in this text. We are invited to recount Luke’s Gospel as he told several parables of Jesus that included such themes as well: that of the foolish rich man (Luke 12:13-21), the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), and the rich young ruler (Luke 18:18-25) as examples.
The account here in chapter 4 tells a story of the new Christian community living uniquely from the rest of society, as a concern for the poor among them was evident, a disregard for earthly wealth was communicated, and an urgency for God’s kingdom to be revealed was celebrated.
Our author will even go so far in chapter 5 as to tell a story of a couple who dropped dead after being dishonest about their wealth and withholding proceeds from a property sale from the faith community.
Barnabus, formerly Joseph of Cyprus, is heralded as an example of this new livelihood, as he sells his property and offers the proceeds to the needs of the new church, and then devotes his life to supporting the apostles throughout the remainder of this book.
So what are we to take away this morning from this brief, perhaps idealistic, description of early Christian community?
What I see most clearly displayed from our author today following the Pentecost story is a faith community defined by new values, mission, and vision.
We are called to live into the foundations of who we are as a community of faith, and so our good news is foundational as well.
The good news for us today: God calls us as a new church, empowered by the Spirit, to a new identity celebrating the power and grace of God in Jesus Christ.
And we are called to formulate this new identity by clarifying our “why” of existence.
Why do we as a faith community exist today?
Why do we individually live the lives we do?
I wonder, First Presbyterian, what values should direct and guide us in the days ahead?
What mission might we proclaim that distinguishes this church for ministry here within the Staunton community?
What vision might we share with our children and grandchildren, so that they may be invited to partake in God’s plans for future generations?
We don’t have to form a monastery in order to live in faithfulness (although that could be really interesting…).
We don’t need to immediately give away our endowment and all of our finances in order to consider ourselves faithful disciples.
I’m not even asking you to sell your home or car and donate the proceeds to the church!
However, the tougher aspiration remains: what do we stand for today as followers of Christ?
Are we a welcoming, loving congregation? Or are we just welcoming and loving to those who look like us, who sound like us, and who we are comfortable with?
What would it look like for First Presbyterian to articulate a mission to intentionally reach out to all peoples, all segments of society, all ages, races, sexualities, orientations, ethnicities, and abilities, and to formally invite them into the life of this Christian community in the name of Jesus Christ?
What would it look like to come up with different strategies for how we think of and use this church campus? How can this property and these buildings become a blessing to others within this community so that our vision of God’s kingdom may be exhibited?
What would it look like for First Presbyterian to articulate Christian values in how we steward our finances and our financial assets? How do we understand personal and congregational stewardship of our time, talents, and treasures in today’s economy of disparity?
The practical answers may not be apparent to us as individuals right in this moment, or to this congregation at this time.
But how about we start small today?
Today I invite you to take one step toward realizing our vision as a Christian community in the world today.
What can that look like for you?
Again, I’m not asking for monastic vows, but what one small thing you can do today to help bring about God’s kingdom today?
If Christian communities have taught us anything over the last 2,000 years, it’s that we as humans are far from perfect.
But if we stick with it, day by day, year by year, generation by generation, one day we can look back and see just how far we have come along as followers of the risen Christ.
In the words of the Presbyterian tradition:
Ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda secundum verbum Dei,
“The church reformed, always to be reformed according to the Word of God” in the power of the Spirit.
Friends, the Holy Spirit is alive and well!
We give thanks to God who blesses us with mercy and grace in community, even as we sometimes confuse our values, get distracted, or simply get it wrong from time to time.
We give thanks to Jesus, who now risen, continues to inspire our hearts to love and embrace all people, especially the imperfect people in our lives, people like us, as we seek to live into Christian community together.
We give thanks to the Holy Spirit, continually challenging our minds and our hearts, transforming our wills and our desires, as we are led in faith to realize God’s kingdom together.
Rev. Dr. Jeff Binder 