1 2 nd Sunday after Trinity 25 th June 2017

Transcription

1 1 2 nd Sunday after Trinity 25 th June 2017 RIVERS OF JUSTICE Sharing what we have Acts , A Frenchman, an Englishman, an American man, and a lawyer were sitting on a train. The Frenchman offered everyone some of his baguette, then threw it out the window, saying, "Don't worry - we have plenty of those where I come from." The Englishman offered everyone a crumpet, then threw the rest out of the window, saying, "Don't worry - we have plenty of those where I come from." Then the American threw the lawyer out the window, saying...

2 And the link today is sharing what we have. 2 PRAY Luke the writer both of the Gospel and the Book of Acts begins Acts recording some extraordinary events. Jesus Ascension, the disciples picking Matthias to take Judas place among the apostles, the wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit; then the Day of Pentecost itself with tongues of fire, a rushing wind, tongues of other languages, Peter s speech to the crowd and 3000 people coming to faith. It s a breathless narrative which then culminates in a remarkable paragraph about the early church.

3 3 Acts 2 v42 is often described as the text which lays down the so-called 4 marks of what it is to be church: Teaching Fellowship - the common life of the believers Breaking of bread Prayers. These 4 marks go together and you cannot leave one out without damage to the whole church.

4 4 Imagine a church where no attention is given to teaching and lifelong Christian learning people would end up living lives shaped by the surrounding culture and whatever views they found most persuasive. Sadly we see this in many of the liberal churches of the western church and unsurprisingly such churches don t really grow. Imagine a church without communion we d lose sight of the centrality of Jesus death and resurrection to our faith. Imagine what a church without prayer looks like we d be haring around just doing the latest whim of the most influential leader rather than being the people who seek to bring Christ s Kingdom to birth here Thy Kingdom come people. If one mark is missing the whole church is damaged...

5 5 I m sure we all accept this but what about a church where fellowship the common life of the believers is ignored. Well that leads to people feeling isolated and finding it difficult to sustain a living faith. Sharing life matters. FELLOWSHIP Without a shared life, people feel isolated and find it difficult to sustain a living faith... Archdeacon Fiona asked our Church Committee in June 2015 what we did for fun at St. Mark s to build community. A good question we spoke about stoolball (are you coming today?), harvest supper/barndance, quiz night, community fun day, the ladies and men s ministries, but still I feel we have too many people feeling isolated at St. Mark s. Without shared life our faith gradually dwindles, like a coal plucked from a roaring fire quickly ceases to glow. How ironic it is

6 6 then that the first thing so many people do when they are struggling with their faith is remove themselves from fellowship and then find unsurprisingly their faith lacks even more life... When we are struggling in our faith to remove ourselves from fellowship only makes it harder as we lose the glow... Christians often speak of this section from Acts 2&4 as a model for how church should be and they are right. But they draw attention to it not for the teaching or communion or prayer, but the shared lives of the disciples.

7 ACTS 2 & 4 Church... 7 How appealing this life sounds, how vibrant. And it was and still is in many parts of the world where Christians live like this. But can we really live like this? Sharing what we have? Often in churches, though thankfully rarely here, I have heard people say that s my pew, my seat please could you move.

8 8 In the comfy west we are used to having my place, my seat, my food, my house, my car, my space... because we can afford to live like that. But that s not how the early church was. In v44 we are told the believers had everything in common, living as a single family....brothers and sisters in Christ... No wonder they referred to each other as brothers and sisters in Christ for that is how they lived. I love to use this language at St. Mark s because it is the biblical way Paul describes the Christian family that is church, but the way we live can render use of the family language hollow. Most western Christians are too selfsufficient, but those early poorer believers lived very

9 9 differently. They worked on the basis of a common purse selling possessions and property they didn t need, to provide for those in need. This bears closer examination. In Jewish society, and remember virtually all the Christians at that stage were Jewish, property had great significance, because ancestral heritage was seen as part of God s promised inheritance. So to sell property was a huge deal. It is worth pointing out that they weren t selling necessarily the family home, as v46 refers to the believers breaking bread in their homes, Property, as ancestral heritage, was seen as part of God s promised inheritance......but as v46 refers to breaking bread in their homes... it is likely only second homes were sold... but they were selling off their equivalents of people s second homes, holiday homes, caravans, annexes

10 10 etc... to provide for those Christians in need. In Acts 4 v34 we are told that this behaviour meant that there were no needy people among them. Wow! That is incredible. The early Christians had a word for this way of ordering their lives. It s a word often applied today to how we feel inside, but they used for what you do with your possessions when you are part of a big extended Christian family agape. We translate agape merely as love, but the early church saw agape as the highest form of love and charity - "the love of God for man and of man for God which embraces a universal, unconditional love that transcends, that persists regardless of circumstance.

11 There were no needy people among them. Acts agape - the love of God for man and of man for God which embraces a universal, unconditional love that transcends and persists regardless of circumstance... In 1Thess we see this in action: Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love (agape) each other. And in fact, you do love (agape) all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more. Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love (agape) each other. And in fact you do love (agape) all the brothers... Yet we urge you brothers to do so more and more... 1Thess

12 12 Tom Wright says: when Paul tells the Thessalonians, that, since they already love one another, they must do so more and more, he doesn t mean that since they have warm feelings for one another, they must have even warmer ones. He means that, since they already care practically for one another, they must work at making that more and more of a reality. he means, that since they already care practically for one another, they must work at making that more and more of a reality. Paul wanted the Christians in Thessalonica to take seriously the call to love God with all they had and their neighbours as themselves. I ve got 2 thoughts on this. The first is that in our church in a relatively well off part of the country, I believe it would be scandalous for there to be truly

13 13 needy people in our congregations. If there are people who are financially struggling, we should help them. Two challenges from the passage: 1.There should be no needy people in our congregations... You might say what about those who've got into debt through poor lifestyle choices well surely we d help them too, both in their struggles and to choose more wisely in future. We should help all in need. If you know anyone in need connected to St. Mark s please do let me know. I don t want anyone here going without when so many of us have so much. If you need help please tell me, tell others. We can help.

14 14 My second thought is about the things we have we don t need to have 24/7. I have in my garage a lawn mower which I use perhaps 10 times a year that s perhaps for 30 hours, less than one day a year. I have a really posh hedge trimmer I might use perhaps for 5 hours in total a year. On other occasions both these tools sit gathering dust in my garage. What a waste. And I reckon most of us have items like that or multiple gadgets we don t use spare vacuum cleaners, kettles, TVs, computers, perhaps even cars... In our time here at St. Mark s my family have been blessed many times by people giving us things. A microwave, a colour printer, a computer desk, a lockable filing cabinet... and the blessing hasn t just been ours, as I know how much it encourages those who can give. And the great thing about this is that giving and receiving support in this way grows the love (agape) between us.

15 2. What do you own that you don t use frequently and you could share out? All we have comes from God so can we use our possessions to help others? 15 The early church knew the truth that all we have comes from God He gives us the gifts and skills to earn the money that enables us to buy what we have. So what could you and I give of our own, out of the blessing God has given us, to help others? The early church s practice of love and care was clear and definite, and it was achieved through being one in heart and mind (Acts 4.32), being ready to regard each other s needs as one s own. And what they did with their money and possessions declared loudly to their world what sort of a community they were. The Romans hated the Christians proclaiming Jesus as Lord, but as the contemporary historian and Christian

16 16 Tertullian wrote, they noticed the counter-cultural and attractive ways in which the Christians lived. He wrote how they would exclaim, See how they love one another! All the believers were one in heart and mind (Acts 4.32) and it was noticed by the community... Tertullian writing about the Christians said: See how they love one another! You see when people stop clinging to everything they can get, but instead start sharing possessions and giving things away, there is an attractiveness and energy about lives which celebrate God s generosity by being generous themselves. An attractiveness and other-worldliness which still draws others in.

17 There is an attractiveness and energy about lives which celebrate God s generosity by being generous themselves. 17 Holbrook Heart Cafe is a case in point where I have heard many times of overheard conversations about this free cafe why do they do it? The way we live and support and encourage one another leaves a huge impact we are watched as a community. I want to close this morning s talk with Luke s illustration of the Levite called Joseph who sold a field and gave the money to the apostles. On the face of it he acted like many other of the wealthier Christians, so why single him out? Well Joseph was renamed by the apostles Barnabas, meaning son of encouragement, and this was indeed the Barnabas who will in time take Paul under his wing as his

18 18 understudy and later support Paul in his missionary work. Acts A special case of sharing... Joseph was renamed Barnabas (son of encouragement) the Barnabas who supported and encouraged Paul and who inspired the church community in service... This man who was courageous in supporting Paul in the early days (Acts 9.27; ) was first and foremost a servant to the community, one whose example of faith and life inspired and encouraged his brothers and sisters in their faith. Without Barnabas, Paul is unlikely to have become the apostle he was, the Gospel may well not have spread as quickly as it did, and half our New Testament would disappear.

19 19 Who are our Barnabas at St. Mark s? Is God calling you to be an encourager of others through your commitment to people? As a church we serve in many ways, but where do you and I individually share in the common life of the believers here in Holbrook? Is there anyone amongst us who needs help? Is there anyone in need? Can you serve them, support them, love them? Can you give what you have for the common good? Where do you share in the common life of St. Mark s? Supporting and loving others, giving for the common good, all working in harmony...

20 20 The Body of Christ that is St. Mark s will know Christ and make Him known best when we function in harmony. So where there are jobs to be done, people to love, let s role our sleeves up and get stuck in for in God s eyes nothing is more important. Paul, whom Barnabas mentored, summed it up like this: Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God,...made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant... (Phil 4.4-7) Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who being in very nature God...made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant... Phil PRAY