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Acts 4:32-37
32Now 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. 33With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34There 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. 35They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. 36There was a Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”). 37He sold a field that belonged to him, then brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
It is possible that my reading of science fiction and magical realism has harmed me. For example, I do not believe it is fair that we still do not have flying cars. I do not believe we have made great scientific advancements because I still cannot travel by transporter beam and I have no magic wand to help me apparate. I am also jealous of the economic system of the Star Trek universe. This is a little less clear in the original series, but both The Next Generation and Voyager series demonstrate “a utopian post-scarcity system referred to as the ‘New World Economy.’”[1] Through technology they eliminated hunger, want, and the need for possessions. Captain Picard says that, freed from the need to make money, “We work to better ourselves and the rest of humanity.” I wonder what paths we might have chosen differently in life if we hadn’t needed to worry about making money. I’m a little jealous that we don’t get to live in that kind of world.
It sounds a bit similar to the early church as described in our scripture text for today. Like the inhabitants of the Federation, they didn’t have to worry about possessions. They shared everything in common, and “there was not a needy person among them . . . [doesn’t that sound great?] 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.” That sounds awesome . . . especially if you’re the recipient of that generosity. But what if you’re the one who has the houses and lands? Do you really give it with no strings attached? Or do you start watching who takes second helpings at dinner? Do you start thinking they should listen to your opinion more, since, after all, the sale of your land paid the bills for the last three months. We don’t know if this happened. We don’t know for sure what happened to these particular early Christians when they realized that Jesus’ promise to come again apparently didn’t come with an ETA. All we know is what the scripture tells us: that they cared for one another, they supported one another, lived in relationship with one another in community. And “great grace was upon them all.”
Another thing I surmise is that everybody didn’t come into the community with the same possessions. Undoubtedly some of them did not own houses or land, but they gave whatever they had, out of a desire to follow Jesus and love one another.
This is like our congregation—not only in finances, but also in time and talents. People give as they are able. And we have so many people who give of themselves on a regular, ongoing basis. In the past year we also have had several important projects in addition to our regular work. When I say your name, please stand. We needed an update to our landscaping. We had many overgrown bushes, things planted too close to the building, beds that had been built up too high over the years, causing water (and thus ice) across the sidewalks. We also had an endowment gift specifically for landscaping that we hadn’t used. John Mitchell donated his time and devised a new landscaping plan with native plants that were more appropriately sized, and Richard Parker and the rest of the House Committee worked with him to bring this plan into being. Thank you.
Our beloved Davidson Lounge also needed a facelift. It was looking dated and worn, and a few people had a vision for what it could be. Beth De Tine donated many hours and her expertise to update the look and provide a much more flexible meeting space. Diane Armstrong also helped, but she says it was all Beth! Thank you.
This year we also started a Safety & Security Task Force, with the purpose of examining how we might better protect our building and the people in it. This group included David Moyer, David Allen, Diane Armstrong, Carol Zechman, and our amazing chair, Jess Proctor. They made a recommendation to the Council, which was approved at this month’s meeting, and you’ll be hearing more about the plan in January. Jess also oversaw our purchase of an AED and CPR training.
This project is actually two years old, but our position as a host congregation for Greater Portland Family Promise took a lot of work to get started. Debra and Tim Honey, and Linda and Peter Foss, agreed to take this on, and they worked together beautifully to get this off the ground, establish procedures, and build a great foundation for future leaders. Debra and Tim have now “retired” from this role, and Peter and Linda are staying on through January to help with the transition. Thank you for the heavy lifting. Thanks also to Gin, our secretary, for taking on the recruiting, and to Betsy Keiter for coming on as a new co-chair.
Prudy Wiggins has led our rummage sale for who knows how many years, with tireless help from June. They also are “retiring” this year and we thank them for their time.
And although this isn’t a special project, there is no single group of people who give more hours to this church than the members of the choir. They practice two hours every week, plus Sundays. As the choir has gotten smaller, their commitment has grown, for they know that each voice matters. Let’s thank them for adding so much to worship each week.
I am grateful for every hour that you give to our church, giving as you are able based on your ability and other commitments. And I am grateful for every dollar you give to our church, as you are able. We don’t share all our possession in common, and that’s probably good. I doubt your living room needs my son’s collection of dinosaurs or my daughter’s collection of playbills. We don’t need to share our possessions in common. We do need to share our commitment, our passion, our courageous vision.
We are in a challenging and exciting time in the life of our congregation. Some of us participated in a workshop recently on how to reach new people. We have a vitality team ready to start working on how we build stronger relationships in the community, how we share this great church with others. You will hear more about this in January.
We will soon begin our search for a new associate pastor. We need this position because we are committed to our seniors who are homebound or have limited mobility, and because we are committed to our children and youth, to provide a rich religious foundation and spiritual home, and because we are committed to our own spiritual growth and education. All of these changes have a price, both in energy and finances. So on this Consecration Sunday, as we prepare to place our pledge cards in the offering plate, I ask you to look at your pledge card and consider if this represents your courageous vision. Notice I didn’t say foolish vision. We do want you to be able to eat and buy your medications and have a warm safe place to live. Please do not pledge more than you can legitimately afford. But please do pledge what you can, looking through eyes of gratitude for this faith community, and all it is and all it does, and all it means to you. Looking with gratitude helps us give with generosity.
Now, I was subjected to a lot of what I consider bad theology as a child. One of those teachings was encapsulated in a song that said,
“One by one he took them from me—all the things I valued most
until I was empty handed, every glittering toy was lost.
Then I walked earth’s pathway grieving in my rags and poverty,
til I heard his voice inviting, “Lift your empty hands to me!”
So I turned my hands toward heaven, and he filled them with a store
of his own transcendent riches, til they could contain no more.
Then at last I comprehended with my stupored mind and soul
That God could not pour his riches into hands already full.”
That’s a big no from me! I do not believe that God takes away our treasures. God does not take away our loved ones or our wealth in order to teach us a lesson. But most of us do come with hands full— hands full of blessing, hands full of our heart’s treasures, hands and hearts full of love. And to us God says “Want a second helping? Share.” When we participate in a church like ours, we open ourselves to a greater sense of community, just as the early Christians did when they worked together to support one another. Our scriptures help us to affirm that the more we cultivate relationship, the more we increase our chances that in every moment we will be loved and supported and will have the opportunity to return the same hospitality. We invest ourselves in this beloved community increases our constant and enduring hope and gratitude.
Yes, I want you to give all you can to our church. And I want you to get all you need from our church— in relationship, in spiritual growth, in assurance and hope. Of course, the church is not only about you, any more than it’s all about me. So the church also has to be about what other people need. But that’s the really great part about the church:
it’s big enough for us all,
it’s big enough to help each of us create our wonder-full life.
Thanks be to God.
[1] http://1stclasseconomics.com/money-star-trek-universe/