“Can You Spot Jesus?”
Acts 2: 42-47;
Rev. G. Scott Turnbrook; Northwood United Church; May 7, 2017
I would like to start with a little congregational participation…As my family has been growing to include some younger children in the last few years, I’ve been rediscovering some games that I had long since forgotten as my kids are ‘cool’ teenagers. Sometimes with younger kids, you have to be quick at coming up with games to distract; intervening when a conflict is about to erupt during a long car ride. One game that is popular is “I spy”. Do you remember playing I spy? The questioner would choose something and then invite others to guess what it is. They would say “I spy with my little eye something that is … white” And the others would need to guess what I am spying. And the first one to guess would win. Any guesses? (take guesses) That’s right. I am spying the white hanging in front of the pulpit. You are a smart crowd, so I’m going to make things a little more difficult: “I spy with my little eye…Jesus” Can you spot Jesus in the church?
When I was studying the text that Gwen just read, what I think it is pointing at are the identifying factors of what Jesus’ people look like. Scholars generally agree that author of the Gospel of Luke is the same author of the Book of Acts. And Acts is the book which records the actions of the early apostles. It is a compendium, a summary, of the spiritual and political movement that gave birth to that which would become the early Christian church ~ the “followers of the Way” which they were called. Luke is reflecting back upon the first half century of the development of Jesus’ followers. What made them unique from other movements in society at the time? How would one distinguish a Jesus follower from someone following another anti-Roman stance? So, this morning, I think we are prompted inquire about the marks of a Jesus follower. In short: ‘how do you spot Jesus?’ In the passage before us, Peter has just given a powerful Pentecost sermon. And in response to his sermon – many people converted – 3,000! And we have this morning’s text which gives four ways in which you can spot Jesus in a community. So, let’s follow along and see if we can spot Jesus – here in the church and perhaps in your own life and discipleship.
The first sighting of Jesus is that the community becomes absorbed in the religious teachings of the apostles. The text says “they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship”. If you would read through the book of Acts, you would be reminded that it is filled with example after example of the early followers of Jesus being people who took seriously the life and witness of Jesus. They sought to learn the way of Jesus; to grow in the way of Jesus; to live the life of Jesus. Can you spot Jesus in this way here at Northwood? Or in your own life? I always love the reference to religion as being a ‘practice’. It is something that we don’t necessarily arrive at, but are constantly striving towards, growing in the direction of, living into? Can you spot Jesus?
The second sighting of Jesus occurs in the context of the fellowship that occurs in both social and religious settings. The reading continues: “They devoted themselves … to the breaking of bread”. The early church would see one another regularly and meet for worship and eat a sacred meal together. I attended a stewardship conference several years back where all the presenters were dressed as chefs – wearing aprons and puffy chef hats. We were reminded that Jesus’ favourite thing to do with the saints and sinners of the world was to bring them together at table. They would ‘be’ together in communion and in so doing they would create a holy community. One of the beloved acts that we love to do is the church potluck. The miracle of the potluck is that there is always too much food, and everyone who gathers ~ whether they remembered it was pot-luck Sunday or not - will be fed. In the United Church, the pot-luck is almost the ‘third sacrament’ ~ after baptism and communion. Certainly, it is very important. Something powerful happens when we dine together. We share, we love, we grow ~ it is a foundation of any strong community and was certainly one of the early church. But the reference to this type of breaking of bread is much deeper than this. The Greek word for the creation of this type of community is ‘koinonia’ and is best identified in its ‘depth’ of sharing. You will not be surprised that an extension of this word is that of offering one’s financial contributions for the betterment of the community as a whole. This is the longing of the prophet Isaiah who longed for the day when all would be included around the table. Isaiah prophesied: “Lo, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money…Come, buy wine and mild without money and without price”. There is contained in this word a deep desire to care for others, selling one’s possessions and making active contributions to others in need. Many know that I spent some time in ministry in the Downtown Eastside at First United Church prior to arriving at Northwood. One of the things that amazed me in speaking with the volunteers was to hear their stories. By far the majority of the volunteers had themselves overcome homelessness or addiction and other difficult challenges and had chosen to come back to First to serve and care for those going through what they had been going through not that long ago. Can you spot Jesus in this way here at Northwood? Or in your own life? Table fellowship, and the sharing of resources with others in need. Can you spot Jesus?
The third sighting of Jesus is marked in a community that is engaged steadfastly in prayer. The text says “they devoted themselves to … the prayers”. To read through the book of Acts is the gain a sense of the diversity of the prayers which the early Christian community offered. Prayers were a hallmark of the early Christian community. They offered prayers of thanksgiving as they experienced God’s grace; prayers for God’s deliverance from tight circumstances; prayer petitions on behalf of other members in need of God’s blessing. For the early Christian community, there truly was a correlation between prayer and the spirit of unity that they experienced. I think this is truly a place for the church in our world ~ to open up the conversation of what prayer is, and be a vehicle that enables people to connect with God in a prayer form that speaks to them. I was amazed at the response to the Lenten series on mindfulness meditation that I led ~ 22 people attend throughout those 5 weeks! In my experience, people are hungry for solitude and depth of prayer in such a busy and noisy world. There is, of course, not one way to pray. But it is the spiritual oxygen that we need to survive on our journeys in this life. Countless studies on the power of prayer have shown its various benefits. My favourite quote on prayer comes from Soren Kierkegaard who insightfully proclaimed “prayer does not change God, but it changes the [one] who prays”. Pray is powerful. It changes us; it changes the way we think; they way we feel called to respond; it changes the way God can use us in service. When we pray, everything changes!
The fourth sighting of Jesus is marked by a community that lives in awe of God. The text says that they “exhibited a proper sense of awe before God”. To open our eyes to the wonders around us is to truly live in awe of God’s creation, beauty and power. We are reminded at each sunrise of God’s awesome presence and as we go through the day and see some of the handiwork of God’s presence, we are truly reminded of how God is alive creating and bringing life. It is a humble stance that we are called to take of appreciating God in creation. It has been interesting to see how the disciplines of science and religion seem to be finding more and more common ground. I love Einstein’s famous aphorism about the mutual need for science and religion: “science without religion is lame, and religion without science is blind”. As we read further into the book of Acts, we see how the same kind of power of the spirit that was manifested in Jesus continues into the life of the early church. And indeed, the church at its best has done some awesome things when God has truly worked through her.
The text has a powerful ending: “day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved”. You have probably all heard the old minister’s joke about what a great sermon Peter must have preached. One sermon…3,000 new members…Wow! But the real secret in the health and growth of that community we learn is the deep and rich faith of the early Christians. It was the various expressions of their faith that allowed things to grow: It was their immersion in religious teachings; their commitment to community / to Koinonia; their faithful steadfast engagement in prayer, their ways of living in a sense of awe. It was all of these ways of living that allowed them to discover God’s presence through every step of their life’s journey. It was as a result of living in this way that they grew: both individually as spiritual beings / and collectively as a group as the text puts it: “and day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved”.
So…can you spy Jesus? It is interesting how the church has played “can you spy Jesus” throughout history. To ‘spy Jesus’ in the original days of the faith was to live one’s faith on the edge, to take risks, to live a counter-cultural lifestyle, to risk being fed to the lions for following Jesus’ way rather than the way of the Roman Empire. And there have been many shifts over the past 2,000 years. In the early days of the ‘Romanization’ of the church in the 4th century, the Nicene Creed sought to affirm the universality of the church as the “one holy catholic and apostolic church”. Eleven centuries later in the period of the Protestant Reformation ~ which birthed Protestant churches across the world like the United Church ~ the church was identified by the faithful preaching of the biblical message and the administration of the sacraments according to Jesus’ institution. Today, I think we are getting back to our earliest roots as a faith community seeking depth, integrity and faithfulness to the gospel. When people can spot Jesus in a community, they come ~ they come in droves! 3,000 after Peter’s sermon. And when a person is alive in faith, you can tell!
I wonder…can you spot Jesus at Northwood? If so, where can you spot him? How is he alive in our community? Where is there room for us to help him live and grow? How can we make this church not just Northwood United Church, but Jesus’ church that happens to be called Northwood United? I wonder …can you spot Jesus in your own life? Where can you spot him? How is he alive in your own life? Where is there room for you to help him live and grow?
The text says, they devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone…and day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved”.
May it be so! Amen.