Sermon: "Practice Sharing” Her name is Mary S. and she’s from Fairfax, Virginia. She’s a young mother, at a place in her parenthood where many young parents are today - where some of you parents are right now with your young children – trying to raise them as best you can – to be healthy and well rounded – educated - and as well mannered as possible. Looking for help with a challenging part of child raising, she turned to Alan Greene – not our own Allen Greene, as smart as he is, but to another Alan Greene – still with an “e” at the end – this one a pediatrician and author on children’s health, parenting, and the environment. Dr. Alan Greene practices at the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and teaches pediatrics at Stanford University. Mary S of Fairfax, Virginia writes to Dr. Greene, looking for help in teaching her children to share: Dr. Greene, no matter how much I make my children share, they just don't seem to learn. They still get upset whenever someone else plays with their toys. How can I put an end to the endless fighting? Any of you parents there right now? Any other parents remember being there? Sharing – sharing toys with siblings – sharing Mom and Dad’s love and attention - learning to share is tough stuff. It’s a lesson we all must learn, but it ain’t easy. It’s hard to share toys – and for too many it is hard to share land and space and resources and power. How many wars have been started because at a very fundamental level some folks could not share these things with others. Sharing it tough stuff. Which is why one writer I read this week says that what we have here in today’s lesson from Acts is an account of “God’s most difficult miracle.” You might have thought God’s most difficult miracle was parting the Red Sea, or bringing down the wall of Jericho – or Jesus healing the sick – or God raising Jesus from the dead. No – sorry - God’s most difficult miracle in the entire Bible could very well be this one, here in Acts 2, the miracle that occurred in the very early days of the early Christian church: “All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need." (Acts 2:44-45). In other words, the miracle here is they learned to share. They shared – and not just their toys – but everything – so that everyone benefited, everyone was taken care of - as any had need. They shared – radically. And this miraculous, radical sharing was not done on a small scale. Remember last Sunday’s reading from Acts, in the verses just preceding today’s – after Peter preached his sermon on that day of Pentecost, the ranks of the new member’s class swelled significantly. Over 3,000 people signed up that day – imagine the confirmation class schedule? Where would be put them all? Over 3,000 people – plus the apostles and the other disciples and followers of Jesus - “they” – this large group of believers - they “had all things in common – and would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need." To some folk, especially a few years back now, this kind of radical sharing might sound like communist propaganda – but that’s not the point. I was reminded this week that nearly 2 decades have passed since the Berlin Wall came down. This is not a communist or “pinko” text – and it never was. And truth be told, this kind of radical sharing was not practiced by everyone in the early church. Today we are in chapter 2 - in chapter 5 we get to the story of Ananias and Sapphira – who held on to some of their property, and then lied to the rest of the community – and the result was not good for these two. Still – for a time in the early church – for a large number of believers - this was the reality. They learned to share – radically, and most generously – sharing in a huge way, more than most of us would ever consider. So the question is, how did it happen? How did this early group of Christians learn to share like this? Was their some other Alan Greene there, with guidance for this young, infant church? Actually it is Luke – the writer here – who provides a possible answer. This kind of radical, generous sharing came about because this early group of believers lived out a particular set of practices. More than what they thought, and even more that what they believed – they did certain things – the engaged in certain habits – certain practices – and one of the results of doing these practices was this kind of radical sharing. Luke gives us these practices right here in the text, the first verse I read. The early believers, plus the 3,000 new members: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” Four things – four spiritual practices – a kind of formula for the early church: teaching – fellowship – breaking bread – and prayers. This is the summary formula, Luke says, the spiritual practices, that brought about, among other things, this kind of radical sharing – the kind that provided for the real needs of one another in the community. What Luke lifts up for us here is a formula we do well to follow. We need to teach the basics of the faith – “the teaching of the apostles” – the Bible – and our faith tradition. And we need to nurture fellowship – our being together – for worship, for mission service, for refreshment – even for fun. We need to emphasize “the breaking of the bread” – language which means sharing Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper together – regularly – maybe even more than monthly. And we need to devote ourselves to our prayers – saying them regularly – often – in groups like here in worship, and by ourselves, in the closet, as Jesus taught. When these practices happen – when we do these things – things happen – there are real results. For one, Luke writes: Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. There was a wonder, a sense of awe and imagination – people were amazed, sometimes even dumbfounded at what was happening among them. Another result is this miraculous one we’ve already heard about – people learned to share – radically, generously – in ways beyond what you and I would ever consider on our own. And even more, as Luke says: “Day by day, they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.” Awe and wonder – generous sharing – glad and generous hearts – praising God – being well regarded by others – and new folks coming on board day by day. What was in evidence in the early church, I see evident in the church today. I see it here and there – and I long to see it more. Some may think I say this too much, but I can’t help myself. Despite what the Courier Journal said a week or so back, about “Pastor Ken Hockenberry” making the decision, the decision you all made together, to lease the upper portion of our property for $1 per year to our Fern Creek/ Highview United Ministries – that is an example of radical, generous sharing. It is an act of sharing that fills me and I hope you with a glad and generous heart. And it has certainly gained for us the goodwill of others in the community. And it will be a blessing for many hundreds and thousands of others who are in need in our community. Other examples abound. We’ve been and we will continue to hear some stories from our 140 years of history as a community of faith. Did you catch the story just last Sunday, about the renovation of the building in the late 1920’s – around the time of the Great Depression? Individual families of this church – some whose descendants are still here – they signed noted to mortgage their own homes and property in order to guarantee the necessary bank loan to finish that renovation. That sounds like radical and generous sharing to me. About 3 weeks ago now I was invited by one of our member families, for a visit. This family wanted to share a gift with the church – they had an unexpected financial blessing and they wanted to share a generous portion of it with their church – and they want to keep it confidential and anonymous. I was – and I still am overwhelmed by their generosity. They handed me the check – and you could have knocked me over with a feather. That same week another donation came in – from someone who is not a church member, but who appreciated our mission and ministry, and wanted to share. There’s a member of this church who donated one of his kidneys to a relative who needed one. Several have lost loved ones in their younger years, in accidents - and donated their organs so that others might live. Presbyterian Women Circles and individuals hand money to me – “use this to help this particular church member – or to help any who come – who are in need.” So many give of their time and talent – in teaching and mission work, in caring for this place – in Habitat for Humanity – in our area ministries work - and there’s even more opportunity now that the building is right here in Beulah land. All of this is sharing – radical, generous sharing. It is a sign that we are doing something right in this community of faith. The teaching of the apostles, the fellowship, sharing the Lord’s Supper – and the prayers. When these practices happen – the practice of sharing is one amazing, even miraculous result. And friends, we can share more. I know it. I’ve seen it and experienced it again and again – and I am convinced we can and we will be able to share even more. How is the Lord calling you to practice sharing – beyond what you might consider on your own? May we all continue to practice sharing – for by this practice we will be – even more – persons of glad and generous hearts.
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