St. Andrew’s Pictou, April 23^rd 2006

 

Everything In Common

 

Acts 4:32-35

1 John 1:1-2:2

John 20:19-31

 

Two winters ago, you might remember that there was flooding in the vicinity of Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. A woman was returning home with her daughter and thought that she could drive her vehicle right through the deep water that was covering the road. Not unexpectedly, her car stopped and she was stranded right there in the deep water.

 

Serendipitously, for her, a local man witnessed her plight and proceeded to tow her car, not only out of the water, but even to a garage where it was repaired.

 

TV NEWS showed that she was generous in her gratitude and accolades for the man in question and the assurance that the event confirmed for her that she lived in a great community.

 

The fact that this event was noteworthy for her and worthy to be in the evening news for the whole province, showing that the idea of caring for our neighbour as we would like to be cared for ourselves, illustrates that the idea of a caring community is really a surprise, rather than an expectation. We are all supposed to be surprised and delighted that a man in the community actually cared and did his deed without even being paid!

 

(I should add that I have heard of better stories than this one here in Pictou County, but they never made it to the news. You probably heard better stories, yourself.)

 

The point is that the towing made the news because we don’t have the kind of caring community that we had for thousands and thousands of years. It is a recent phenomena that people don’t care for each other, that we have self-made men, American and Canadian idol worship, and that everyone has their own little corner of the world where they live in freedom (each with our own washroom and central air) without ever needing to care for each other.

 

The reading from the Acts of the Apostles history lesson is a much better story that the Bridgewater flooding.

 

Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything that they owned was held in common.

With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.

There 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.

They laid it all at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as they had need.

 

Now there is a news item!!!

 

There is a description of Christian Community!- a provoking description of what power the belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ can do for people an how it can bring them together in unity!

 

There are some people who take this text to heart to such a degree that they literally do the same thing today. The community owns everything, not individuals; everything is shared.

 

In a culture that values individuality and self interest above all else, it would be quite a task to have that degree of trust and selflessness.

 

The over-riding issue for us as Christians today is to see from this text how vitally important it is to see how incredibly important each and every single individual is and how everyone’s well-being affects the whole community.

 

This text says that it is the community’s concern that all do well. In other words, it would mean that you and I treat everyone we meet as if they were card carrying members of “the Kirk.” We wouldn’t differentiate between them as to whether they were members or adherents, or it they might belong to another church. We would just treat them all the same with love, respect, interest, concern, and with help.

 

The issue for us today is not that all of our property is to be held in common; as much is that we believe that our welfare and health is a common issue.

 

The young people taking drugs under the highway over pass on the Jitney trail are our concern.

 

The young people sitting at night on the church steps involved in the stabbing are our concern.

 

The 30 teenagers caught taking drugs at Northumberland High School are our concern.

 

The people that are hungry within walking distance of this church are our concern, because we have something in common.

 

The people up in the detox unit, the local AA rooms, and the new (drug and alcohol free) gathering place at the train station, are our concern.

 

We have something in common with all of these people because… they are us.

 

People doing poorly in our community means that we as a community are doing poorly; our community is simply our community.

 

Jesus and his disciples had a community. Their leader was arrested, convicted and killed.

 

It was extremely upsetting; devastating, in fact. One member of the community betrayed the leader; his death was a savage attack on the community. Every single thing that they stood for appeared to be destroyed beyond repair. They didn’t know what to do. Minus Thomas, they gathered together in a room and locked the door for protection.

 

The risen Jesus appears amongst them in the room.

 

What does he say? Four simple words: Peace be with you.

 

They were overjoyed beyond what words could describe!

 

He shows them his wounds and again says, “Peace be with you.”

 

Jesus had more to say but we have to remember that it was said to them in the context of the community and the faith that they shared and had brought them together.

 

“As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

 

The faith connection, the God connection both impelled and called them to their purpose.

 

“Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

 

Bu Thomas did not witness this appearance of Jesus with the disciples and even as one them, he would not trust them that Jesus had appeared as they told him.

 

A week later, Jesus appears again, but this time Thomas was there. Still Jesus offers peace and does not condemn. “Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt, but believe.”

 

Aren’t we glad Thomas was there and checked it out for us? He had his questions answered: “My Lord and my God!” Thomas finally believed.

 

While a person may believe in God, faith like everything, exists in the context of community.

 

In the community here at St. Andrew’s, the welfare, health and future of the community at “the Kirk” is vested in the health and welfare of each person, not only here in the church, but in the Pictou Community as well.

 

Since our present health and our future existence is something we all hold in common, we must care and for and invest in each other, as we do indeed have everything in common.

 

“Peace be with you.”

 

AMEN                       Rev. Alan Stewart