The "Original" Church

"Those who had been baptized devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of the bread and the prayers.  Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles.  All who believe 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.  Day by day, as 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."

--Acts 2: 42-47

One of the neat peculiarities of Easter is that we don’t read from the Old Testament during this whole season.  Have you ever noticed that?  Instead, our first reading on Sunday mornings during this season is always taken from the Acts of the Apostles.  Why does our lectionary do this?  I suspect it is to give us a glimpse into the life of the early Church.  What was it like for these folks who had witnessed Easter first hand?  How did the post-Resurrection days shape the ways that they lived and worshiped together?

An icon's depiction of members of the early Christian community.

Our Acts reading this past Sunday isn’t very long, but it is full of wonderful information that shows us what life was like for these early followers of Jesus—who weren’t even actually called Christians yet!  The first part of the very first line reminds us that the sign of belonging to this community was baptism, as it still is today, and the second part of that very first sentence calls to mind our own baptismal vows:  “they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”  If that sounds familiar it's because its one of the first vows that we take at our baptism, and this is where we get it from. What we do today is directly connected to what they did way back then.  As they were baptized into the community of faith they took the same vows that we take, the same vows we renew anytime someone new joins the faith.  How cool is that?!

The faith that we profess and the community that we create and nurture in our own places of worship is nothing less than what is described in these early chapters of Acts.  So in a very real sense, if we look at what Luke writes—remember Acts is something of a sequel to the Gospel According to Luke—then we see what characteristics make up a community—any community—that professes Jesus Christ as Lord.  So what are some of those characteristics?

We’re told that wonders and signs were being done among the members of the early church.  We don't necessarily know what these are, but can you imagine any wonders and signs in your faith community?  I've seen them at the Church of the Good Shepherd, where I serve as rector. In the last two years I have seen a Men’s Fellowship grow in its faith, I’ve seen women gather together to have meaningful conversations about God and to go deeper, and I’ve seen Episcopalians knock on neighbors’ doors and actually invite them to church.  I’d call those wonders and signs!

We’re told that all who believed were together, had all things in common and would sell their goods and distribute them according to need.  Having all things in common doesn't mean that they all agreed on everything, rather it means that they were able to put aside their own needs for the sake of one another and address any need that a member of the community had.  They weren’t concerned with right doctrine or biblical interpretation, and their priests weren’t trying to tell them everything they should and shouldn’t do.  All they cared about was letting the love of Jesus flow through them, so that they could build each other up.  In what ways have you seen your faith community support one another and meet one another needs?  Here at Good Shepherd we have recently been working on a Habitat house for a family in our congregation, and our newly created pastoral care teams have been sharing Holy Communion and supporting folks when I can't get to them. It’s a sharing of the load, a reminder that priests or not, we are all ministers of the love of Jesus Christ.  That’s how the apostles did it, that’s how we are meant to do it!

We’re told that folks spent much time together in the temple, worshipping and praising God, while also breaking bread at home and sharing the goodwill of all the people.  These early followers remembered that worshipping and praying together were essential to their spiritual growth.  But at the same time, they knew that Jesus went out to the people, eating and drinking with them, laughing with them, and meeting them right where they were.  The early church kept this up, knowing that whenever two or three gathered, Jesus was there, in the temple, at home, or out in the streets.  What about your community?  Do you worship together, while also taking your faith outside the walls of your church?  The folks of Good Shepherd began a monthly Communion service last year at a local assisted living facility, where we share church with folks who can't get to church themselves.  Our town of Asheboro also a brewery--Four Saints(!)--and Good Shepherd folks have participated in the monthly Beer & Hymns at the brewery, plus this past Sunday we blessed the brewery on its 2nd anniversary!  These are reminders that our faith is to be taken out of the church and that Jesus goes with us wherever we go.  

Blessing Four Saints Brewing Company

In short, the early church was about relationship.  Everything they did, they did together.  Praying.  Fasting.  Praising. No one was ever alone.  No single person did it all, and folks were not stuffy about who they shared their faith with.  They were constantly engaging each other, talking to people they met on the streets, sharing the good news of Jesus’ love for them.  They held each other, supported each other, and even had some hard conversations with each other.  But everything they did was out of love and in relationship because they knew that to be in relationship with each other was to be in relationship with Jesus himself. That's what it means to be the Body of Christ, and it is that legacy of relationship-building that all of our faith communities carry on today. Doesn’t matter what we do, we’re in it together, and Jesus is in it with us!  That’s what makes the church the church!

So if you ever wonder how we might be more like the "original church," open up the Acts of the Apostles and it’s right there.  Creating relationships with each other.  Building each other up.  Worshipping together.  Breaking bread and sharing fellowship together.  Always being joyful for what God was doing in their lives, and always remembering that Jesus was alive and in their midst.  Does that sound like your faith community??