A Gathered People

Today our gathered community may look different than that one in 1st Century Jerusalem, but the mission and the Spirit are still the same.  

The Last in a Series of Sermons looking at a new way to do church by looking at ACTS 2:42-47

On Thursday, the Christian church celebrated Ascension Day and I think it’s safe to say that you probably didn’t even notice. Ascension Day is just one of those events the early church considered to be every bit as holy as Easter, for it marks the day Jesus officially leaves us to return to God. Today, it’s about as novel as any other Thursday.
 
I imagine as Jesus ascends towards the heavens, his Apostles look up and wonder, “Now what?”  This is a feeling I get at the end of an episode of 24 or Game of Thrones. The drama of Jesus’ incarnation does not end here with the Apostles scratching heir heads, although there will be more of that to come. But this episode does conclude with a classic cliffhanger. Jesus sending his followers onto the world stage to perform acts of God’s love to an audience clapping and clambering for more. As Jesus moves upward, we move onward.  
 
Whether you are here in person or watching online, we come together for a reason. I believe it’s because we desire to worship God and get our fill of some spiritual nourishment. However, I like to think we naturally gravitate to each other simply because we belong to something greater than ourselves. We belong to a universal power that draws us together by the very Spirit Jesus Christ. I call this powerful life source God, who made us in God’s image, and calls us to be one with him. In doing so we will never be truly alone or left out of life’s blessings.  
 
There are hints of this in verse 44. It reads, “All who believed were together, and they had all things in common.”  We’ve spent a few weeks now looking at six verses, and for the first time, this particular verse spoke to me. As I read, and reread it, one particular word lit up: “Together.”  They gather together; in one house, in one city, and for one purpose. Together, they were filled with the Holy Spirit.
 
Just as God sent the Son to be with us, God sent the Spirit to be within us. It’s this Spirit that draws us to one another and moves us away from where we are. Like a personal trainer or coach, the Spirit strengthens and empowers us; it pushes us and stretches us; takes us out of comfort zone, kicks on the grass, and basically carries us onward to advance God’s love out into the world.  
 
Today our gathered community may look different than that one in 1st Century Jerusalem, but the mission and the Spirit are still the same.  
 
What is it about being “Together.” And more importantly, “How can we be together as a faith community, if we are located from different places?” This is a question New Church has been struggling to define, especially as our online worship continues to grow.  
 
It wasn’t until last week, when I preached in Greenville, MI that the folks here in Sherman Oaks got to see how different (and perhaps difficult) this new form of worshiping could be. There are challenges for sure. But there are also blessings. So we are learning how to deal with both. We’ve discovered there is so much more we can do.
 
Just as we invite you to practice your faith with us, we invite you to also participate with us. Clicking the “Like” button is an easy step in the right direction. But more importantly, we really need your feedback, suggestions, and input to help us shape what this could be. Basically, we need your Spirit to guide us.
 
These early Christians have already given us some wonderful insights. In these six verses alone, we learn that they did fellowship (a verb) at the same time they were a fellowship (a noun) …sharing with one another both the joys and pains of a common life together. Worshiping, eating, praying, confessing their sins, forgiving one another, working side-by-side, and supporting each other physically, spiritually, and financially. They faithfully followed the teachings of Jesus passed on by the very Apostles who were there when Jesus vowed, “where two or three are gathered in my name I will be there with you.”  
 
Does this same promise ring true today if we are gathered here, and there, and everywhere? What if we are not watching live with us on Sunday, but watching a recording of it on Tuesday, alone when you finally have some quiet time?
 
I’d like to think the Spirit of God is there always. After all, I haven’t known God to be anything less than honest and true to his word. And that Word, which became flesh, sent his Spirit so that we might be enlightened and understand…and do God’s will. 
 
I take Jesus at his word when he tells us the Spirit “blows where it pleases.” Just like wind or breath, the ru-ach of God transcends time and, no matter how hard we try, God cannot be restrained by human limits (The Resurrection is a great example). God’s Spirit moves freely, penetrating hearts however, wherever, and whenever it wants. No matter where or how we gather, God is with us because God is within us.
 
So how can we do it? How can the Spirit move through us in fellowship?
 
Stemming from many conversations I had last week when I gathered with beloved friends in Greenville, I realized what we do here at our house can be done in any house, or park, or restaurant or bar. It’s pretty simple (although there are times I beg to differ). Just invite a small group of people to participate in worship with you. It could be your immediate family or a few friends. But remember, participation takes practice.
 
Dedicate a specific time to watch the service, whether live or a time that is more convenient. And stick to it. Work your other events around it. Make it a priority to practice church like the first Christians. Hear a lesson, read scripture, pray. And if you’re so inclined, share a wonderful meal and discuss how the week’s message is relevant to you.
 
This isn’t the only way, but it’s a start. A way to help you feed one another the spiritual food and receive the fuel you need to get you through the week.  
 
If you are to remember anything about Ascension Day it’s this: Christ is not dead or absent in some far away cosmic realm.  He is alive and universalized through you and me, and by what we do here, there, and everywhere.  We are his body, and within us is his Spirit. As such we have endless opportunities to define and redefine it for ourselves.
 
Jesus leaves us with a “sky’s the limit” ministry that allows us to: reach those who are homebound; be there for those who hate the church but love of Jesus; to be there and share our resources for a common good, be it our personal possessions, like time and money, or our private possessions, like our sins and burdens.  We’ve been filled with the Spirit of love, mercy, and forgiveness, which God has given to us all. Now we must go and give it away.
 
To quote Pope John-Paul II, "Nobody is so poor that he/she has nothing to give, and nobody is so rich that he/she has nothing to receive." These words offer a powerful reminder of who Jesus is and what he did, as well as what he has called us to be and do; both receivers of his love, and givers of his love, everywhere we go. And anywhere we gather.  
 
By this simple action the threads of our separate private lives be woven together into a fabric of true fellowship in which Christ makes all things new.  As the first Christian’s understood, such a blessing is worth everything we have and are.
 
This is the good news. Take it out into the world, using words if necessary. Amen.
 
 
Bible. Acts 2:42-47 (NRSV).
Byassee, Jason. "Living in the Word: To All The World" Sojourners, May 2017: 44.
Moore, Charles. Called To Community. Walden: Plough Publishing House, 2016.