Sermon -- Sunday, April 26, 2020

Acts 4:32-37

By: Rev. Gene Dyszlewski

This is an overly idealized version of what the infant church in Jerusalem was like. While it might be euphemistic memory, if it happened at all, it was for a brief period. My take away is that whatever the structure, community was a core value for the early Christians and this fits Jesus’ teaching that our lives are relational. A human life is a communal event not an individual thing.

In the ancient world, community was an essential feature of life. Being connected with family and community was a highly prized standard of moral behavior. It was noteworthy and perplexing to ancient people when someone didn’t make that connection. It was in this context that Christianity was born. And the central value of community has never left.

The ancient world was mainly an agrarian subsistence society. Having a connection with neighbors and family was structurally necessary for life. Farming and animal husbandry had cycles of down time and busy time. Additional labor was needed when drops had to be harvested and sheep had to be sheared. Working together helped build bonds, especially when the very survival of your family was at stake. To the ancient world, it was simply how things were.

When the Apostles went out to bring the Gospel to others, they founded church communities. This community orientation fits the approach to humanity that Jesus took. Jesus told us the mystery of life was unlocked when we live a love centered life. He told us, “The greatest commandment is love God and love your neighbor.”

There are numerous benefits to being in relationship. We are primarily social creatures. While intellect is an essential faculty, most of what we know about being human is learned through participating in social life. We would not know something as basic as language, if we weren’t part of a human community. In isolation, we would not know how to express emotion and we would not be in touch with the deepest level of our hearts.

On a basic level, being in relationship allows me to learn how to get past my most primitive self-centered impulses and get in touch with my deepest yearning to be loving and caring. In community I am influenced by people who exhibit goodness and decency. I discover my own sense of worth and dignity when I see my reflection in other people’s eyes. Instead being an isolated individual, in the embrace of community I grow to be a person. There are tremendous psychological implications to being attached to community, perhaps the most important is empathy.

While I am gifted in many ways by being part of a community, there are many ways in which I am able to give back. In fact, I want to give back…I need to give back. Love is cyclical; it is never a one way street. Generosity enriches my life both in my giving and in my taking.

Jesus recognized that being part of a community some toes will be stepped on. We have strengths and limitations. We have wounds and faults. So, forgiveness is always necessary. Forgiveness is a healing process. Forgiveness requires that I am vulnerable. In the safety of relationships I am better able to be vulnerable and being vulnerable I am safe to be with. Forgiveness is a fundamental element in the chemistry of any human relationship.

So, in a community we find ourselves in a web of relationships. We may not notice the commonality that we share but its there. Commonality is not sameness and is not enforced. At its best, community recognizes and affirms my uniqueness. For example, we share a culture of music. We may not have the same favorite hymn but we have one.

In a Christian community we recognize our common yearning for the sacred and we support each other on that journey. The comfort and predictability adds to a sense of safety and security. Our ability to flourish as a human being is directly related to our bonding and belonging and attachment to our community.

While the church isn’t the only community we are a part of, it may reflects the value system we hold. In contemporary American culture we find some of our values are challenged, if not negated. For example, there is an unhealthy strain of hyper-individualism that is contaminating the American culture. It idealizes individual happiness and self-sufficiency. It defines “liberty” as absolute license to do what I please because I am the yardstick for truth and morality. There is a distrust and rejection of attachment to community…any community….including family.

In the ancient world they had a name for this: “ακαδια” or in today’s English “acedia.” That is a rejection of community…a rejection that inevitably grows to be indifference. The ancient Greeks saw this to be a social aberration. They respected the uniqueness of each person. They were very understanding of young adults who were searching for their place in society. However, anyone who refused to have a place…refused to make their contribution to society were seen with some level of trepidation. They referred to these people as “idiots.” That word has taken on more of a derogatory tone in our day.

Occasionally we have an acute outbreak of narcissistic individualism. A current example is the protests against the public health restrictions taking place in some state capitals. Ignoring the potential increased risk to others for the sake of some inconvenience is a manifestation of the indifference that comes with hyper-individualism. Being detached from community has psychological implications. The self-interested detached individual tends to be empathy deficient.

Fortunately this is a very small segment of our society. Most of us are on the empathy page. During the current crisis, many people have stepped up to selflessly serve and care for others. There is no question that medical personnel are risking their lives, particularly in some overwhelmed hospital settings. Selfless acts of compassion are today’s headline, front page above the fold.

Jesus’ preaching a relational and communal approach to religion and religious life respects the very architecture of our humanity. We all have an inner yearning for fulfillment and purpose…and, we are all wounded in some way and in need of healing. Servanthood, caring for others, heals wounds, and brings us fulfillment. A human life is a communal event not an individual object.