Things In Common - A Sermon for Good Shepherd Sunday April 30 2023
FIRST READING: Acts 2:42-47
Today’s reading is a description of life in the community following Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit was poured out on God’s people. The new community is sustained in worship and fellowship, shares what they have, and ensures that everyone has enough.
42[The baptized] devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
43Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. 44All who believed were together and had all things in common; 45they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46Day 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, 47praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.
Word of God, word of life.
Thanks be to God.
GOSPEL: John 10:1-10
The holy gospel according to John.
Glory to you, O Lord.
Jesus uses an image familiar to the people of his day to make a point about spiritual leadership. Those who listen to Jesus are led to abundant life.
[Jesus said:] 1“Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. 2The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
7So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
The gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
The apostle Peter proclaims his most famous sermon,
it was the Day of Pentecost,
and the Holy Spirit has shown up
in a powerful way.
Divided tongues, as of fire,
filled with and gathered by the Holy Spirit,
the faithful speak in other languages,
tongues they have no business knowing,
yet they speak and are understood.
A diverse crowd is gathered in Jerusalem,
and they are bewildered.
Some ask “what does this mean?”
Some say they are filled with new wine.
But this was no 9am wine tasting;
No remnants of an all-night bender.
No Jew would eat or drink at that time
on a festival day.
Rather it was the inauguration of a new Pentecost,
a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Peter proclaims from the prophet Joel:
God will pour out the Spirit on all flesh,
slave and free,
women and men,
visions and dreams will come from God,
and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
shall be saved.
Peter proclaimed Christ crucified and risen,
“Let the entire house of Israel know with certainty
that God has made Jesus of Nazareth
both Lord and Messiah,
this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2)
Cut to the heart, the people ask
“what should we do”
Repent, be baptized, that you may be forgiven,
Peter declares.
So the people respond.
As we heard in Acts 2 today:
They were filled with awe.
Reverence and wonder
at God’s work.
The believers 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.
No more food and financial insecurity,
there was enough for everyone.
This was the life - the abundant life -
of those first disciples of Jesus.
Now, hold on pastor,
that sounds a lot communism,
or at least like socialism.
Living in a capitalist society,
many of us want God’s call to commonwealth
explained away.
But you can’t just explain it away.
For some, commonwealth is offensive,
for some it is exciting,
for all it is life giving.
It shouldn’t be all that surprising.
The first followers of Jesus took the call
to care for one another seriously.
This is the same Jesus
who told the rich young man
to sell his possessions
and give the money to the poor.
This is the same Jesus
whose disciples held a common treasury
to help care for those in need;
remember Judas was the one
in charge of the common purse.
The community of faith
formed by the Spirit at Pentecost
held all things in common;
selling what they possessed
and distributed the proceeds to all,
as any has need.
We don’t really do this today.
The church is no longer the provider of health care,
we entrust our governments with this.
As much as we seek to serve the community,
as much as we donate our time, talents and treasures
to help those in need,
as much as we give of ourselves
to aid refugees,
to gather food for the food bank,
and give our blessing bags,
in our society,
we entrust our governments
to ensure an equitable distribution of wealth.
How’s that going?
Mere weeks from now we will elect our provincial government,
we have some voice to offer
for how our governments do this work
of equitable distribution of wealth.
At the same time,
I think we get ourselves stuck,
limiting our thought here
to mere politics,
Though it is an important part of it.
For New Testament professor, Sharon Betsworth,
this Christ-following idea around commonwealth
is a return to Eden. (https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/fourth-sunday-of-easter/commentary-on-acts-242-47-6)
In the garden of Eden,
God provided - food, clothing, all their needs.
With all needs provided by God,
there’s more room for relationship with God.
It is also an enactment of the Year of Jubilee,
the dawning of the year of the Lord’s favour,
the forgiveness of debts,
and with it,
financial security for the whole community,
not just for the wealthy.
It is also about worship and community:
They devoted themselves to Jesus,
spent time together in the Temple,
they worshipped,
they fellowshipped,
they shared Holy Communion,
they praised God together,
And they had the goodwill of the people.
they were not insular,
they were part of the wider community,
focused on the common good
of the wider community
and this fostered good will.
They were salt and light.
They could not do this on their own,
this was the Holy Spirit at work in them.
We continue in this tradition today;
we spent time together here,
gathered by the Holy Spirit.
We worship,
we fellowship,
we break bread at the Lord’s Table,
we pray,
we study scripture.
Like the early church,
We too are filled with the Holy Spirit,
yet the church is often insular:
more concerned with what happens
inside our walls,
somewhat separate from the community,
And the sad truth is that Christians today
do not necessarily have
the goodwill of the people.
Many in our communities
simply do not trust the church.
“The gatekeeper opens the gate for the Good Shepherd,
and the sheep hear his voice.
The Good Shepherd calls his own sheep by name
and leads them out,…
and goes ahead of them,
and the sheep follow the Good Shepherd
because they know his voice.”
Many of you have been participating
in our discernment study,
Our Purpose, God’s Mission.
Church council held a retreat in October,
and our Monday evening study group
is currently working through
the discernment study.
There will be an opportunity for the congregation
to participate in a retreat this fall.
We’ve been dwelling in God’s Word
using the book of Acts,
and we are hearing and discerning
the voice of the Good Shepherd.
The discernment continues,
as we seek to continue and to become
the church that God is calling us to be.
One thing I keep hearing in our discernment
is the call to be an inclusive community
that exists for the common good,
not just for those inside our little sheepfold
but for our community.
We are discerning that we cannot be individualistic,
even though that is what our world values.
We rely on the Spirit,
we rely on the Good Shepherd,
and we are all in this together.
As much as we might disagree at times,
we can agree that
God knows better than we do.
The stranger seeks to steal and kill and destroy.
We might listen to those voices of strangers
when it seems that I will benefit,
even at the expense of another.
But the Good Shepherd knows better.
The Good Shepherd offers us
and invites us into
abundant life.
God has gifted us with a grand and majestic creation.
Some say there is scarcity of resources
in this life,
Yet this is lie - there is an abundance.
As Mahatma Ghandi said,
The world has enough for everyone’s needs,
but not for everyone’s greed.
Abundant life is not gained at the expense of another.
the thief cannot offer it.
Abundant life is only abundant if it is for me
and for you,
and for all.
Abundant life trusts that God will provide,
abundant life is lived in loving relationship
with God and neighbour.
The abundant life our Good Shepherd offers
always has room for one more at the table.
For, even in the midst of our enemies,
our God prepares a table for us,
overflowing with abundance.
In the community of faith,
we hold so much in common.
The faith we share,
our hope in the resurrection,
the command to love one another,
the presence of our God.
Amidst our difference
we hold much in common.
At the table, we are one.
We are welcomed into the fold, by name.
If you’re the sheep who has had trouble finding food,
come and be fed.
If you’re the sheep who has has never gone hungry,
come and be fed.
If you’re like Judas
and have taken more than you need
out of the common purse,
come and be fed.
If you are the disciple
who has given everything to your Lord,
come and be fed.
Listen for the voice of your Good Shepherd,
come and be fed.
Even if you don’t recognize the call of the Good Shepherd,
come and be fed.
At this table, we share all things in common.
Whether we struggle to pay the rent
or struggle to keep up
with our investment portfolios,
we all come to this table as beggars,
with hands open wide.
Whether we have gained our wealth
at the expense of others
or our work lines the pockets of others,
there is a place for you and for all
at the Lord’s Table.
At this table,
our Lord gives us a vision for the neighbourhood
as it ought to be:
where all are valued,
where forgiveness abounds,
where no one lives in want,
where we all confess we need each other,
where we all confess that we need God,
where we all need strength for our journeys,
and that’s what Jesus gives us at the table,
grace that is sufficient and abundant.
As we share in this Communion,
we long for the day,
in that life to come,
when all are equal and no one has need,
and we trust that the Holy Spirit will show up,
in a powerful way,
convicting us to a faith
that join’s God’s work
of making this commonwealth happen,
ushering in God’s Kingdom here in this life.
May we hear the voice of the Good Shepherd
and follow Jesus to the Table.
May we live into God’s command to commonwealth
for this life,
and the next.
May God’s Spirit show up in a powerful way
leading us and all people into abundant life.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
