Acts 4:32-35– Now those who believed were of one heart and soul, and they held all possessions in common.
Psalm 133– How good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity.
1 John 1:1 – 2:2– If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves.
John 20:19-31– Doubting Thomas. “Peace be with you.” “Blessed are those who have not seen, and have come to believe.”
The first reading is from Acts. It is a powerful testimony of the impact that the early church had on poverty, due to their generosity. Here is the reading in its entirety:
32Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. 33With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34There 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. 35They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. 36There was a Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”). 37He sold a field that belonged to him, then brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Even if we accept that this is a pretty ideal look at the early church, it does, nevertheless convey a vision of what the church was meant to be, and maybe has been at times, in flashes of the Spirit, here or there. It is a vision worthy of holding up. They were one. They shared. They witnessed. There was grace.
The objection will inevitably come, that this is communal, if not communistic living. All we can say is, yes, they shared.
Psalm 133 famously picks up this theme of unity. How blessed it is. One theme that could be pursued on this day is the theme of unity.
1 John chapter one, if not written by the same author as the gospel, certainly picks up the main themes of the gospel from the outset. The beginning, light, life, darkness, eternal life, the word, joy. And we have the well-known, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” In fact, the last verse of chapter one says it even more strongly: “If we say that we have not sinned, we make God a liar, and his word is not in us.” Chapter two gives us the gospel to that law. We hope you don’t sin, but if you do, good news! Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for our sins. And one more thing. Not just our sins, but also the sins of the whole world.
John 20 gives us the Doubting Thomas text for Quasi Moto Sunday. For more on the history of this Sunday see my post from 2010.
See last year’s post, Visible Sign of an Invisible Hand.
Pastor Ed Marquart (Grace Seattle) reminds us, “Doubts, questions and skepticism often lead to deeper faith and larger faith.”
Reflections
I’d like to go another route. At a recent meeting of the ELCA Conference of Bishops, Bishop Rob Hofstad showed us two pieces of artwork, depicting two versions of Christianity. The first is at the Musée d’Orsay. It is called The Excommunication of Robert the Pious, by Jean-Paul Laurens. The event took place in 998 A.D. The painting was completed in 1875.
Pope Gregory V, excommunicated Robert for marrying his distant cousin, Berthe of Burgundy. It is not the act that is portrayed but the consequences. The look on his face tells the story. He is forlorn. In the silence following the condemnation, the candle is snuffed, on the floor, along with Robert’s scepter. He can no longer receive the sacrament. He will not receive Last Rites, and therefore not receive the forgiveness he will need for his journey into the afterlife. This is the collision of two different kinds of power.
Robert himself was no saint. He was very hard on “heretics,” advocating the forced conversion of Jews. When they would not, he exacted harsh punishments and violence.
Then Hofstad showed a second painting. This one from 1898, by Swiss painter Eugène Burnand, called The Disciples Peter and John Running to the Sepulchre on the Morning of the Resurrection. This painting is Burnand’s most well-known work. It too is at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.
Burnand has also captured facial expression in a masterful way. It is the unmistakable look: HOPE.
Notice the hands as well. John’s hands are clasped, while Peter seems to be holding his chest. Could his heart be pounding?
This hope is what embodies the Christian faith. Hope against hope. Hope beyond the grave. Hope that there is so much more to life than meets the eye.
So which version of Christianity is the real deal: A power struggle between church and state yielding despair, or the breath-catching pang of hope?
One who has hope lives differently.
Pope Benedict XVI
