She came asking for assistance. The pressures of an alcoholic husband and a stack of out-of-control bills seemed beyond her ability to cope. The real tragedy, though, of this plea for help was that it was being made to a stranger. You see, she was a Christian, actively involved in a church. But going to those people, who had led her to Christ, and revealing to them her needs, was something she felt she could not do.....

            Isn’t that the way it often is? The very place to which, you’d think, persons should first turn for help - their own church - is frequently the last place they would ask. Why is that? Let’s reverse roles with this woman for a minute and ask ourselves, would we do the same if we faced similar circumstances? I mean, if there was a deep-seated problem in our home which seemed beyond our control, which threatened our financial, as well as our spiritual and emotional well-being, would we / could we reveal our need to this body of Christ? Maybe … Maybe not.

            Perhaps it’s a matter of pride, or trust, or dignity. These reasons are not unimportant. I’ve been in churches where I wouldn’t dare to take such a risk. But even in the best of congregations, it takes a lot to ask for help - especially from people you’re close to. You know, we talk about how charity should begin at home. Home, however, is often the hardest place for it to happen. Sometimes it’s easier to ask a stranger for help, than it is to ask a fellow church member. But is that the way it should be?

            In this morning’s scripture lesson, we see a description of the very first church. Listen to it again: “Now 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... There 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. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need” (Acts 4:32, 34 35). There is something very appealing about these words, isn’t there?!

            When I was in Brethren Volunteer Service, the organization I worked for was based at a church in Evanston, Illinois, right next to the city of Chicago. This congregation was not your typical, run of the mill congregation. Affiliated at that time with both the Mennonite Church, and the Church of the Brethren, “Reba Place Fellowship” was very intentional about being a Christian “community.” They took ‘living together’ very seriously. As in this scripture, they held all things in common, distributing to each as any had need. Their homes and cars were jointly owned. Their paychecks were placed into a common purse. In so doing they were able to multiply their resources, and really become a place where needs could be met.

            This was all voluntary, though. It wasn’t a cult. Persons could leave whenever they wanted. I know several who did. For the most part, members lived together in households. Though I was not a member, I was privileged to live in such a household for a year. There were nine of us in all - a family with three preschoolers, two single women, as well as myself and another man, each with our own room (well, I shared mine with my BVS co-worker, Doug). Together, we all functioned as a family - sharing cooking, babysitting, cleaning and other duties. Some things, of course, were not shared. We were pretty intentional about personal space and relationships. These were evangelical Christians.

            This was not a “commune,” full of ‘hippie’ types. It was a fellowship of believers in Jesus Christ. In many ways, my experience almost 40 years ago with these people came very close to living out this morning’s scripture. Sometimes, when things have gotten really ‘stressed out’ in my life, I have dreamed of returning to Reba Place, even though it has changed a great deal since I left. I have enough sense to know, though, that this is a pipe dream on my part. You can’t escape the stresses of life by moving somewhere else, even a place such as that.

“Now 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... There 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. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need” (Acts 4:32, 34 35).

            You may have noticed that I omitted a verse, smack dab in the middle of this passage from the fourth chapter of Acts. Though some may feel the verse I left out interrupts the train of thought, I guess I consider it pretty important. It’s a sentence which, at least for our more modern ears, defines this group in Jerusalem as being different from a communist collective, or a cult. Between verses 32 and 34, which describe the sharing of possessions within the Jerusalem church at its birth, are these words: “With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all” (Acts 4:33).

            What that verse says to me is that this kind of sharing, when it is authentic, is a grace from God, a sign of the resurrection. It does not happen by force, either the force of a government, as in communism, or the force of a leader’s will, as in a cult. Instead, it happens as a grace. When individuals are touched by the Holy Spirit and experience the power of the resurrection of Jesus, a new freedom is discovered, the joy of sharing what one has with others. Whenever believers share what they have, however great or small that sharing is, it’s a sign of the resurrection, that Jesus is risen, and is alive and moving in their midst.

            Now, I didn’t read this description of the early church in Jerusalem, or tell you my story about Reba Place Fellowship, in order for us to go out and become just like them. Actually, after BVS when I was looking for a job as a congregational youth minister, I mentioned in an interview my experience at Reba Place, which was enough to nix my chances of being called by that particular search committee.

            As appealing as it might seem, we know that the Jerusalem church was not the example that all other churches followed. We also know that part of their decision to let go of property for others rested in the belief that Jesus would return any day. They had to think a bit more long-term when Jesus didn’t return as soon as they expected. They adjusted, or better said, the Holy Spirit helped them to adapt to changing circumstances. Over time, every congregation adjusts, even that community near Chicago where I lived for a year. They’re now known as “Reba Place Church,” and most members no longer share a common purse. They’ve adjusted - spiritually adapted to changing times. I wonder, how might we adjust, how might the Holy Spirit be adapting us not only to survive, but to thrive, to live in the power of the resurrection in these changing times?