Acts 2: 42-47 Marianne Niesen May 15, 2011
This is the background for today’s scripture text from the Acts of the Apostles: The spirit had just descended on the apostles and they had begun preaching and teaching and sharing the love of Jesus. Those who were attracted to the movement formed small groups and began to join in the work of the apostles. Luke, who wrote the Acts of the Apostles, describes what their life together looked like . . . listen!
Let’s face it, when you hear those words, doesn’t it seem like the only thing they needed was someone with a guitar playing Kum Ba Yah? Sigh! There they were, all lovey dovey, not a care in the world, not a thought for tomorrow – just love and happiness! Sharing and caring and sparing no effort to do good. It is a picture so idyllic, it hardly seems real. When I looked at the text this time, I found myself especially intrigued by the last line…and day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. What was it about that Kum Ba Yah community that grabbed people? From our perspective, it really doesn’t sound all that interesting. And what does that mean that these people were saved? At first blush, it may sound quite understandable. Christians often throw such language around – being ‘saved from sin’ and ‘saved by Christ.’ But, what exactly did that mean then?
After all, this is a description of the earliest days of the church – before these people were even called ‘Christians.’ These were just little groups of Jewish believers who were still living in the world in which Jesus had lived. The Romans were still in power. The very people who had Jesus executed still threatened the lives of ordinary peasants. Many many people were still calling for someone to lead a revolution against the Roman imperialists. For those people, the Jesus movement had been a failure. Just look where peaceful resistance and loving enemies got him! He’d been dealt with – in the Roman way – with violent efficiency. There was talk, of course, that he lived still but . . . well you know how those kind of people are. Idealistic. Deluded. The fact is, the guy was dead and most of his followers had scattered at the end. A few women hung around but the Romans didn’t worry too much about them. Crucifixion was a powerful teacher. The Romans had the people right where they wanted them. Scattered. Scared. Subservient. Back in their corners. And many were exactly there.
And there they would have stayed – except for one thing . . . day by day, the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. As the church developed and theologians theologized, being ‘saved’ became a belief and a theory. It was something to learn and teach and preach about. But, that is not at all what it was about in those early days. Being saved then was being saved from the agonizing anxiety of living in fear. It was being saved from loneliness and hopelessness. It was being saved from those corners of helplessness. When we brush aside the clutter that obscures these words we quickly find that salvation at its heart, in the beginning, was found not in a set of beliefs or imperatives. It was found in community. That Kum Ba Yah scene was not people just being nicey-nicey. It was an alternative life style. It was a way of survival that was different from violent revolution or scared submission.
Here’s the deal…on Easter Sunday, Jesus got resurrection and we got the church! And that was a good thing. That is our Easter legacy. And it is a powerful one that we dare not write off. Many do, of course. We hear it when folks say - well, I’m spiritual. I’m just not religious. I understand how that can happen for people. The church has not always been its best self. Church folk have been judgmental and narrow-minded. That’s why every once in a while it is good to re-examine the earliest roots of what the church is meant to be. Our Easter legacy is to be known not for what we believe but for how we live. Our Easter legacy is to be people who choose community over rugged individualism, mutuality over partisanship, the common good over selfishness, worship of God over the worship of self. And only the people who have never tried it think it is easy!
And that made me think of jazz. When I planned to preach this sermon, I did not know it would be a Jazz Sunday. But, it is and I think today’s jazz can help us better understand the power and challenge of our Easter legacy.
Bear with me for a minute here . . . I am not a musician but I am going to tell you what I think is going on with jazz and how it can help us understand the heart of what it means to be the church of Jesus Christ. First, as I hope you know, these folks practice. It only sounds like they make this all up as they go along! Each band member here practices - alone and together. So, part of the foundation of anything worth doing, including a life of faith, is that we need to practice - even, and maybe especially, when we don’t feel like it. When we join together in worship each Sunday, we practice community. When we pray, we practice our dependence on God, our acknowledgment that everything is not about us. When we make our offering each Sunday, we practice generosity. Our applause - which, admittedly, is sometimes a bit forced - reminds us that the opportunity to share our wealth is in fact a good thing even though we might feel more like protecting what we have. In other words, practice is as important to living a Christian life, to being the church, as it is to a jazz band.
Next point . . . you’ve noticed, I’m sure, that each band member has a part and must be willing to bring his or her gift to the band - and even showcase it at times. There are times when one leads and times when they blend in with the others. The rhythm we hear is more than a beat. It’s a rhythm of moving out in front and fading back. Of course, they don’t each play just any old thing . . .there’s a plan, an over-arching tune - that is made all the richer with the individual flavors. The church is no different. It is about leading and following. It’s about being as concerned about making someone else look good as being good myself. That takes practice, as well as attention to the “master” tune. And the master tune of a Christian life, of the church? Follow Jesus. Love God. Love others. Love self. There are lots of ways to play that - but that’s the tune. And it takes practice.
Which of course leads to the third point . . . everyone gets a turn. Everyone has a part. There is a fundamental humility about it all. Each of us - in music and in life - is blessed and gifted by God and is called to share our blessing even as we affirm and celebrate the blessings, the gifts of others. Nobody has it all. Our choir illustrates this every Sunday. Some may have stronger voices than others, but all are needed. And not only that, but the central choir in any church is not the group in gowns . . . it’s the choir in the pews! All of us together. We are all entrusted with the tune. And, even when we hit a wrong note or get confused - the group helps see us through.
And finally, the fourth ‘basic’ of life and jazz is listening. Again, I’m not a musician but I know these folks can’t do what they do if they don’t listen to each other. And that is not just listening with ears - it is also listening with the heart, getting a sense of where things are going. Maybe getting a sense of who is really ‘on’ today and throwing them the spotlight. They each need to hear what each other is doing so they each know how to do their part. I don’t know who it was who said . . . what most people need is a “good listening to” but, I think, it’s right.
Do you remember several years ago when the Olympic torch was making its way around the world on the way to Beijing? There were some particularly violent demonstrations against China in several places. Do you remember the response of the Dalai Lama? He spoke out about what he saw and adamantly defended the right of free speech, saying ‘no one has the right to say shut up’ to someone else. But at the same time, he pleaded with the demonstrators to be peaceful. The Dalai Lama’s words - which on one level are so simple - come from a man who knows well the ways of the world. His words though simple are not simplistic. One news reporter reminded listeners that the Dalai Lama is the longest serving head-of state in the world. - and then the reporter said, almost in passing, that the Dalai Lama is a leader who holds news conferences and gives interviews and meets with heads of state - and still spends 7 - 8 hours a day in prayer. Think about that . . . a leader who listens deeply not just to the voices around him but to that powerful voice deep within the soul. He hears the tune for a peaceful world - and he who lost so much and has so much reason for anger and hate – still leads us to play a symphony of peace instead of joining the cacophony of violence and war around us. He reminds us that Christians have no corner on love - it is the desire of all people of faith. And it will always require practice.
Like the early Christians, we too live in a volatile world and our lives abound with challenges. Things happen. People die. Jobs change. Children are born. Children grow up. Friends disappoint us. We disappoint ourselves. We find ourselves alone. We struggle with relationships. We lose a job. We move. Friends move. Families disintegrate. We try something we’ve always done and it doesn’t work any more. We fail. We succeed. We flounder. The list is endless. And, in the end, nothing can prepare us for everything. But something can ground us for anything - and that is our Easter legacy – a community committed to help us play the tune of cooperation and love. It may look boring - at least from the outside but it can take us places. It can create the jazz version of faithful living – compelling people to go on a medical mission to Brazil or join relief efforts in Haiti or send money for aid for the flood ravaged Mississippi region. It is why we collect diapers and tokens, lead the way in Family Promise, helping homeless children and their families regain self-sufficiency, fill cans with ‘change for the children’ of Intermountain, support our young people in their breakfasts and car washes which benefit mission and outreach. It is why we show up to build Habitat for Humanity homes. You just never know how Christians will improvise on life, making real Jesus’ vision for the world. But we need each other to do it. That’s why, on Easter, when Jesus got ‘resurrection,’ we got the makings of the church – an alternative community that sustains and empowers those who want to live the Jesus way. The way of salvation. To be saved is to be part of God’s great work in the world. You’ll notice the text says that ‘the Lord’ – God – added to the number of ‘those being saved.’ The job of the church was – and is – to be the church, to do the work of Jesus, to be attractive, to be an alternative community. God adds to the number.
And so, we practice - being generous, loving, patient, thoughtful, holy, forgiving. We offer our gift, do our part. We give others a chance, recognizing what they bring. And we listen - to God, to each other, to ourselves. And then - we improvise. In music, that’s called jazz. In life, it’s called living. In faith? Well, I think perhaps our children’s ministry team has it right . . . it’s called ‘godly play!’ So much of life is about making it up as we go along. May the music we make up be grounded in a foundation of practicing what matters, bringing what we have, receiving what others offer and deeply listening. May we thus live our Easter legacy.
