The Debt of Love

Sermon for Sunday April 19, 2009

1.  Good Morning.  Let’s pray.  O Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing to You O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  Amen.

2.  Opening comments:  Well today is the Sunday after Easter Sunday.  We’re in the Season of Easter and the colors are white.  The season of Easter is 50 days long and ends on the Day of Pentecost (May 31).  The overarching theme for these 50 days are Resurrection – what does the resurrection of Jesus Christ mean?

So that’s our focus.  Honestly I couldn’t think of a more stimulating and enthralling subject quite frankly!

Last Sunday we pondered what it’s going to be like to live forever and this Sunday we’re going to reflect upon what the reality of Christ’s resurrection means for the way we live our lives in the here and now – on Terra Cotta – Terra Firma – Ha!

3.  Ask the question:  Let me ask you a question – If you knew that when you died you would come back to life – I mean bodily life – breathing, eating, laughing, running, hugging, loving and so on?  How would that change the way you live right now?   Think about that – Just suppose you were absolutely certain that when you died you would come back to body life!  How would that change the way you’re living today?

Now I want to read our First Reading again because it’s here that we get a glimpse into the life of the Christian community just weeks after Christ’s death and resurrection.  Truly they were all living in the first blush, if you will, of Christ’s death and resurrection.  How did they react?  Was it back to the normal routines or did things change and if so how much did they change?

The context is that the apostles have been captured and interrogated by the priests and Temple police and put in jail over night.  But they were frightened that the people of Jerusalem might riot so they freed them with the warning not to do any more preaching about their supposed resurrected Lord!

Remember the followers of Jesus had just been filled with the Holy Spirit and were overwhelmed by the historical reality that Jesus had died but then had come back to life – life everlasting. 

4.  Focus on Scripture:  Please listen now as I read from Acts chapter 4 beginning at verse 31;

Acts 4:31   While they were praying, the place where they were meeting trembled and shook. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak God’s Word with fearless confidence.

Acts 4:32   The whole congregation of believers was united as one—one heart, one mind! They didn’t even claim ownership of their own possessions. No one said, “That’s mine; you can’t have it.” They shared everything.  33 The apostles gave powerful witness to the resurrection of the Master Jesus, and grace was on all of them.

Acts 4:34   And so it turned out that not a person among them was needy. Those who owned fields or houses sold them and brought the price of the sale 35 to the apostles and made an offering of it. The apostles then distributed it according to each person’s need.

Can you imagine such a community?  Now before you and I race to decry it as impossible could we imagine such community in fact or is it unimaginable?

You see I really believe that this description isn’t an idealized depiction as some commentators have stated but rather I really believe that this actually happened in light of Christ’s resurrection.

Now we all know it didn’t last but it happened and I want to ponder this just for a moment.

Remember my framing question:

If you knew that when you died you would come back to life – How would that change the way you live right now?

What we just read is a word-picture of how people actually responded to the wonderful and undeniable reality of Christ’s bodily resurrection!

What did they do:

· They were of one mind and one heart!

· They sold everything and owned nothing!

· They shared everything!

· They were filled with grace – that sense of perfect well-being in the presence of  God’s overarching beneficence!

And the result of all of this was what?

· THERE WAS NO NEED!

· ALL WERE cared for!

This is truly a picture of heaven on earth!

It happened then and it’s happened over and over again during times of Spiritual revival.

Talk about the German revivals (1720’s) and then the Welch revivals (1735) and then the Great Awakenings in America! (1740’s)

We know that there is more than enough food on this planet to feed its entire population yet 30,000 people starve to death every day!

5.  Why! 

Those who have don’t always want to share their wealth with all of those who don’t!

Please understand that the people who had just experienced the reality of Christ’s resurrection were exactly the same as those of us who don’t share our wealth with the needy – BUT – BUT - But the people who gave liberally were no longer controlled by any need to hoard or to conserve their personal resources but were filled with an overpowering sense of well-being which compelled them to share all of what they had - nothing help back!

What sort of reality could do this?

A reality that is so magnificent that it overshadows all fears.  A reality that’s so compelling that all of our fears are suddenly silenced in it’s presence.

But this reality – this fact, not ONLY mutes our fears but it releases our love for one another!

Think about that – it’s one thing not to fear loss any more but it’s quite another thing to love so much that you find yourself sharing all of what you have with someone you don’t even know who doesn’t!

In other words, this reality assuages or soothes all fears and prompts generous love – love for everyone – not only for our family but all members of the human family!

Now this is one heck of a reality!  Don’t you think!

I’m not making this up – nor did St. Luke the author of the Book of Acts!

This actually happened – they were filled with the Holy Spirit and the overwhelming realization that Jesus had died but was now fully alive – breathing somewhere!

Just stop for a moment and try to imagine yourself alive back then.  Can you get your head and heart into their heads and hearts?  Can you even begin to imagine how they felt and what prompted them to such radical and in some real sense – imprudent actions?

Think about it will you – what would it take to bring you and me to a place where we were willing to sell all of our property and surrender this with all of our savings to those in need?

What would it take?

Someone might say – well if I won the Lottery!

But remember I said – sell and give away everything you had! Nothing held back!

So what would it take?

Let me read those key verses once more but this time from the NIV translation:

Acts 4:31          After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

Acts 4:32          All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.  33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.  34 There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.

I have seen this sort of generosity in my life and it has invariably come from someone overwhelmed by the love of our Lord and their debt of love to Him and all whom He loves!

Ah!  The debt of love!  It’s true isn’t it?  Think about it – when you have felt unconditional love you have also sensed a deep and abiding desire to respond in like kind to this love.

Love – true love – always elicits a response and that’s what happened in Jerusalem just weeks and months after Christ’s resurrection!   His death on our behalf followed by His resurrection so captured their imaginations that they felt compelled to respond in like king not only to Him but to all who He loved!

What we read about in the 4^th chapter of Acts is this response of the debt of love.

Do you and I feel any debt of love – to God, to anyone living in this world?  I do!  And I thank God for it!  Love like this teaches me – teaches us - because it draws a response of love from us!

Undeserved love almost always draws a response of love!

6.  Overcoming Cynicism and the Arid dream of the Now! 

But we can’t end our reflection here because the truth is that this initial loving response was quickly replaced with “life as usual” – “Church as usual” and the miracle of resurrection slowly slouched into the shadows of barely remembered happenings – sentimentally remembered in occasional sermons especially around Easter time – but not many actually believed that this actually happened.  After all – it’s been such a long time and Jesus hasn’t come back – maybe He never will or just maybe all of this is just a reminder to live as if life were forever!

And so we have theologians and pastors today we really don’t think the actual resurrection was an historical fact but rather perhaps the over zealous imaginings of His faithful but deluded followers.

And so today we hear sermons about the “metaphor” of resurrection – the “idea” of resurrection!  The compelling message of renewal and so on and so on ad nauseum!  It’s just not sophisticated today to actually believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ!

But that’s not true in this Church family.  We believe in our Lord’s bodily resurrection – we affirm it ever Sunday in the Nicene Creed:

Jesus was crucified died and was buried and on the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the living and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

This is a fact – an historical fact and today our resurrected Lord is calling us to wrestle again to really grasp this reality and to live in it’s light and to respond in gratitude and love to the debt of love we owe our resurrected Lord!

7.  Application:  You see the only way to really grasp this reality is not to try to grasp it – it’s like trying to cut Jello – you can’t!  The key is to invite the resurrected Lord Jesus to come again and again into your life – to make you more and more like Him.  It’s about “Hitting “Christ Refresh” about 20 or more times a day so that the magnificent reality of His living today is not lost on the way we live our lives today.  Let’s do that right now!

7.  Let’s pray . . .