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        Acts 4:1-22   

https://youtu.be/2HOS9Ld045k

            For any Christian church, gathering for prayer and worship grows out of a shared faith in the Author of Life who is Jesus Christ.  But believers can not build a church that only gathers for prayer and song and nourishing themselves with the Word of God.

            We are learning through the experiences of the earliest congregations in Jerusalem that building a church requires a level of boldness that comes not from within, but from God’s Holy Spirit.  It is a boldness to speak and to act.  It is a boldness that can be met by the “powers that be” with anger, violence or attempts to control the spreading of information that they do not want others to hear.  Look at what happens to Peter and John in our text this morning when they speak boldly about the power of Christ to the religious authorities.

            You might remember from last week that Peter had been  preaching in the temple, with the man who had been born unable to walk now standing next to he and John because of the healing power of the name of Jesus.  The powers that be—the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, who were a part of the influential priestly establishment in Jerusalem—had been alerted to what was going on.  They also did not miss the obvious fact that a LOT of people had gathered to listen to Peter.  So many, in fact, that Luke reports to us that 5000 people believed the word that Jesus was resurrected from the dead.  Convincing people that someone had been resurrected from the dead did not sit well with the Sadducees.  They did not believe that resurrection fit anywhere in the Torah, nor in any of the teachings of Moses.  They understood the way to best connect with God was to obey the practices taught by Moses, not to believe in a person resurrected from the dead. 

            This is important because the Sadducees were among the religious and social elites, and therefore the ones with the power to judge for or against any upstart group of believers.  They vehemently opposed the apostles, their message and their practices throughout the book of Acts. The Sadducees response?  Like many of those in authority, when their authority is challenged or undermined or ridiculed in any way, they clamped down and did what they could to stop this dangerous behavior.  They arrested Peter and John, and they spent the night in jail.  The next morning the two apostles were brought before the religious authorities and questioned on just where they thought their authority came from to heal a man who had never walked before.  Already we are seeing that the followers of Jesus end up facing similar kinds of resistance to that faced by Jesus himself in front of Caiaphas, Herod and Pontius Pilate.  Those who want to build a church can not expect to get off more easily than Jesus did.  If we live our lives with the same commitment to loving others, to seeking justice and  to promoting peace, we will also run the risk of raising the hackles of the powers that be, wherever we are. In Baltimore, Maryland, USA, we are very unlikely to lose our lives for speaking out, but we sure do know what it is like to run into walls erected by the systems of our society.  The elusive shopping center owner who seems to care little for the safety of the people who frequent his property.  The practical and attitudinal roadblocks against recently released prisoners in their quest to find an honest job.  The power of tradition in a church that keeps newer members from speaking up about their ideas and suggestions. It is because of this “Jesus disturbance”, as William Willimon calls the ministry of Jesus, that those with the authority to judge, feel threatened wherever we might be.

            Peter speaks boldly, wisely, convincingly.  The authorities are stunned that an uneducated, ordinary fisherman could speak so well and make them look bad in the eyes of the crowd for arresting he and John in the first place. Peter’s boldness comes from the Holy Spirit.  He is very clear that this outlandish charge of healing a man who never walked has nothing to do with his own action.  He gives all the credit to Jesus, the Christ of Nazareth, who was sentenced to die at the hands of the very same kind of authorities who are  looking down on Peter at that very moment. 

            The authorities, looking back and forth from the healed man to the crowd of onlookers outside the door, were speechless. Their only response was to order that there be some time in executive session. Peter and John were removed from the room while the authorities debated what to do. They knew very well that the people believed that the healing had been in the name of Jesus, and the preaching of the good news of the resurrection had now convinced many of them to be believers in Christ.  Given the pressure of the crowd, they could not detain Peter and John any longer, nor could they punish them physically.  Instead, they called them back in and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.

            It reminds me of what happened to our brothers and sisters in Cuba when one set of abusive authorities was toppled and a new regime took over in 1959.  Under Fidel Castro, the church was invalid.  It lost all its power and many of its resources. The church schools were seized and turned into government schools.  The church buildings which housed mini pharmacies and food pantries as well as spaces for worship and study were forced to be abandoned.  The “powers that be” basically tried to put a muzzle on the church, tried to control the information available to the people by controlling the media and bad-mouthing the religious institutions.  Essentially, they tried to ban belief.  You can try, but it does not work.  On the outside, Castro may have claimed that he was in control, that the church was muzzled for good.  But the truth of a resurrected Jesus can not be contained.  In Cuba, the gospel continued underground for several decades, with believers meeting in homes, in small connect groups.  Those Christians who had to publicly renounce their roles in the church in order to keep their jobs continued to believe in their hearts that Christ is the Author of Life. No government official can take that away! Now we know that worshipping communities are permitted again in Chuba, although the government maintains a very close watch their activities.

            Peter boldly replies to the religious leaders—we absolutely cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.  If that is not defiance in the face of authority, I don’t know what is.  But at this point, Peter knew very well that he and John had the upper hand.  There were too many people who had heard and believed, too many people who knew that arresting someone for healing in Christ’s name was bogus. 

            We see this dynamic play out in our day again and again.  Civil authorities (and maybe even religious authorities!), drunk on the wine of self-importance or white privilege or conspicuous consumption, overstep their power, passing judgement on those with no power, no money, no social capital.  Too often they get away with it in a system that continues to be skewed toward those in power. This past week we saw an authority figure toppled, getting the verdict he deserved for killing a man with his knee. Maybe the Minneapolis decision brings a glimmer of hope that change is a-comin’.

            The followers of Jesus, then and now, have no reason to expect that the “powers that be” will have any more interest in them, or offer any more support to them, than they did to Jesus himself.  Bucking up against authorities who are on the wrong side of justice brings a reaction, and often a swift, angry, negative reaction.  That is why standing firm in what you believe requires boldness.  Not boldness that comes from being a courageous individual, but boldness that comes from being together with a community of believers inspired and equipped by the Holy Spirit.

            We did not hear this part in our reading this morning; let me tell you what happens next. After Peter and John were released, they went to the group of believers to tell them what happened.  The group prayed together, not asking God for protection from the religious authorities, who might be looking to arrest them next; but for boldness.  The believers were seeking from God the boldness they needed to speak God’s word in the face of persecution or discrimination or bogus charges or threats.  They clearly believed that even in the face of persecution by powerful people, they could turn to God.  They were still in God’s hands.  And so are the poor, the disenfranchised, the vulnerable, those on the margins. They are still in God’s hands. We are still in God’s hands. Even in the face of unmerited troubles and trials, God’s hand never wavers. 

            Yes, indeed, church building requires boldness.  The external community needs to hear and to see what we are about—otherwise they might mistake us for just another fun-loving social group of some sort.  No different from a Ravens’ fan club or a garden club or the players on a softball team getting together after a game.  We are different. We are a community who shares faith in the Author of Life.  And together we are witnesses to justice, doing random acts of kindness, and walking side by side with those who are hurting or homeless or haunted by demons or addictions. Let us be church builders, bold and strong, ready to exhibit the love of Jesus Christ in this world.  Amen.

April 11, 2021           Psalm 133, Acts 4:32-5:11

What do you need to build a church?  Many things, for sure.  This morning I am going to ask for some input from you all.  Think about just one thing that is needed for building a church.   If you are online with us this morning, please take a moment to put that one thing in the chat.  If you here in person, shout it out so we can hear.  (Repeat and read some of the answers so all can hear.)

Building a church takes people.  It takes faith.  It takes commitment and time and energy.  The earliest groupings of Jesus followers we read about in the book of Acts illustrate phase one in church building.  It is not constructing a building.  It is not hiring a preacher.  It is not even deciding on what kind of music defines your worship style.  It is creating a community, a deep commitment to one another.  If you visited a congregation and did not sense that the people in the pews cared a lot about each other, would you want to come back?  If they don’t care for each other, how do they exhibit Christ to the world and how will they care for you?

The group of believers in Jerusalem (you notice that they are not called a church yet by Luke) are of one heart and soul.  They are devoted to one another and pay close attention to one another’s needs.  So much so that they agree to share all their possessions in common.  Those tools are for use by anyone in the group.  Those bowls belong to us all.  The wheat?  Anyone can use it to bake bread.  It is like they make a conscious decision not to use the terms “mine”, “not mine” or “alien” in their conversations with or about the other believers.  When you agree to share your possessions with the group, you are not only giving up your possessions.  You are turning over the control of your things, the ability to decide how your possessions are used, whether or not they are sold, or to whom they should be given.  You are also giving up whatever status or privilege you once had, and you lose your sense of security that was previously tied to owning something.  The believers agreed to turn their assets over to the apostles who would manage the funds for the good of the entire group.  That involves a deep level of trust.  The believers sold property and brought the proceeds to the apostles’ feet to be shared with the entire group. No one was left in need.  All participated, all belonged.  Barnabas is mentioned specifically as one of those who put his faith into practice by turning over his assets to the community.  He is sharply contrasted with Ananias and Sapphira, a husband and wife who also sold their property and only brought a portion of the profits to lay at the apostles’ feet.  Not only that, but each one of them lied about it, trying to make it look like they were supporting the community to the same extent that others were, but really withholding a portion of the proceeds.  Peter calls Ananias out on it, telling him that he has not lied to the group members, but he has lied to God.  Both Ananias and Sapphira are struck dead because of their selfishness and deceit.  The harsh lesson for the rest of the group is clear:  that is no way to be a part of a group of believers.  That is no way to build a church.

Sharing their assets in common perhaps rose out of the powerful testimony given by the apostles to the story of the risen Christ, a testimony that ended up showering the believers with great grace.  I have been wondering what great grace might have looked like.  Maybe it looks like a willingness to share my property.  Maybe it looks like my less well-off neighbor no longer must worry about how to feed his family.  Maybe it looks like the words of the psalm we read this morning: “Look at how good and pleasing it is when kindred live together as one … it is like the dew on Mount Hermon…because it is there that the Lord has commanded the blessing:  everlasting life.”  From the top of Mt. Hermon you can look down on the Golan Heights, Syria and Lebanon.  Today it is the only ski resort in Israel.  Apparently, the dew on Mt. Hermon was more than dew in the winter.  It was snow—snow that left behind life giving water in a mostly desert land.  Snow that melted to fill streams which watered fields and gardens and orchards down in the valleys.  Perhaps living together in harmony, living together because we are of one heart and soul describes us as both enriched and enriching, nourished and nourishing, full of life and beauty in winter and in summer.

Creating first a community of believers is phase one in building a church.  It is forming a group which recognizes the great graces of God’s love and power in their midst, of seeing that all are cared for and loved, of living a joy-filled life together. Without that cohesiveness, it would be difficult to move into any other phase of church building. 

Ninety-two years ago, our ancestors in the faith built this church building.  Since the group of believers began worshipping at Hunting Ridge in the fall of 1930, the church building had to be under construction when the stock market crashed in late October 1929.  Undeterred, the group of believers carried on.  Based on the funds they had available, they intended for this structure to be the chapel, hoping someday to add a big sanctuary like the one they had sold.  If they had, we would not have the beautiful green space we have now.  They moved west, beyond the city limits, at the time and changed their name since they had previously identified themselves geographically by Lafayette Square, where that church building still stands.  With our new name, we are still identified geographically by the neighborhood behind us.

The story behind why this group of believers wanted to relocate is the oft-repeated story of Baltimore and other urban areas in early 20^th century United States.  It is the story of white flight from neighborhoods which rapidly changed from all white to almost all Black.  This is the kind of story that we will be digging into with the help of a researcher hired by our In the Loop Ministry group.  We are a group of 12 Presbyterian churches, mostly in the city of Baltimore.  We work together on various projects and programs to strengthen our faith and to deepen our relationship with the communities in which we find ourselves.  Recently our biggest effort has been to provide a monthly thought provoking and informative series called B’more Human.  Kudos to Annette Snyder, who, along with Kenny Walker from Knox Presbyterian, serves as co-convenor of our ministry group.  Coming up next Monday evening will be the next installment, a panel of experts talking about liberation theology—pulled together and moderated by our own James Parks.  Be sure to register through the Presbytery website. 

In the Loop leaders have recognized that the American church as a whole–and also our 12 churches in particular– have histories that are intertwined with racism, inequity of pastor salaries or physical space or sizes of endowments, and views of the surrounding neighborhood with ignorance, indifference or flat out avoidance.  Damella Dotan, the researcher who has been hired, will be meeting this week with Suzanne Jewell and Jill Harrison, our liaisons for this project, to begin digging into our racial history.  In exploring our history, we may be motivated to act in some new way—maybe by offering reparations of some sort, seeking reconciliation, and/or experiencing personal and institutional reflection and change.

I wonder what Ms. Dotan will find out about Hunting Ridge?  She will explore old session minutes, newsletters, and budgets.  She may interview some of our long-time members like Ernestine Alston.  Ernestine Alston lived with her 5 children on Cooks Lane, just around the corner.  After Ginny Callahan knocked on her door one day and invited her to church, Ernestine enrolled her children in the Sunday School program at Hunting Ridge Presbyterian Church in 1972.  Soon afterward, in 1973, Ernestine became what she remembers as being the second Black member at Hunting Ridge.  She remembers a mixed reaction from the congregation to her family’s presence in its midst. Some members welcomed her warmly.  Others would speak to her, but she read in their faces and in their tone of voice that they were not comfortable sharing their pews with a Black family. They might not have spoken aloud the words, “mine”, “not mine” and “alien”, but I am guessing some of our ancestors in the faith certainly thought those things.  Ernestine chose to not let those attitudes bother her and went on to teach Sunday School to children for 20 years!  She also served on a pastor nominating committee and as an usher.  Ernestine is an ordained deacon in our congregation.

Two decades later, after multiple Black members had been drawn to Hunting Ridge for various reasons, our congregation made an intentional commitment to be what was called at that time a multi-cultural congregation. Fast forward to 2021, some 25 years after this church committed to being multi-cultural.  What joy we had last Saturday as Blacks and whites and Asians worked side by side in our gardens, digging up weeds, transplanting plants and spreading mulch as we prepare our gardens for vegetables to share fresh, nourishing produce with our neighbors.  We are not in the habit of practicing common ownership of our assets.  Yet we find that we create community as we pull weeds together, as we celebrate a good afternoon’s work with immediate rewards, as we munch on grilled hamburgers and hotdogs.  Creating community is phase one of church building.  It has nothing at all to do with a physical structure.  It has everything to do with the way we relate to one another, the level of trust we have in each other, the care we offer to those who are suffering from scarcity or pain or loss, the extent to which we think about we over you and us before me, and the ability to recognize the great graces showered upon us as a group of believers in this place at this time.  Amen.