Readings:
Acts 2:42-end;
Psalm 23;
1 Peter 2:19-end;
John 10:1-10

Collect:
Risen Christ, faithful shepherd of your Father’s sheep:
teach us to hear your voice and to follow your command,
that all your people may be gathered into one flock,
to the glory of God the Father. Amen

Reflection

At our annual meeting last Sunday, we considered four questions about our life together as church in Watling Valley:

• Why do I come here?
• What makes us who we are?
• What do we do well in this place?
• What are the challenges we face here? 

They are good and important questions, and ones to which we will return in the months to come, as we continue to discern how God is leading us in this season of our shared life.

I was reminded of these questions when I read this week’s lectionary reading from Acts: “All who believed were together and had all things in common” (Acts 2.44). I wondered: what does it mean to have things in common – in some translations to hold things in common? What are the things we hold in common within Watling Valley? This is, I think, about more than material resources. It is about our common life, our shared action and shared priorities and, perhaps most importantly, our shared life of prayer. 

And then I noticed a bit more about the context for this verse. Immediately preceding it, we read: “Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles.” (Acts 2.43). Perhaps when we read about signs and wonders we imagine something spectacular or obviously miraculous. And perhaps those sorts of signs and wonders were prevalent in the early church – but it’s not clear that that is what the text is referring to here. 

What if the signs and wonders which invoke such awe – and ultimately lead many to believe in Jesus – include the simple act of holding things in common? Certainly in our present materialistic and individualistic culture, the idea of holding things in common, of giving of our resources, our time, and even ourselves for the common good is profoundly countercultural. Could it be that living in a way which rejects the individualism of the culture is itself a sign and wonder, provoking in observers awe, or perhaps curiosity, or perhaps a willingness to look more closely at this thing we call faith? 

The common life of the early church, as described in Acts, is not always easy. There are differences and disagreements, things go wrong and people hurt each other. So it will be in the common life of any church – including our own – if we really want to pursue the life of community and communion to which Jesus calls us. We are all flawed and fallible human beings, and we must be profoundly thankful that we serve a God whose mercy and forgiveness is limitless! 

But when we try to live more closely together, to hold fast to those things which we have in common, and to hold in common the gifts God has given us, we move – however gradually and imperfectly – nearer towards the unity to which we are called in Christ.

Ruth Harley