Christian

Easter 5A, 5/18/14
John 14:1-14; Acts 7:55-60; 1 Peter 2:2-10

Lord, let your face shine upon us, your servants, so that we might grow into salvation. Amen.

Today’s readings are written to Christians.

That might not seem so revolutionary to us now, but think about it.

Of the 66 books in the Bible, 39 of them – the entire Old Testament – were written to the Hebrew people, before Jesus was born.

Of the 27 books in the New Testament, several were written to groups that still considered themselves to be Jewish. Matthew’s Gospel, for example, paints Jesus as a new Moses. Moses wrote the five books of the Torah, Jesus gives five sermons in Matthew… Moses received the Law on Mount Sinai, Jesus gave his followers a new commandment in the Sermon on the Mount.

So of all the possible pages of Scripture that we could be reading, today we hear some passages from Acts, John, and First Peter that are specifically addressed to Christian communities.

This means that we can probably apply these readings to our own faith lives a little more directly than, say, most readings from the Old Testament. The passages we’re looking at this morning already assume a belief in Jesus as the Son of God, knowledge of his death, faith in his resurrection, and belief in his promise of eternal life.

These readings can teach us about what it means – or what it takes – to be a Christian. Belief in Jesus is assumed. But Christianity is about more than a belief. It’s a way of life. So let’s see what the Bible can teach us today.

Looking at First Peter, it is obvious that the first characteristic of Christianity is that it happens in community.

Every time the word “you” shows up in this reading, it’s plural. We can’t tell in English, but in the Greek, there’s a difference between a singular “you” and a plural “you all.” First Peter is written to “you all.”

And look at the instructions that the community gets. Together they are made into a spiritual house, a royal priesthood, a holy nation.

They’re not made into individual holy priests. But communally, they become a holy priesthood.

Any one member of the community on his or her own is just a stone, not very useful. But combine the members together, and the community becomes more than the sum of its parts.

One online Bible study summarizes the message of First Peter this way: When we live as the world calls us to live, we live as individuals. When we live in the way we are called by Christ to live, we live as one community.

(faithelement, http://faithelement.com/sessions/2014/5/14/becoming-a-people)

First Peter was written to a community of new converts who were living in Asia Minor, a part of the world is now in Turkey. This was far removed from ancient Palestine, where Christianity started. These converts would have been mostly Gentiles, non-Jews. They didn't know the Hebrew Bible or Jewish traditions. As such, they probably needed some direction in defining their identity. When you are surrounded by people who don’t know or appreciate your religious identity, it helps to look for something bigger than yourself to gain some direction.

This letter provides that identity for the people.

Christian community is rooted in Scripture.

In just this brief passage from First Peter, the author quotes from or alludes to at least three different Psalms, the book of Isaiah and the book of Hosea.

         Our identity as a Christian community comes from the Bible.

Just before the story from Acts today, Stephen had preached a sermon that was a whole chapter long, 50 verses, and virtually his entire sermon was quoting from or summarizing stories from the Old Testament.

Christianity is rooted in Scripture.

When we seek guidance on how to relate to God, how to treat other people, how to live faithful lives – Scripture is the unifying and identifying thing that we can turn to.

As an example, let me remind you of some of the overarching themes of the Bible and how they can inform our lives today.

God created the world and everything in it.

So to honor God, we should treat creation with respect, don’t litter, don’t be wasteful, don’t destroy creatures that God has made.

God rescues the people from slavery.

So to honor God, we can work for a just and fair economy, where all people are given a voice, making sure people receive fair compensation for their work, and are equipped with humane working conditions.

God allows suffering. From the capture and exile of the Hebrew people to the trials that Job had to endure, we know that suffering happens, even among the faithful.

So to honor God, we should withhold judgment from people who are suffering. Sit with them in their sorrow, love them, find ways to restore their health or their happiness, but know that God never abandons us even when that restoration doesn’t happen.

This is the next theme that we can learn from today’s readings, actually.

Christianity happens in community.

Christianity is rooted in Scripture.

Christian life might include suffering.

Just look at the example of Stephen.

As a reward for his inspiring, impassioned preaching in Acts chapter 7, Stephen is put to death by the crowds.

Choosing to follow Jesus does not guarantee our health or prosperity, or even our safety.

The church in Asia Minor, the audience for First Peter, needed comforting. They were probably being ostracized from society since they had begun this strange new religious sect that the people around them didn’t understand.

But instead of calling for vengeance, the letter tells the Christian community that they are precious in God’s sight even when they have to endure suffering.

Christianity isn’t always easy, but God is always present nonetheless.

And just because things are a certain way now, does not mean that things will always remain that way.

In Christian life, change is possible.

Those early Christians may have had to endure suffering, but just a couple hundred years later their religion was the official religion of the whole region. It took a few generations, but once Christianity took hold of society at large, it took hold in a big way! For over 1500 years, Christianity was the religion of the majority.

         Things changed.

Saul may have started out his career as a persecutor of Christians, standing idly by while Stephen became the first Christian martyr.

But things changed. Jesus appeared to him in a dramatic conversion experience, and Saul – or Paul, as we more often call him – ended up being responsible for the spread of Christianity to places far and wide.

No matter what our life circumstances… no matter how much suffering we experience… no matter what kind of unpleasant people you have to relate to… things can change.

In Christian life, change is possible.

Christian life might include suffering.

Christianity is rooted in Scripture.

Christianity happens in community.

And finally, Christian life requires living out Jesus’ commands.

Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these (John 14:12).

Jesus is going to heaven. He was crucified, died and was buried, on the third day he rose again, and he ascended into heaven.

But Jesus is leaving us with some pretty amazing potential. Jesus gave his disciples the ability to do his work in the world – Jesus entrusts Christians with the responsibility of creating a little bit of heaven right here on earth.

One colleague of mine wrote, “we don’t have to wait
until the end times to experience 
the fullness of God’s love, 
the power of God’s realm.
 It’s available for us here; it’s present for us NOW.” 

(Kris Lewis, http://ammaruns.wordpress.com/2014/05/17/rooms-to-spare/)

Or, as Tracy Chapman sang almost 20 years ago, “Heaven’s Here On Earth.”

Jesus describes a reality in which, yes, there is a room waiting for us in our eternal home, a home that we will get to someday when we join Jesus in being resurrected from death.

But that reality also includes the opportunity for us to experience a little bit of that heaven right now. By doing the things that Jesus commands us to do – just five verses before today’s reading begins, Jesus commanded his disciples to love one another – by doing that, we can start to build a spiritual house right here and right now.

Heaven exists in this life just as much as it does in the life to come.

And we can experience heaven by doing what Jesus commands.

We can grow closer to God by listening carefully to all the instructions that the various Bible readings have given us today.

Christianity happens in community.

Christianity is rooted in Scripture.

Christian life might include suffering.

In Christian life, change is possible.

Christian life requires living out Jesus’ commands.

Following the example of Jesus’ disciples, of Stephen, and of the church in ancient Turkey, I pray that our church community would grow, be changed, be challenged, and learn how to share our faith with others.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.