“The good ol’ days”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Friday, June 23, 2023

Acts 2:37-47 (Forward, p. 56) CEV p. 1135

In many ways, it seems too good to be true, this description of the earliest years of the Christian church. Some three thousand people coming to the faith and being baptized in one single day. People spending their time learning from the apostles, sharing meals and praying together. Signs and wonders, miracles, galore. Everyone acting like one happy family, sharing their lives and their possessions and looking after any of their number who were in need. And the church having widespread favour in the community and adding converts every day. Yes, indeed, it does seem too good to be true.

However, there were extenuating circumstances, an unusual set of conditions, that ‘paved the way’ for this amazing turn of events, this revival. Jerusalem was full of devout, observant Jews from all over the known world, Jews who knew their Scriptures and knew God’s promises. And so, Peter’s use of the passage from Joel and his exposition of it in terms of what had just taken place that Pentecost day would have made abundant sense. And so too, his quotation of the passages from the Psalms that referred to King David and the Messiah would have struck a chord, an ‘ha-ha’ moment. Likewise, with the recent judicial death of Jesus would have been very much on the minds—and on their consciences! And, then, to hear that God had raised Him from the dead: this would have put God’s seal of approval on Him. And, of course, there was the widespread hunger and yearning for God’s intervention in the world. The signs and wonders and miracles would have just ‘played’ into this, fostered this expectation and given rise to even greater hopes. And so, this was a rather unusual situation, and not one that we can realistically expect to be duplicated exactly in our day and time.

As I describe this situation, however, I cannot help but be reminded of yet another ‘golden era’, the period of time just after the Second World War when the church was ‘in its heyday’. How often I have heard it spoken of with great longing and nostalgia! Oh, the church was full back then, and Sunday schools and youth groups were flourishing.

But then, conditions were rather unique, rather specific to those times. There was the widespread ‘sigh of relief’ that the depravations and stress

of the Depression and two world wars were over and done with. Life could now return to normal, and so far the church was seen with great favour. No or little scandal had yet tarnished its reputation and it was seen as a great force for good in the community. Furthermore, it was a meeting place, a place to ‘see and be seen’, an appropriate place to build community and social (and business) contacts. And as yet, our present array of ‘alternatives’, the cottage, social media, Sunday openings, conflicting work schedules, and Sunday sports and activities, had not yet come into play in the major way that they behave today. Church was seen as ‘the thing to do’, especially come Sunday mornings.

So then, does this mean that we should rule out any thought or possibility of revival today? No, not in the least. However, rather than harken back to the unique circumstances that largely fueled past revivals, we should try to isolate what factors might help it to happen today. Here are some of my suggestions (feel free to choose your own):

-providing a sense of hope and meaning in a world that seems to be

terribly destitute of both;

-providing a community of belonging that transcends culture and

language and ethnicity and place of origin (remember all the diverse

nations and languages that were present that Pentecost Sunday.)

-being a community of learning and exploration and spiritual

growth where the Bible and the faith are taken seriously;

-being a community that meets together socially, shares and pools its

resources, and makes sure that the needs of everyone are taken

care of;

-being a community where God’s action, God’s intervention in every

day life is quite evident (signs, wonders and miracles, anyone?

Answered prayer?;

-being a community that makes use of whatever public media are

available. (Peter was able to simply stand up in a public place and

make his appeal to the crowds—such are the open-air options of

Mediterranean communities, with its plazas and outdoor markets

and such like). And so, what are our options? I would suggest

the traditional media of the press, radio and television, the online

resources of You Tube and such like, plots and podcasts, Zoom and

other group chats, and of course, the social media. We can’t stand

on the street corner and be heard, but we have ways and means of

getting our message out that were never even dreamt of in the

ancient world.

And, one other thing: undergirding Pentecost—and preceding it—were days and days of concerted, communal prayer. And, from the record, it didn’t end after that day either.

So, I see no reason why we cannot expect a similar outburst of the Holy Spirit working in people’s lives and in our world today. And so, my prayer is, “Lord Jesus, use me. Guide me, direct me, and fill me with your Spirit, that I may be used in whatever way you wish so that you might once again move with power in our world. Amen.’

Forward notes: “All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need” (verses 44-45).

“The early church community concretizes Jesus’s teaching about giving to the emperor what is his and to God what is God’s. By rejecting private property and accumulation of individual wealth, these people threw the tools of Caesar back in his face, left his house, and built their own house with different blueprints, tools, and materials.

“As a student of Black radicalism, I take deep inspiration from these brief descriptions of the nature of the first-century church in Jerusalem: all who believed were together and had all things in common: all things spiritual, and equally radically, all things material. They rejected all of the old lord’s materials for those of their new Lord.

“We don’t get free by wielding the tools of Caesar for our own purposes. Instead, we strike out in search of other currencies, other ways to meet our needs. We create restorative justice hubs, mental wellness centers, free daycares—ways that allow us to experience abundant life so that we can turn and give to God what is God’s.”

MOVING FORWARD: “What new ways of being in community can you imagine?”

Some concluding notes: The more radical social justice advocates may point with favour and longing at the example of the early church, but they miss out on several key points. Firstly, they did not all sell their properties, their homes, for they continued to meet in private homes. Indeed, this was most necessary, given that there were no church buildings yet, and given that the Temple or synagogue were often ‘unavailable’ (see Acts 2:46, Acts 16:25, Romans 16:5,15; 1 Corinthians 16:19; Colossians 4:15; Philemon 2 and 1 John).

Secondly, Biblical scholars are pretty well agreed that this early example of communalism did not work, nor did it last. Selling everything and pooling everyone’s resources work for the short haul, but what about when they run out—as we certainly discover happened on account of a famine that hit the Jerusalem church. And as for our author’s suggestion that they ‘threw the tools of Caesar back in his face’, that is quite ludicrous, for if any of them continued to work for a living—which the Paul specifically enjoins (see 2 Thessalonians 3:12), then they would have had to use the coinage, the tools, of Caesar. Yes, we do use the tools of Caesar, and should continue to do so, but for God’s purposes rather than just our own.