Many are Called
August 5, 2007
Acts 6:1-7
This is a great passage. The tone is not intended and gets a bit snotty in translation, but it’s a great passage. The community has begun to flourish. They are like minded people, which means, there isn’t a lot of conflict. Everyone has what they need including widows, children, the old, the young. So the community is growing. By meeting those basic needs, people want to belong, they can’t get those needs met anywhere else.
But, because of the services this community is offering, they have grown exponentially in the widows department. And, there is a cultural split between the old timers the Jewish Christians and the new folks the Hellenists the Greek Jewish Christians. The new widows aren’t getting their food. And remember, the community rule at this point is that everything is held in common. Well, if everything is held in common and the distribution system doesn’t work, than people can’t subsidize without losing something from their own meal. It is a big problem.
The disciples gather the whole community together. And, they go back to their core values. We are each children of God. And, each one of us is made in the image of God. And, each one of us has a call from that God working out of our very being. We have to stop our work, the work of talking, thinking, praying, discerning, inviting, growing the faith to do the work of feeding the widows. It feels bad. And, we’re not doing it well, because it’s not our call. It’s not a bad call, in fact it’s a wonderful call to be able to feed another, provide for another out of our common good. It’s just not our call.
So they ask, whose call is it? In Jewish tradition often times a committee of 7 was asked to oversee the needs of a congregation. So, they suggest out of their own experience of faith, which resonates with those gathered, 7. And, they give criteria about these seven. 1. They have to be people we respect. 2. They have to be people of faith, mature faith who respond to the Still Speaking God in visions and prophecy. 3. They follow their wisdom which due to faith is steeped in the Spirit. The language used here that is translated appoint is also noteworthy. It’s the language of discernment. Don’t just start to shout out names. But instead use critical and prudent judgment. It’s a decision to be made only after careful deliberation.
These are great lessons for our stewardship campaign. That we don’t just use our heads when making these decisions. Our knowledge isn’t the only part of us that makes these decisions that shape our faith. It’s a matter, as Teresa Blythe reminds us, of pushing our knowledge part of our brain, our front lobe down into our heart and guts. Making decisions with all of our experience, our heart, our wisdom and commingling that with the Presence of God before making a decision. We are sensing within us, do I have a sense of peace about this decision. Then, we work with the larger community we find out, do we have a sense of unity about this. This unity is a sign, that yes, we are on a path together of being of one mind and spirit.
Another great thing about this story is that ministry didn’t get made up. Ministry came out of their life together as a people. New leadership was needed, because their community was hurting. They were ministering to the world through the very needs that were presented within their community. And, the discernment process of the new leadership team, didn’t come out of some closed door counsel meeting, and didn’t include anyone from the original group. They were all people who were willing, able, and called to do this work. And, another important factor is that they were also part of the Greek Christian community. You see the Jewish Christians and the Greek Jewish Christians would have different foods they eat, different customs for serving, preparing and handling the food. It would be important out of the hospitality for the widows to make sure that these customs were respected. They didn’t say, we’re a new community so you have to have a mix of people, setting up the Jewish Christians for failure. Setting the widows up as some would feel so embraced and others would feel they had abandoned everything that they knew. They honored them by making sure their kinfolk had primary responsibility in this ministry. And, all had unity about this decision which makes the community feel more empowered and each individual feel more of the Presence of the Sanctity of this work.
I sense that we are in a very similar place to this Acts community. We have consistently had a missing group in this community of people who will visit the sick. People who like to make food. People who are good at running a vacuum or emptying trash cans. For awhile we had suspended all pot lucks because I was repeatedly finding myself cleaning up after 30 people had eaten. And, after leading worship, doing this preaching moment, touching base with visitors, checking on the members, cleaning up after a community meal is too much to ask. I love this work on Sunday morning, but the best thing to follow it is a meal and a nap. Sunday is the last day of the week for me. All of the week’s work leads up to Sunday. We have this beautiful time together and then the week ends. My Sabbath comes on Monday. A time to regroup, rejuvenate, renew. And, my call as many of you have told me is here, in this place doing this work. If this is true it means that others must step up to be those who make coffee, wash coffee cups, bring snacks, wash tables off, run the vacuum. When you vacuum sacred Holy space, it is not the same as doing this at home. It becomes a spiritual discipline. It’s a beautiful experience to see that you’ve made communal space more hospitable and welcoming.
So right now I challenge us to gather together as a community and begin to pray. Who is it that we respect. Who is it that is mature in the faith. Who is it that will make decisions out of a commingling of wisdom and spirit. Who is it that has the gifts of running the vacuum, washing dishes, doing a bit of dusting. I’m talking about people who will take the initiative to look around and see dust and dirt and do something about it. I’m talking about people who want to show a shiny and welcoming community for those who walk through these doors, not out of a sense of drudgery but out of a sense of pride and extravagant welcome. We have been blessed with so much for a small community, we must honor these blessings by finding ways to return this from our own giftedness.
I love living in community. I love the feeling of praying together, singing together, learning and living about God together. It’s incredible to me how we have grown together as a community in such a short amount of time. How I feel so close to each of you. How I can’t wait to get to know some of you better. But, community implies that we all are doing this kind of being with one another. That we’re not just touching base here on Sunday mornings. That you’re not just reliant on what happens in these two hours to sustain you until you have a crisis. Community is about being here. It’s about sharing what you have that we all might be able to come along. We desperately need those people who will run the vacuum, cook a meal, listen to someone who is sick or alone. Without those people stepping forward, without those people being named, we can not be community. Because we aren’t meeting the basic needs of those who come to be with us.
These sermons are always hard on the leadership. So, I want to be clear. They’re all doing enough and I’d like them to stand. I’m talking about Dacia, Steve, Chuck, Melissa, Teresa, Liz, Aleeson, Don, Jerry, Cindy, Fred…These folks are pulling this community through each week with the grit of their teeth and nails. They make sure that bills are getting paid, that the building is cleaned, the music is ready, the children have Sunday scool. These are the folks making sure it gets done. But, if we are going to continue to grow, we will not be able to keep the performance reviews up. We need a few more leaders, particularly in the areas of compassion. Compassion for our sacred space, compassion for our sick, compassion for our lonely, compassion for our elderly. Maybe this day, God is nudging you, please let the community know, we’ve been praying and waiting for you.
Let us pray.