Vitality and
growth in the Church of the Apostles
Sermon preached at
St. Mark’s
by The Rev. Thomas C. Pumphrey, April 13, 2008
The Fourth Sunday of Easter, Acts 2:42-47
Acts 2:42-47 (NRSV): They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.
In our congregational study conducted last January, thirty one of our households were interviewed—fully half of the households on the books at St. Mark’s. When asked about the areas for improvement, twenty nine of them responded “Growth.” Overwhelmingly, the people of St. Mark’s expressed an interest in seeing our congregation grow and gather in new members.
Today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles paints a picture of a successful and thriving and growing church. I think we can hear in this passage some clues that help us to see a vision of a growing church, and to see the opportunities that we have in our existing ministries to become that kind of church.
Today’s reading continues from last week the story of how the church responded when God poured out the Holy Spirit on them on the feast of Pentecost. (Our celebration of Pentecost comes in another month—don’t know why we’re hearing this story before Pentecost…) Acts then tells what the Holy Spirit did in the church, describing the dynamic, growing church that followed from the day of Pentecost. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (you hear this same phrase in the Baptismal covenant). All who believed were together; they provided for those in need; they spent much time together in the temple; “they broke bread at home with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day, the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.”
As I contemplated this passage this week, I noticed what the passage says and what the passage does not say. Notice that the passage does not read: “The believers left religion up to the apostles. They ran into each other once in a while, and came together every Christmas and Easter. Every now and again, they might give a few bucks for the food bank, but otherwise tried not to bother each other. They were, after all, busy people…”
If that was the pattern for the church, it would have died out long ago. That lethargic vision describes a church whose people are distracted by many things, and Christian fellowship is one activity among many. There is no passion in that church; there is no devotion; there is no mutual self-giving to each other; there is no consistency even in coming together to simply get to know each other. A church like this isn’t living, it’s----dying isn’t it?
Yesterday was opening day at Little League baseball. Several of you were there. Last year was my first year involved in this league, and I was simply blown away by the organization and scale and dedication and devotion and enthusiasm shown on that first day. This year, over 40 teams of kids came out onto the field in their bright uniforms, ready to play T-ball and baseball and softball in a variety of age and skill classes. Hoards of moms and dads are involved as well. For the team to play well, they need good coaches and good coach support. The players work on skills at home when they’re not together, they come to practice each week for several hours, they come to games each week for several hours, and they build up their own relationships and support each other and even the other teams as well. They started out with around two hundred kids a couple of years ago, and now have roughly 450 kids playing in the league. I was so impressed by the energy and excitement and commitment of these people, I want to be more a part of that group—even though I don’t know much about baseball—the kids know more than I do! But now, I’m thirsty to learn more.
Last week, a group of about ten people met to organize our capital campaign that we’ve been discussing. The response to the meeting was very positive. There was a similar shared energy and drive. There was an excitement to work together and there was a clear vision of where the project will take us, and how to get there.
These dynamics are part of what we see in that first church
in
And yet—is that all that this reading shows us?
Think again about what this passage does not say. We do not hear a description of a lethargic, lifeless and unconnected church. But we also don’t hear a description of a successful community organization. The passage does not read: “They devoted themselves to excellent programs for members of all ages. They offered the finest committee structure in town, competing as the leading full-service religious provider in the area. They had the best full-color-glossy brochures and offered benefits and frills for all their members, including activities sure to enhance a teen-ager’s college application, and provide connections to the leading business people in town.”
People may be attracted to a full-service community
organization, complete with a well-organized cadre of volunteer leaders and
plenty of social functions. There may be valuable experiences offered. But this
is NOT the full vision that God has for the church. Some of you have heard me
describe this caricature as “St. Mark’s Episcopal Club.”
The difference between St. Mark's Club and St. Mark’s Church is the center—who is at the center? The Acts of the Apostles describes a church with all the polish and commitment and organization, but at the center is Jesus Christ. They came together to worship, spending time in the temple day by day (notice they didn’t go to the temple once a week, but day by day). They gathered in their homes to share the sacrament of the breaking of bread. God healed people with many signs and wonders done by the apostles. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching. They prayed together. They praised God together. And did they grow their membership numbers themselves? Listen to what it says: “And day by day, the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.”
This passage in Acts describes a people filled with the Holy Spirit—filled with God’s joy and empowered by God to live a dynamic and vibrant life together. God was at the center of their relationships—it was the joy in the resurrection of Jesus Christ that brought them together—it was the power of the Holy Spirit changing their lives that drew from them such complete devotion and such deep commitment.
In our recent vestry meeting, the vestry discussed with great excitement how God is at work in our parish, including in this capital campaign project. We are energized by what we see God doing for this church, and we begin to see a vision of where God may be leading us in this project. Certainly, we see a vision of a church building that welcomes more people, with a new ramp and a new heating and air conditioning system.
We also see the opportunity to work as a team and bear fruit in our ministry together.
We see the opportunity to deepen our understanding of Christian stewardship.
We see the opportunity to strengthen our relationships with each other through the personal contacts of the campaign.
But most of all, we see the opportunity to share together the experience of God’s presence and power in our working in lives—sharing lives together with Jesus Christ at the center.
In this ministry and in all our ministries, we have the opportunity to experience and share a living and life changing relationship with God.
This is the vision of the church of the apostles, empowered by the Holy Spirit. And day by day, the Lord will add to our number those who are being saved.