Life Together in Christian Community
“Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.” – Acts 4:32-35
Lent is upon us and as we gather as a community on Wednesday evenings, we will wrestle together about what it means to be Christian community. Often, we assume it is as simple as showing up, but a brief reading of Acts or any of the letters in the New Testament will show just how difficult it is to live into the Beloved Community and Body of Christ we are called into daily.
Part of being a child of God and a member of a community is stewarding that which we have been given to care for and ministry to the neighbor and stranger alike. Stewards take excellent care of something that belongs to another. As followers of Christ, we confess everything belongs to God, so all we do with our time, intention, finances and talents is stewarding that which has been given as gift to us. It behooves us to pause and consider our stewardship practices and ensure they align with our Christian values.
So, as we move into the Lenten season, I invite all of us to reflect on our choices regarding our stewardship of:
Time: how is the time I am given each day bringing me life and closer to God?
Relationships: how am I stewarding my relationships with compassion, care and reciprocity?
Talents: how are my talents being used to spread God’s love, mercy and forgiveness?
Finances: how am I supporting Christ’s work in the world through my spending?
Intention: how am I paying attention to and being deliberate in my stewardship?
These are not easy questions, nor does considering them or changing our behaviors based on their answers make us righteous before God. In the asking we are reminded of just how close God is and how much we truly need Christ in our lives every day to experience the kin-dom of God now. As it was in Acts, may our great testimonies and God’s great grace bring sufficiency to our community and the world today.
May our lives reflect Jesus’ way,
Pr. Hannah
