It as great welcoming Eric last week … and
sharing with him. It was good to hear
the response he shared with us for his grandson Noah, giving an account of the
faith that is within him.
I put a summary of the thoughts Eric shared
morning and evening up on the web site in the hope that maybe the family would
be able to have a look and see some of Eric’s thoughts.
I also put up the video clip I played on
Sunday morning in which he told of his invitation to come here to Highbury and
of that first meeting at which Dick was present as a Deacon.
It was ? Wright’s sense of vision that
caught Eric’s imagination. Highbury was
looking for someone who was prepared to experiment even if the experiment
should fail. With a vision like that
Eric thought this was a church worth belonging to.
It’s been great to have such encouragement
from Eric and indeed from Lawrence, Eric, hrough Bunyan meeting in Bedford,
Clifford, and of course Clifford Small.
It is an honour and a privilege and
humbling to share in ministry. But the ministry I share as Felicity observed
last Sunday is shaped by all of us who belong.
We are part of one another.
It is easy to forget just how radical
Eric’s thinking was as he moved from afternoon Sunday School to Junior Church
and all age church with his tremendous emphasis on children, young people and
the whole family of the church of every age and every generation.
It was that sense of vision and risk taking
that Eric shared as he arrived here – put across in that little book and put
into practice here that is very much the spirit of the church as we go forward.
But that
has risks.
How do we know that it is of God?
I think there is much to learn from the
book of the Acts of the Apostles and the
experience of the early church.
It’s hard to realise now how radical and
different thigns were among the first followers of Jesus.
Something was happening that for them was
the fulfilment of all the prophets of old and very much the fulfilment of all
it meant to be authrencitally Jewish.
The waiting in fear and expectation, above
all in prayer of chapter 1
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit in
chapter 2 and the devotion they had to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship,
to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
There was a sense of awe as the healing and
loving ministry of Jesus that had seemed to be cut short at crucifixion was now
let loose into the world by the unseen yet very real strengthening presence of
the Holy Spirit of God.
And so chapter 3 finds Peter and John
bringing healing to the lame man at the beautiful gate and going head to head
with the authorities.
Something new is happening.
The people are moved.
But it is disconcerting for the powers that
be – the priests, the captain o fthe temple, the Sadducees, the Council – the
Herodian power base in Jerusalem had been un-nerved by Jesus’ take on what it
means to be Jewish … and they were now deeply disturbed that this Jesus thing
had not been suppressed but seemed to be catching on like wildfire.
They had Peter and John imprisoned,
instructed them to keep quiet. But with
the prayers of the believers they refuse to keep quiet.
There was a sense of the filling of the
Holy Spirit and they found they spoke the word of God with boldness.
And they shared. They lived out a life of love.
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.
A real sense of sharing and of community.
This is something new … but how do you know
it is authentic?
Ananias and Saphira found out the hard
way. They thought they could play the
game their way – holdback some of their possessions. Their untimely death was seen by the early
Christian community as a warning.
The way hurting people were healed was seen
by that Christian community as a sign of the presence of God with them.
Here are two indications I think we can
draw on today as we test out the authenticity of what it means to be church.
I read the Ananias and Saphira story as a
story of consequences. It is as we
depart from the pattern of sharing, of caring of mutual love that consequences
happen – divisions creep in, things fall apart and things turn to dust. It is important in church to reaffirm the
basic commitment we have to one another in a community that shares and cares
and loves with one another.
And at the heart of what we do we bring
healing to hurting pople’s lives. Not to
underestimate the importance of prayer for healing. It was moving at our Church Meeting on Thursday when we agreed the new framework for
the life of the church, and having already got a Minsitry Leader for children
in Carolyn, appointed the second of our Ministry leaders to a job share
Ministry Leader for Pastoral Care – Lorraine
David and Betty, Phil and Joyce, took on
the role of co-ordinating pastoral care from Olga and Joan and said they would
do that for five years. Earlier in the
year, they said they wanted to hand over by the end of August. And it seemed right not just to appoint
someone to co-ordinate that work, but to appoint our Ministry Leader for
Pastoral Care.
Part of that process involved an interview the
main part of which Lorraine
Moving too to hear Lorraine
It is not just a ministry of pastoral care,
it is a ministry of healing as we sahre in that prayer … and that sense of
healing is a mark of what church is.
Then the powers that be step in. It is the herodian dynasty Luke is careful to
tell us – The High Priest took action, he and all who were with him (that is
the sect of the Sadducees). This is no
the Jews – it is that narrow band of people with power. Power that had scandalised and deeply
offended Jesus’ sense of what it truly means to be Jewish. Power that stood in the way of Peter and John
and the others.
So it is they are brought before the
council and questioned by the High Priest.
And then comes a remarkable statement in response
to a clear question …
The
high priest questioned them, 28saying, ‘We gave you strict orders not to teach
in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem
This statement has been the inspiration of
a William Wilberforce, of a Martin Luther King – the grounds of so much
authentic Christianity – the willingness to stand over against the powers that
be.
30The
God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a
tree.
Luke is very careful – it is not ‘you’ the
Jews. But ‘you’ the power base of the
Jerusalem Herodian hierarchy. This is so
important for us to realise!!!
31God exalted him at his right hand as Leader
and Saviour, so that he might give repentance to Israel
If the cap fits, wear it.
And those Herodians when they heard it were
enraged and wanted to kill them.
But then it was that someone spoke out.
A Pharisee.
A cursory reading of the NT can make the
Pharisees appear to be the baddies. A
careful reading shows that among the Phariseess were some very genuine people,
seeking to live out their faith and seeking the truth.
Here we arrive at a key principle.
A key thing to test innovation, change, the
kind of experimenting Highbury looked for in Eric, the kind of risk-taking Eric
saw to be so important to the church’s vision, the kind of change we are at the
moment working through.
But a
Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all
the people, stood up and ordered the men to be put outside for a short time.
35Then he said to them, ‘Fellow-Israelites, consider carefully what you propose
to do to these men. 36For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be
somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him; but he was killed,
and all who followed him were dispersed and disappeared. 37After him Judas the
Galilean rose up at the time of the census and got people to follow him; he
also perished, and all who followed him were scattered. 38So in the present
case, I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone; because if this
plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; 39but if it is of
God, you will not be able to overthrow them—in that case you may even be found
fighting against God!’
It’s what I think you could call, ‘the
Gamaliel Principle’
if
this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; 39but if it is
of God, you will not be able to overthrow them—in that case you may even be
found fighting against God!’
It is by the fruits that people’s faith can
be seen and that the church is known to be truly the church.
Into God’s hands.
We do what we can. We seek out wisdom. In all our sharing we listen to each other,
and then in Chruch meeting we seek the mind of Christ. And then we act on it.
If it is of
God it will go forward and will be to his glory. And if not it will fail.
We don’t know. We need to take the risk and go with it.
Interestingly even the powers that be could
not gainsay Gamaliel.
They
were convinced by him, 40and when they had called in the apostles, they had
them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let
them go.
What was their response?
41As they left the council, they rejoiced that
they were considered worthy to suffer dishonour for the sake of the name.
And did they obey the authorities and from
that time on keep quiet?
Did they water down their message?
Not a bit of it!
42And
every day in the temple and at home they did not cease to teach and proclaim
Jesus as the Messiah.
Worth testing –
- Seek to be of one mind and not just out for your own
- Be caring and bring healing where people hurt
- Stand firm for Christ against the powers that be
- If it’s of God it will go from strength to strength
- And most important of all – do not cease to teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah
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