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Karen Hollis | April 30, 2023
5th Sunday Christian Unity
Acts 2:42-47 (Indigenous Translation): This newly formed family continued daily to learn from the twelve message bearers. They lived together in harmony, at ceremonial meals, and prayed with one another. Great respect and awe came down upon all, and the message bearers performed many powerful signs. As these new followers lived together in peace, their harmony grew stronger, and they shared all things. Many of them had a giveaway to provide for all who were in need. Each day they gathered at the sacred lodge. With good and pure hearts they feasted together in their homes and shared the ceremonial meal of frybread and wine given to them by Creator Sets Free (Jesus). They gave honour and thanks to the Great Spirit and were respected by the people. Each day Creator sent more people who were being set free to join with them.
John 10:1-10 (Indigenous Translation) Creator Sets Free (Jesus) told this story to the Separated Ones (Pharisees), for they were blind guides, leading the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel) down a false path to a bad end. “I speak from my heart,” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said to the blind tribal leaders. “Thieves and outlaws do not use the gate to the sheep pen but sneak in some other way. But the shepherd uses the gate to enter, and the gatekeeper opens the way. The sheep know their shepherd’s voice, for he calls each one of them by name, and they follow him as he leads them in and out of the sheep pen. “The sheep will not follow the voice of a stranger. They will run away, for they do not recognize a stranger’s voice. Because he was using a story to teach them, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) could see that they did not understand, so he told them the meaning of the story. “I speak again from my heart,” he said. “I am the gate for the sheep. All who put themselves before me are thieves and outlaws – false shepherds. My sheep do not listen to them. “I am the gate for the sheep. The ones who enter by me will be safe and well cared for. Following the Shepherd, they will go in and out and find good food to eat. “Thieves enter only to take away life, to steal what is not theirs, and to bring to ruin all they cannot have. I have come to give the good life, a life that overflows with beauty and harmony.”
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be reflections of your word to us today, in Christ’s name we pray. Amen
This is the first time we’re using the Indigenous Translation. One of the noticeable differences is the way people and places are named, based on their role or a quality for which they are known. Jesus is known as Creator Sets Free . . . because creation and people are set free through him, through his teaching, through the pattern of life that the apostles or message bearers established in his name. Those early days of the church were rich in terms of connection, practicing an all-encompassing love, experiencing what they were able to accomplish TOGETHER. But they were not easy. In the early years, the Jesus movement grew rapidly due to some key factors, including: 1. their orientation of loving people, no matter who they were, and 2. the people who went out and shared the good news. And because they were all human, the communities that took root looked a little different from one another, they lifted up different parts of the Christian life and nuanced their beliefs based on their particular context. Unity in the Christian church has never meant uniform or even agreement. I always chuckle when I hear Anglicans say, when you gather 2 Anglicans together you get 3 opinions . . . true in the United Church too, I’m sure. Over the years in the body of Christ we have dialogued, we have argued, held councils that lasted several years, we have split apart, and united back together . . . we wrestle with what it all means and therefore how we are called to live. We do this in every age, across denominations, and within congregations. We are a global church and a body as big as creation itself . . . united in Christ, known to us in the person of Jesus.
We sometimes get stuck in this John text wondering if Jesus is being exclusive or saying he is the only way, or is standing at the gate indicating who comes in and who stays out. This text is a First Century way of saying: “this way works. While God gives life to all of creation . . . it’s hard to live fully in first century Palestine, this desperately poor, oppressed and occupied land . . . and Jesus brought to us a path of life . . . unlike those who misrepresent themselves.” This text isn’t trying to compare itself to other world religions . . . it’s just talking about who Jesus is. Listen again to Jesus self-identifying with these words that are ancient and new: “I speak again from my heart,” (love that) he says. “I am the gate for the sheep. The ones who enter by me will be safe and well cared for. I have come to give the good life, a life that overflows with beauty and harmony.” 1 The way of Jesus is the same as the gateway to life . . . in the words of theologian Debie Thomas, the place where freedom begins.2 In Christian life, the doorway to freedom is the doorway into community.
The Christian community that developed in the First Century, they held Jesus at the centre . . . they held at the centre the way of life and freedom. I like this image of Jesus at the centre – there are no borders or fences to cross to keep anyone in or out . . . instead there is a focus, an orientation toward Jesus. And around that centre, they established a particular pattern of life that is the hallmark of Christianity: hearing together the teachings of Jesus, breaking bread or sharing communion, fellowship or spending time together, and praying together. All these parts are essential to sustaining Christian community. Hearing the texts together keeps followers in dialogue about what they mean in our context; in celebrating communion we proclaim Christ’s uniting presence at the centre of our community; fellowship keeps us connected to one another’s lives and one another’s needs; collective prayer bonds us together and opens us to the power of God here and now.
This pattern takes on different shapes and sizes, is contextualized in different cultures and communities . . . this basic pattern has sustained the body of Christ for 2000 years. If you think about life at Comox United – all the pieces are here even if the expression looks a bit different from the little red church down the block or the big Catholic church across the valley.
This pattern of Christian community is not an end of its own. We hear in this morning’s reading about the community in Jerusalem, that looked at the oppressed and occupied world around them and reached out to the outcast, sick, destitute, and brought them into the fold, offering them a life and something to live for. And within their community they pooled all their resources to make sure everyone had what they needed. And the movement grew.
As I look at the world around us . . . one core issue of our day is the existential and very practical issue of our changing climate. And if we don’t have a planet, we don’t have a ministry. As we mentioned last week for the Earth Day service, the climate issue overlaps with other issues, like taking resources from the earth, the overuse of plastics (particularly single use), and so on. The task before us is so enormous . . . we feel paralyzed at times or fogged over . . . we’re terrified that we won’t do enough in time and don’t feel like we have a large enough leverage point to make a difference. An interesting thing happened after last week’s service – we got a tremendous response to the dialogue Joan Gillies and I had about what we are doing and what we can do and need to do. I talked to one person who elaborated on why the dialogue was so meaningful to them . . . they said we are all really struggling with how to respond and we don’t necessarily know where the resources are or even which questions to ask. And we took time in the worship service to just share information – they were grateful that we thought it was important enough to talk about in worship. They left with a handle on why this is important to our faith and they had something practical to do. I give Joan all the credit. I just agreed to ask questions.
Our response to Climate Change has a hold on me . . . our need to create a sustainable way of life won’t let me go. We can feel really isolated . . . but we don’t need to because we have resources in our midst that are available to all . . . available so that we can work together within our congregation and provide leadership to the wider community. We have resources within our community and at our centre is Christ, the Mystery of God, the movement of the Holy Spirit.
We come together each Sunday and within our Christian pattern of community, we gather in the presence of God . . . who is wholly Other . . . mysterious, merciful, surprising, and who regularly eludes our control and whose ways are not our ways.3 We gather and open ourselves to the voice of the Shepherd . . . we listen for the voice we recognize that stands out above the rest and leads us toward life. I pray for our collective courage – here at Comox United, and in the church around the world to both lean into the pattern of our community life and listen for the voice of the Shepherd that we may do our part. Thanks be to God.
1 John 10 Indigenous Translation
2 Debie Thomas https://www.journeywithjesus.net/essays/2626-iam-the-gate April 29, 2023
3 Anthony Robinson. Transforming Congregational Culture. p. 44.