RCL: Acts 4:32-35; Psalm 133; 1 John 1:1-2:2; John 20:19-31 Acts 4:32-35 What would life be like if we didn’t own things? It’s a difficult reality to imagine – after all, the very idea that we can and should own things is rooted so deeply into our contemporary Western society and culture that it’s very…

RCL: Acts 4:32-35; Psalm 133; 1 John 1:1-2:2; John 20:19-31 Acts 4:32-35 Several years ago, I was in a church where the preacher decided to conduct an experiment. He told the congregation that he was taking up an offering for those who needed it. And with no other explanation, the offering plates were passed, and…

Acts 4:32-35 In my front yard, I have a plaque that states simply, “You are standing on Sacred Ground.” I put it there as a reminder to myself that, by virtue of God’s speaking into creation, all ground is sacred. But this week’s reading in Acts demonstrates what truly sacred ground might look like. It’s…

Acts 4:32-35 For the author of the Acts of the Apostles, Holy Week and the Triduum (the three days between Maundy Thursday and Easter Day) are not isolated events. For him, Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection and ascension have cosmic implications for the baptized community the Lord leaves behind. A community that rejects private ownership practices…

Acts 4:32-35 Marxism! Communism! Socialism! This passage could be seen to propose community sharing of possessions and wealth, and, in fact, that is what it says. But Luke is not writing about a political system here – he’s writing about a specific faith community doing its best to practice koinonia as they understood it from…