“What’s it all about?” This is a good question.  Posed in the film “Alfie” starring Michael Caine (1966), remade in 2001 with Jude Law.  “What’s it all about, Alfie?”  We used to sing about doing the Hokey Pokey (left foot in/left foot out/shake it all about, etc) and sang “That’s what it’s about.  Surely there must be more to life than this!  Seriously, though, what is it all about?  If you will permit me to answer the question negatively, let me say from a Kingdom of God perspective, from a life in Christ/Christ in me/us perspective—it’s not about me.  It’s not about you.  This doesn’t mean that I am erased or effaced in the Kingdom of God.  It means that my life is not primarily a movie starring me. 

In Christ, my life has been caught up in/grafted onto God’s story.  This means that “It’s not about me” is coming to affect how I see everything.  Scripture is not to be interpreted as “How is this about me?” or “How does this back up an opinion that I hold?”  Case in point: this past Sunday, after having gone 2-9 in receptions for a total of 7 yards in a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown (feeling under-utilized by the team’s offensive strategy) took to social media to share a Bible verse -     'If you're not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw. Don't make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way.'  (Mark 6:11 The Message)  In the grand sweep of God’s story, Jesus is giving instructions to his followers about how they received as his witnesses (witness is our business, remember).  In no way were those words intended as a way to respond to disgruntlement about the Eagles’ offensive strategy.

In conversation with someone recently, I was bemoaning the level of enmity that exists right now in our world.  I said that we are not called to see people as enemies, but are called to lovingkindness and mercy.  “That’s your truth,” was the reply.  I answered not very well with something like, “This is how I have come to see the world.”  What I should have said was “That is God’s truth, or gospel truth, or good news truth, or kingdom truth.”  It’s not my truth; it’s the kingdom of God's truth. Peter lays down the truth in Acts 2.  It’s not about him.  He is presented with the opportunity to speak.  “These people must be drunk,” some in the crowd are sneering.  Peter addresses that issue, and he starts with a little humour (as many speakers do).  It’s only 9 in the morning!  Peter then tells the crowd what’s going on.  He cites their scriptures and interprets these scriptures in the light of God’s story.  This is our story, dear church: 1) The coming of the kingdom of God is at hand. 2) This has taken place through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.  3)  Jesus is exalted and sits at the right hand of God the Father.  4)  The Holy Spirit has been sent to inhabit and empower the church.  5)  The Age of the Spirit will reach its consummation or fulfillment when Jesus returns.  6)  Forgiveness, the Holy Spirit, salvation/deliverance/redemption come with repentance  - a reorientation of my life toward God in trust and dependence.

That’s what it’s all about.

This is God’s story, and it’s still going on.  We remember the description of Acts from week one – “The Acts of the Risen Lord by the Holy Spirit in and through the Church.”  We celebrated the coming of the Holy Spirit with a lot of joy last week.  I like to call Pentecost the Advent (the coming) of the Holy Spirit.  What about when the initial excitement is over, though?  Christmas is behind us.  Easter is behind us.  The big 3,000 people coming to Jesus' event is behind us.  What then?

What do we do with days and times that are a little more routine?  Maybe they’re worse than routine, filled with uncertainty and fear.  What do we do in the routine as people who belong to Christ?  What is the community that is filled by the Holy Spirit to do?

We persist.  We press on.  This is what I plan to do, God helping me, and I’m not the only one. “They devoted themselves,” we read.  Not hopelessly devoted.  Hopefully devoted.  Filled with hope, devoted.  There is an element to this word of being steadfastly attentive to, of giving unremitting care to, or perseverance.  Luke is describing the early church, and in this, we have an instruction for the church at any time.

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching.  We have an example of this teaching earlier in the chapter through Peter’s sermon.  The good news of Christ.  The good news of God’s grand redemption plan.  Forgiveness.  Reconciliation.  Peace.  Justice.  Grace.  Love.  We frame these things differently depending on who is being taught.  We’ll see how this works as we go through the book of Acts.  Paul’s message to the people of Athens is much different to Peter’s message to the people of Jerusalem.  The message is not just for those outside of the Christian faith, of course.  We need to be hearing it often and meaningfully.  We need to be asking what it means in our lives to be the recipients of God’s grace.  To ask ourselves what it means that Christ walks alongside us.  To ask what resurrection power is.  To ask what it means that God is with us, because Christmas and Easter are not just for one day a year each.  Are we making these opportunities available for people?  Are we availing ourselves of opportunities to learn?  The better that we might have a share in one another’s lives.

1. That word that we keep talking about, and we’ll keep on talking about.  Koinonia.  Not simply what goes on in our fellowship time after church, though that’s very good.  Koinonia.  Participation.  Sharing.  Sharing one another’s lives.  Church as something different than the things that we might gather for with others through our lives.  Seeing a show, a movie, or a concert.  Everyone coming in and sitting and consuming whatever is on offer and then going out and going their separate ways.  Not seeing church as something which exists for our benefit, not something that is resulting in the question “What can I get out of this?”   What are we putting into this is the more operative question.  A turn away from the rampant individualism that is so prevalent in our society.  Showing a different way as we follow the Way along his way together.  It is not for nothing that Tolkien called the book “The Fellowship of the Ring.”  A group of disparate (and sometimes desperate) people (actually a couple of people, a couple of hobbits, an elf and a dwarf) joined in a common goal.  A group of people bearing one another’s burdens and in so doing fulfilling the law of Christ.  How are we doing with that?  In large part, we see it happening and we’re thankful for it.  Have we written the book on it?  Probably not.  All who believed were together and had all things in common.  Luke doesn’t tell us this was a rule or a requirement for entry into the community of faith.  Social arrangements were turned upside down.  Possessions are to be held onto loosely.  For this group, they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.    It wasn’t done on any other basis than according to who had need.  Paul reminds the church in Corinth of the principle in play here – As it is written, “The one who had much did not have too much, and the one who had little did not have too little.” (2 Cor 8:15)  Life for the community wasn’t all about grasping onto what was mine.  Someone has said that the first two words we learn as infants are often “mine” and “more”.  This is what the Holy Spirit was doing in this community of believers as they shared one another’s lives.  It wasn’t all about me and my stuff.  They were family.  In our families, we don’t talk about what’s mine as much as we talk about what’s ours – our house, our apartment, our food, our chair (though we might have our favourite chair).

And they broke bread together.  They spent time in the Temple together.  They praised God together.  They broke bread together.  Jesus revealed in the breaking of bread.  Recall Jesus in Luke’s Gospel going from table to table, sometimes causing controversy, revealing truths of God’s kingdom.  Remember Jesus being revealed when he sits down to eat with his followers in Emmaus.  They broke bread at home.  They shared meals in each other’s houses.  They broke bread at home and did so with glad and generous hearts.  They welcomed one another as God has welcomed us to his table, and they did so gladly and generously.  They were joyful about it.

They prayed.  They prayed together.  How are we doing with that?  Not too badly, maybe.  Perhaps we could do better.  We pray singly.  We pray in our small groups.  We pray once a month together over Zoom.  How are we doing with praying together as a community?  It is in prayer together that we are actively submitting to God’s direction.  It is in prayer together that we actively acknowledge our dependence on God. 

The four activities of the early church. The apostles’ teaching.  Fellowship.  The breaking of bread. The prayers.  Someone has described it like this – “… an ideal for the Christian community, which it must always strive for, constantly return to and discover anew, if it is to have the unity of the spirit and purpose essential for an effective witness.”

May God make these things true of us.

Awe came upon everyone.  Awe.  Wonder.  Wonderment at the signs and wonders that were being done by the apostles.  Christ’s work continuing in the community of Christ.  Signs of the kingdom.  New life.  Healing.  Wholeness.  Peace.  Joy.  We’ll be talking about these as we go through these weeks. 

Others were involved, too, though.  This community was not just existing for itself.  They ate their food with glad and generous hearts.  They praised God.  They had the goodwill of all the people.  They had goodwill toward all people.  People had goodwill toward them.  This fellowship, this being together, this spending time, this generosity was never just supposed to be all about us.  They had the goodwill of all the people.  Imperfect and in need of forgiveness and grace and transformation though they were, this community stood as a picture or a preview of the renewal of all things to come.

As we come to the Lord’s Table together, the table itself becomes a preview of the banquet toward which we look forward.  This is the place where we are taking part in and rehearsing fellowship with God – loving communion with God and with one another.  This is the place where we are freely admitting our need for, celebrating, and giving thanks for the mercy of God.  We’ll be sent from this place with the Holy Spirit's enablement and call to extend that same grace and mercy to all. 

The story isn’t all about me, or even about us.  This is who we are, though, when we are caught up together in the story of God’s love.  We often talk about programs in church.  Evangelistic programs, mission programs.  This was the church’s program.  The apostle’s teaching.  Fellowship.  Breaking of bread.  Prayers.  Every day, the Lord added to their number those who were being rescued.

Friends, we see these things happening here, and we thank God for them.  We want more of the same.  We want an awareness of where we’re failing, too.  Not to lay a guilt trip on ourselves, but to know what to ask God to do in and through us.   I want to end with some words from NT Wright on this passage, which outline our challenge and present a challenge to us – “Where the church today finds itself stagnant, unattractive, humdrum and shrinking… It’s time to read Acts 2.42 47 again, get down on our knees, and ask what isn’t happening that should be happening.  The gospel hasn’t changed.  God’s power hasn’t diminished.  People still need rescuing.  What are we doing about it?”

May this be the question of all our hearts, my dear friends.

Amen