Abundant Life, Here & Now
- highlandspcwy
- 5 minutes ago
- 8 min read
Since the joy of Resurrection Sunday, we have turned our attention from the life and ministry of Jesus to how Jesus’s life and ministry inspired the acts of the apostles.
It is the story of the early body of believers, as they learned to live as resurrection people… to live as the body of Christ after Jesus' departure.
Modern Christians have often asked, What did life look like among these early believers?
Well, first, these early believers were not yet referred to as Christians, but as “People of the Way.
And from the book of Acts, we learn that the communal life shared by these People of the Way was vibrant and dynamic.
It is said that Peter’s powerful preaching inspired thousands to commit to the Way of Christ in a single day.
They shared joy-filled fellowship that was characterized by generosity, praise, the breaking of bread, and goodwill towards all people.
The social divisions that had once made trusting relationships between different people impossible melted away in the unity of those committed to the Way.
In today’s reading, the book of Acts tells “All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.”
This is an astounding passage.
“They would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need”
It’s an astounding passage in part because it feels so far off from the values of this so-called “Christian nation.”
Here we see the People of the Way taking care of one another, like sheep in the flock.
No one was satisfied until everyone was free from danger.
Until everyone had what they needed.
Here we see that faith for these early “believers” was not about personal salvation, or making heaven crowded, but about saving people right here and now from the death-dealing powers of their society.
It was about rejecting this wealth-hoarding, poverty-producing society of the Roman Empire, and turning towards new life in the Kingdom of God.
Furthermore, salvation was not lived out solely through a personal relationship with God, but through active engagement with the community of believers. As active, engaged members the body of Christ.
Faith was about receiving and living into the abundant life Jesus offered… right here & right now.
But we also know that community life is often difficult—and it was no different for the People of the Way.
There were people who hoarded resources.
There were arguments over just how generous to be and with who to be generous.
But despite the tumult, the apostles worked continuously to renew and restore unity among the people. Because they were building a movement.
And with the Spirit of God quietly working among them… the movement grew…
In 100 CE, about the time the book of Acts was written, there were only 25,000 followers of Jesus.
By the year 310, there were 20 million.
And what may be surprising is that during this period, Christianity was an illegal religion.
The People of the Way faced great persecution. Not like today when American Christians cry persecution whenever they don’t get their way, but actual persecution.
The letter, First Peter, was written to a community living under such pressure. Its message is one of endurance: do not return abuse for abuse, remain steadfast, and take heart—for you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
As I prepared for this week’s sermon, I thought of my visit last week to Little Rock Central High School—one of the central sites in the battle for school integration.
As I walked up the grand staircase, I recalled the images of the hundreds of protesters lining those very steps, blocking the way of nine Black students who had enrolled at the historically white school.
This image calls to mind the words of Psalm 23,
“The lord is my shepherd..
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
The Little Rock Nine suffered tremendously. And like the ancient Christian communities, they could not return abuse for abuse. They could not shout back at their oppressors. They could not retaliate against their bullies. This was not simply a matter of respectability, but because the threat of violence was real.
They had to keep their eye on the goal in front of them—an equal education. And the equal dignity of their people.
Their endurance also proved the deeper philosophy of the Civil Rights movement—that non-violence was a more powerful force than violence.
The People of the Way held that same conviction.
They rejected the violence of empire as they built their movement—seeking change but not forcing it, as empires do, through violence, the hoarding of wealth, or the manipulation of public opinion.
They did not take up arms.
But they also did not dilute their message to appease those in power.
What they had was the teaching of Jesus, passed on by the apostles.
They gathered at tables and broke bread.
They prayed and praised God.
They shared their lives—and their resources—so that “all had what they needed.”
And in all of this, God was shaping something new.
Jesus came to show us another way of living—forming a community rooted in love and compassion. A community where the old divisions of ethnicity, class, and gender begin to fall away, because all are one in Christ. A community in which we could receive abundant life, here & now.
This kind of community of love and compassion draws people in and sends them out inspired for good.
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. "
What King meant is that the fruit of compassion is not minor acts of charity. Giving is great, but we are called to something more than band-aid solutions to the violence of poverty.
King is saying that real compassion produces a willingness to identify and then change social conditions that create such deprivation.
We see this compassion at work within the community of believers in the book of Acts. They embodied Jesus' own promise, that he came so that we might have an abundant life, here & now.
They became what Dr. King called the Beloved Community.
But over time, the People of the Way got drawn into the ways of empire. Christianity’s elevation to the official religion of the Roman Empire marks a tragic turning point for the Western Church.
From there, a different kind of Christianity began to take shape. The Christianity of Empire gave way to theologies that could be used to justify the violence of the Crusades, the exploitation of the poor, chattel slavery, colonialism, the genocide of Native nations, the witch trials, Jim Crow… and on and on.
This is not the abundant life that Jesus speaks of.
What had begun as a grassroots movement of love and liberation, of compassion and communal life, became entangled with the power of empire.
And in the process, something essential was lost.
This religion of empire was not the revolution of Jesus.
Nevertheless, God promises that all that is lost can be found.
Sheep were one of Jesus’ favorite metaphors for humanity.
And it's not because he is calling us stupid. Or wishes to condition us as "sheeple."
It makes sense that Jesus returns to this image so often, given the importance of sheep in ancient Palestinian society. We might think of it as similar to the significance of the buffalo in many Native communities here.
When Jesus likens us to sheep, he’s pointing to our need for care and guidance. Domestic sheep rely on the protection of a shepherd and the safety of a gate.
And sheep, like us, are susceptible to being misled. I learned this firsthand the summer Ames, and I added a goat to our flock. She led those sheep right out of their pasture and into the surrounding hills.
And yet—sheep don’t just follow anyone, without question. Even though Ames and I were the ones they knew best, they still met our every move with suspicion. There were days when no amount of prodding, bribing, or coaxing could convince them to go where we needed them to go.
So here in this passage, Jesus is like that frustrated shepherd, prodding and poking stubborn sheep who won’t move.
Here, Jesus is once again engaged in a heated dialogue with the Pharisees. The Pharisees are disturbed that Jesus has just healed a blind man on the Sabbath.
He has just healed a blind man, and not only did he restore the man’s sight, but his social standing also. In his time, it was assumed that the man’s blindness was evidence of sin. So people kept their distance.
So, rather than celebrate the fact that Jesus has restored this man’s life—creating the conditions for abundance in a world before braille and talk-to-text—the Pharisees ask what it says about Jesus that he does not follow the rules? They don’t know what to make of him… is he a sinner? A prophet? Something more?
Here, Jesus addresses them:
“Anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.”
Jesus is talking about his trustworthiness. He is the good shepherd who cares for his flock.
The gate is not about expulsion—keeping unbelievers away from the believers. The gate is about protection. It’s about safeguarding the conditions where life can flourish. It’s about afeguarding the abundant life Jesus promises, right here and now.
He contrasts this kind of leadership with that of the thief—the one who exploits, kills, and takes for themselves. In John’s Gospel, the only other time the term “thief” is used is when describing Judas in 12:6. Singing out the thief foreshadows Judas' betrayal of Jesus for money.
The trustworthiness of Jesus is not just something he claims—it’s something people experienced.
We see it in the growth of the early communities. In these beloved communities that learned to live as one, like a flock of sheep, they looked out for one another, united by the love of their shepherd.
We've seen it in communities like the early church, that, even in the face of conflict and persecution, found ways to embody that abundant life—right here and now.
We’ve seen it in the faith of the ordinary people who took extraordinary action during the Civil Rights movement. Who, even in the face of widespread protest and racist violence, walked us into a more just and equal society.
And we see it now—in movements that call for moral leadership, that seek a just economy, and that labor for peace.
Because the way of Jesus is revolutionary.
And it is taking shape among us.
In communities like ours, that become places of refuge and safety in a hostile world.
In tables where bread is shared, and in the hard work of building a world where no one goes hungry.
In the courage to do what is right, even when it costs us something.
This is the revolution of Jesus.
And it is already unfolding—right here and now.
Sermon preached originally by Rev. Delaney Piper on 4.26.26.