All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
(Acts 2:44-47)
For the past 9 months or so, I’ve worked part-time at a craft coffee shop here in Phoenix. When we first opened up for business, we didn’t have a tip jar by the register like most shops do. We had so many people asking how they could leave us tips, and eventually one customer brought in a tip jar for us to set on the counter.
That spoke volumes to us – it was a sign that people were on the lookout for taking care of us, and therefore taking care of each other.
In the past few weeks since quarantine measures have been put in place – also a time when so many people are working off of limited/no new income – we’ve noticed a dramatic increase in tipping.
Our sales are down overall, but our tips are actually up.
By a lot.
Once the initial wave of panic and hoarding passed over, there was a wild 180 in terms of peoples’ generosity and thoughtfulness. Isn’t it amazing how tragedy and disaster can bring out the traits? Perhaps even build them, too?
In the book of Acts, where the verses above were taken, the scene was very similar to our own in some ways.
The Christian church was brand new, and was receiving intense opposition and persecution. The early Christians were always on edge and on the run. In particular, the Roman government was worried that Christians were attempting to build up their numbers in order to attack or take over in some way.
The verses above might seem like they would fit best in a time of plenty and prosperity. People are most thoughtful, selfless, and generous when times are good, right?
As we’ve noticed at our little coffee shop now, this idea of community building in size and strength when faced with adversity is nothing new.
But it’s certainly worth marveling at for a moment.
What a beautiful thing it is to turn outward when it feels much safer to turn inward!
Let’s take a quick look at some of the details from the verses from Acts.
Specifically, check out all the absolutes and extremes listed:
All the believers were together and had everything in common.They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Why does this sound so impossibly utopian to us?
As a minor side note, it’s important to not only realize the background scene in which this was taking place, but to also think about the “types” of people this is talking about.
Many of the early Christians were poor, persecuted, and the objects of prejudice. The didn’t have much to begin with, the government was actively seeking to break them apart, and their neighbors would have looked down upon them simply because of their race and faith.
That certainly complicates things a bit.
But!
The beautiful detail in this is when you begin to consider that these people not only shared and gave away everything the had – they shared and gave away everything they had to strangers, and they did so for the Kingdom.
The Christian community took care of their immediate circles, but the final line about God adding to their numbers every single day is a sign that their active generosity spoke directly to the heart of the strangers around them.
They were walking the walking, and that’s what we’re called to do as God’s children.
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
(James 2:14-17)
As we cross from the first to the second quarter of 2020, we are called to a mission much bigger than simply taking cover and hiding out until we return back to “normal.”
We’re being called to build community, despite isolation and social distancing.
This is actually a fantastic time to start building community with friends, family, and strangers alike.
Why?
Because at this time, any gesture of any size will make a difference. Others will appreciate and be thankful for a gift, a video call, a wave, or even a smile from across the street or aisle. This is a fantastic time to practice being thoughtful, selfless, and generous.
Let’s spend the rest of this month and the rest of this quarantine with eyes and hearts on the lookout for opportunities to build community with those around us. Let’s start small, and see where God leads us.
Consider what your efforts will accomplish now, and how much more they’ll pay off after all of this passes. You may find many of the strangers you see now won’t be so strange or unknown – you may even find some will soon become good friends for life.