Fourth Sunday of Easter, May 11, 2003
Acts 4:(23-31) 32-37 or Ezekiel 34:1-10; Psalm 23 or 100; 1 John 3:1-8 or Acts 4:(23-31) 32-37; John 10:11-16.
One of the great themes of the New Testament is that believers can claim to be children of God. While the phrase is used sparingly in the Old Testament, the witness of the New Testament is that a substantive change occurs in our relationship with God through the risen Jesus. God is no longer aloof and removed but now can be considered our Father. This is especially pronounced in the Johanine corpus as we see in today’s epistle, and John begins his gospel by proclaiming that “to all who received him (Jesus), who believed in his name he gave power to become children of God” (John 1:12).
This is a wonderful image for us who are, as Paul says, no longer orphans and estranged but a part of a family (Rom. 8:12-17) So intimate is this relationship that Jesus referred to his father as “Abba” which we might loosely translate from the Aramaic as “Daddy.”
There is, however, a difference between being childlike and being childish. Those of us who have raised children know that while there is a great joy in that responsibility, there is also a great amount of work and frustration. Children often do not “play nicely,” and immaturity can lead to substantive problems in the family.
It is incumbent upon us as God’s children, and each other’s sisters and brothers, to develop mature and supportive relationships with one another. We must set aside the petty bickering, and jealousies that often characterize sibling relationships and instead approach one another with a spirit of compassion, forbearance and love.
This is what is so remarkable about the lesson we have today from Acts. The response of those who came to faith in the early days of the church was to treat each other with the respect and love of siblings who had had such behavior modeled for them by their heavenly Father. The statement of Luke that the company was of “one heart and soul and no one said that things he possessed were his own” is significant because such a perspective was not mandated by law, but was the result of having received God’s grace and being made a part of the family of God. Suddenly the artificial barriers of class and social status that tend to separate were dissolved and people saw each other as equals. They saw each other as sinners redeemed by God and made his children not because of what they had done but rather because of God’s grace.
The great news of the resurrection is that we can claim God as our Father and each other as siblings equal under the grace of God.
Look It Up
Romans 8:12-17 pronounces us as “sons and heirs.” How should such a designation affect the way we treat each other in the faith?
Think About It
In what ways is my faith childlike and in what ways is it childish?
Next Sunday
Fifth Sunday of Easter, May 18, 2003
Acts 8:26-40 or Deut. 4:32-40; Psalm 66:1-11 or 66:1-8; 1 John 3:(14-17)18-24 or Acts 8:26-40; John 14:15-21.
