Perhaps they didn’t think of themselves as Socialists. Perhaps they were just living in a hostile environment that made Community a necessity for survival and much less an optional lifestyle.
But even if they wouldn’t have thought themselves to be Socialists; at the very least they were exhibiting many of the ideals of Christian Socialism. There was no such thing as private ownership. They lived together. They ate together. They served each other. And as a result, Almighty God blessed their efforts toward a Beloved Community by performing miracles in their midst and adding to their community daily. Let’s look at Acts 2: 42-47 with fresh eyes:
All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. [New Living Translation]
This, to me, is an awesome example of what is possible when Humanity commits to “being together” and trusts God to “dangerous” levels. When I say “being together” I mean intentionally working to chip away at the barricades that divide us like the Berlin Wall. This past Saturday, I volunteered with an organization called Baltimore Free Store. As the name suggests, it’s a store where everything is absolutely free. You walk in – see what you want and take it. Or you drop off something that someone else might need. I had great conversation and served alongside people who I wouldn’t get a chance to connect with in my normal daily routine.
They were White, republican, county residents, “Blue Dog” Clinton Democrats, etc. And we were all desperately trying to serve God and our sisters/brothers together…and no one surrendered their preciously guarded socio-political ideology, theological understanding, or world view. One sister said loud and proud, “Heck yea I’m a republican and I LOVE George Bush!” Another guy quipped, “Well, I wish we could go back to the Clinton years” and then he proceeded to criticize Israel for its foreign policy injustices against Palestine. Admittedly, I held my cards close to my chest. After all, this was my first time meeting these people, but on the inside I wondered if they knew if the Black guy in the room was a Pan-Africanist who holds Jeremiah Wright in high esteem, embraces Liberation Theology, and feels a little funny about interracial relationships.
That’s the point. We couldn’t have been more different. However, though we were different and proud of our differences we found the….courage(?) to break down the Berlin Walls in our cultural worldview and serve alongside one another. Not a “Kum Ba Ya” experience in the least, but I did see glimpses of what it would be like to really live out Acts 2: 45-47. The truth of the matter is that Community doesn’t have to mean Uniformity. I am proud of the distinctives that God deposited within me. I love my culture. I love…no you don’t understand….LOVE being an African man and I shouldn’t have to surrender that in order to be a part of the Community – and neither should anyone else. As long as we can look at each other as HUMAN BEINGS and regard the value in each other as Thee Divine does – we can start dislodging those things that divide us, serve each other, share all we have, and I believe experience the miraculous. TOGETHER.
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