How Many Christians Does It Take To Unscrew A Lightbulb?
Good Morning Friends,
The nature of Christian community is often misunderstood and frankly is so rare that I doubt many would ever recognize it. We are fed a contrived tranquility as an alternative to true Christian harmony. If you sense I am a bit pissed off at the nature of liars masquerading as saints then compare it to how God reacts to those in today’s scripture and ask yourself today’s question: How Many Christians Does It Take To Unscrew A Lightbulb?
Scripture: But a man named Ananias, with the consent of his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property; with his wife’s knowledge, he kept back some of the proceeds, and brought only a part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. ‘Ananias,’ Peter asked, ‘why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, were not the proceeds at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You did not lie to us but to God!’ Now when Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard of it. The young men came and wrapped up his body, then carried him out and buried him. After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter said to her, ‘Tell me whether you and your husband sold the land for such and such a price.’ And she said, ‘Yes, that was the price.’ Then Peter said to her, ‘How is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.’ Immediately she fell down at his feet and died. When the young men came in they found her dead, so they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. And great fear seized the whole church and all who heard of these things.
Acts 5:1-11 (NRSV)
Message: You have heard more than a few lightbulb jokes over the years.
And it came to me this morning that it takes three Christians to screw in a lightbulb. One to become the lightbulb, one to believe it is already screwed in and a third to become the light. Well at least that is how it happened with Jesus. But today we explore the undoing of the work in the story of Ananias and Sapphira. Last Friday Pope John Paul addressed the story. And
because we do not know all that God knows, the story perplexes us. The shared values of the early church seem so distant. Theirs is a life in communion, based on shared values and shared wealth for the benefit of all. They had harmony as in the garden until they were attacked from within. Perhaps we need to be a bit more courageous when facing the whitewashing of hypocrisy. Friends, when God brings judgment upon someone, our natural inclination is often sympathy toward the one being disciplined. Yet when God acts in judgment, our sympathies ought always to lie with God. Only God knows all that is at stake, and only He knows the full circumstances. When God is judging others, we need to take heed and examine your own life. We may be at risk of unscrewing our own light. God knows what is at stake and He loves His children enough to warn them. So friends, know that God does not like it when people unscrew His lightbulbs. And I don’t think God likes it either when people plot to steal the light but end up only turning off their own. It is the nature of things that there is money and God and we each have to choose which will define our behavior. Choose wisely for one brings life and the other death.
Pray we have reverence in our giving. Pray we are bound together in the power of the Holy Spirit. Pray we not be deceptive. Pray we realize that things can appear tranquil and not be harmonious at all. Pray we realize that it is inner grace not outward appearance of grace that counts. Pray we have a reverence for the power of the Spirit of God when we bear witness through our actions to the resurrected Christ. Pray we have a harmony and peace that shows forth God’s purpose to God’s glory. Pray we not put God’s Spirit to the test.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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