Living the Abundant Life

In Nomine Iesu
Jn. 10:10; Acts 2:42
May 7, 2017
Easter 4A

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus~

It’s the fourth Sunday of Easter, and around here that always means “Good Shepherd Sunday.” Jesus the Good Shepherd. Jesus the door of the sheep. Jesus who calls His sheep by name, and leads them and feeds them in green pastures beside quiet waters. The King of Love my Shepherd is. It’s all very comforting, isn’t it? Even for us city folks who don’t know much about sheep or shepherding.

Thankfully, for those of us who are sheep deprived, Jesus explains in one simple sentence what it means to have Him as our good shepherd: I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. Jesus comes to bring us life; and not just life, but “abundant” life. And since we are sitting squarely in the middle of the Easter season, it’s not difficult to figure out what this “abundant” life is. The abundant life is resurrection life—life that lasts forever—eternal life that comes as a gift to all those who believe in Jesus Christ. “Because I live,” Jesus says, “you shall live also.”

But the abundant life of our Good Shepherd isn’t only a gift for the future. It isn’t something we have to wait around for. It is already yours—a present possession. You see, the abundant life Jesus gives has nothing to do with an abundance of things or money or even blessings. The abundant life is the life lived in the presence of the Good Shepherd. The abundant life is the life that is served by the Savior with His good gifts. It means that Jesus is the heart and center of your life. Sounds good, doesn’t it? But what’s it look like? What does the abundant life of Jesus look like? How can you live your life in the presence of the Good Shepherd already today?

I don’t know whether it’s by design or by coincidence, but today’s reading from Acts chapter two shows us exactly what the abundant life looks like. That first reading today shows us what life was like in the church way back in the beginning—during the days right after Pentecost—back when everything was new and fresh, before problems and persecutions began. The first sentence of today’s first reading tells the whole story. That one verse, Acts 2:42, summarizes the abundant life enjoyed by those very first followers of Jesus in Jerusalem. Their number had swelled to over three thousand on the Day of Pentecost. They had heard the death and resurrection of Jesus proclaimed and preached by Peter. They had been baptized. And St. Luke summarizes the abundant life they enjoyed in this way: They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

When St. Luke wrote that they “devoted themselves” to these things, the Holy Spirit inspired Him to choose a powerful verb to express what was happening. That they “devoted themselves” means that they were obstinately, passionately persisting in these things. They were into these things with all their heart and soul. These things were the center of life for the very first followers of Jesus. All of them—from the greatest to the least—all of them devoted themselves—to what?—to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

First and foremost, they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching—to doctrine. Today we hear complaints about how doctrine divides people—that we shouldn’t get too caught up in doctrinal details. Just make sure everyone believes in Jesus and call it a day! Not so for the first followers of Jesus! Doctrine didn’t divide them; it united them. What the apostles’ were preaching and teaching was the glue that held them all together. Remember how very different they were—how on the day of Pentecost people had gathered in Jerusalem from all over the world, featuring a diversity of cultures and classes and languages and customs. It wasn’t politics that united them. It wasn’t demographics that brought them together. It was the Law/Gospel preaching and teaching of the apostles. Doctrine didn’t divide them; it united them despite their differences and outward diversity.

That’s no less true right here among us at Our Savior. We are a diverse group—differing in politics and personality, in education and income levels, in age and experience, and temperament and tastes. But when it comes to what matters most—to the teaching God has given us through prophets and apostles, written in the words of our Bibles—there we do not merely agree to disagree. Instead, we live in a God-given unity—a blessed oneness based on the truth of God’s Word. That’s what holds this group together.

But this unity can only be maintained as we continue to devote ourselves to the Scriptures—only as we passionately persist in reading them, studying them, and teaching them to future generations. If we don’t do that, the abundant life we now enjoy will quickly become impoverished. If we don’t talk about God’s Word in our homes, if we consistently choose activities that lead us away from hearing God’s Word in worship, if parents don’t model for their children what it means to be a lifelong student of the Scriptures—well, then don’t be surprised when those children grow up to separate themselves from their Savior, and walk away from the abundant life He gives so freely.

But the abundant life of the first Christians didn’t center exclusively on doctrine; they also devoted themselves to “fellowship.” Now, Lutherans hear “fellowship” and they often think of coffee or potluck meals with lots of jello. Well, forget about that for a minute. The abundant life of Jesus has little to do with Jello. Instead, “fellowship” in Acts chapter 2 meant that they all shared in the same things. In fact, these very first Christians pooled together all their goods and money. They sold their belongings and gave the proceeds to those who were in need. Freely they received; freely they gave. This system of fellowship worked well when the church was but a few thousand people, living together in one place, at that time in history. It wouldn’t work so well today if we all liquidated our assets and pooled them all together. That’s not what this means for us.

But what does it mean? Why did the Holy Spirit go to the trouble of teaching us about their unique brand of fellowship and sharing and caring? If nothing else, it shows how those first believers were whole-heartedly committed to cultivating and sustaining their life together through acts of mercy and compassion. They weren’t afraid to take risks out of love for the body of Christ. Where there was a need—where there was a debt—where there was a problem—these saints didn’t just stand around with their hands in their pockets saying, “Well, that’s not my problem. Not my job. Above my paygrade.”

Beloved in the Lord, the fellowship we enjoy here at Our Savior isn’t that different. It means that there are no bystanders, no spectators, no second and third-stringers sitting on the bench. We’re all baptized; we’re all in this together. What must not escape our notice about the fellowship of those first believers is that their life together mattered more than everything else—more than team sports and hobbies, more than entertainment and social events. Fellowship mattered more. Those first Christians managed their lives in a way that visibly demonstrated their faith in Christ. It was the center of life. It was real. And they were unafraid to invest their money, their property, their time and sweat—and eventually their blood—into insuring the success of their life together.

Obviously, there are few churches today that reflect that intense level of commitment and fellowship. But that shouldn’t stop us from taking positive steps in the right direction. Consider these questions for yourself: Are you stepping up to be part of the solution, or are you sitting back waiting for someone else to take the lead and do the work (and take the blame if something goes wrong)? Are you committed to peace-making and problem-solving, or are you content only to point out the problems, to complain about the problems, and thereby perpetuate the problems? There’s a better way and—Christ be praised!—I see that better way finding expression here at Our Savior on a regular basis.

The abundant life for those first believers centered not only on the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, but also on the breaking of the bread and the prayers. For them, the “breaking of the bread and the prayers” went together. The breaking of the bread was a likely reference to the Lord’s Supper, Holy Communion. As often as they were gathering to hear the apostles’ teaching—as often as they shared together in fellowship—they also gathered to be fed with the body and blood of the Good Shepherd. This gift was also at the center of life. It nourished their life together. It brought them forgiveness and faith and equipped them to live lives of peace-making and reconciliation. They were passionately persisting in the Lord’s Supper. It, too, was the center of life.

And around this regular celebration of the Lord’s Supper came also “the prayers.” Note that St. Luke describes not just prayer, but “the prayers.” We today would call it “the liturgy.” When the first Christians gathered for worship it wasn’t just a free for all. There were set prayers, and hymns, and readings—just as there had been in the synagogues of the Old Testament. Private prayer was no doubt happening too. But “the prayers,” the liturgy spoken and sung in worship—it too was the very center of life.

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. There in one simple sentence we have the abundant life. This is what the abundant life looks like today, among us. You have it here and now. It’s not an easy life, of course. It’s not a life that’s free from trouble or sorrow. It’s a life where wolves and thieves and robbers threaten to steal and kill and destroy. But Jesus has come to give you His abundant life. Abundant life begins by being served by Jesus, and continues as we serve others in the name of Jesus.

You have the abundant life because Jesus devoted Himself to you. Jesus has invested in your eternal good. It was an investment made not with gold or silver, but with His holy precious blood and His innocent suffering and death. He bore all our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed. That healing is distributed here in holy absolution, in His holy Word, and in His holy meal. This is your life—the abundant life to which you have been called by the Good Shepherd—the abundant life which has no end.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.