From The Network, September 2018
“All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.” Acts 2:43-47
The professor of my Church History 101 class, my first year of seminary, loved this passage. He began each class session by reading it aloud to us; these verses were his prayer, his agenda, his benediction. For him, this description of the early church in Acts was the goal and the dream for our fellowship today.
Now, I’m still not sure how to interpret the bit about common property – we can tackle that another time – but I am drawn to this image of common life, of praying and praising, working and worshipping together. And in just a few weeks here at Winnetka Covenant Church, I’ve seen that you love and value this too. It has been a great delight for me to see how much you enjoy each other; how committee meetings start and end with conversation, with prayer requests and follow-ups; how worship spills out into the narthex with coffee and donut holes and hugs and laughter well beyond the last tolling of the bells.
All of this, in the quiet weeks of summer before our program year kicks off – and it has me eagerly anticipating the months to come, when we will have many more chances to learn and grow and serve together.
Yet, I’m reminded by this passage how there is so much more of life that is lived beyond these walls; how those early believers broke their bread together as well as worshiped. And that is my hope, in my first year here at Winnetka: that I will have a chance to break bread with all of you. I was part of a small group at seminary who met each week for what we called “Family Dinner”: a chance to tell our stories, to multiply our joys and divide our sorrows, to share our food while telling of our hopes and dreams. I’d like to do the same with you, my church family. You may have already heard that I love to bake…
So here is my offer: let’s eat – together! Let’s drink a cup of coffee while your kids play in the park or grab a slice of pizza after a long day at work. Let’s meet at your favorite neighborhood spot (including the Covenant Village Bistro!) or cook a family recipe together. I’ll bring dessert. Here’s how: send me an email or call me, Sunday to Thursday, at the church (847) 446-4300, ext.14.
With joy and anticipation for this time together,
Jen Christianson
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