A woman from a poor village in Bangladesh was visiting a Christian family in Toronto. The morning after she arrived, she looked out of the kitchen window. “Who lives in that house?” she asked her Canadian hostess.

“Which house?”

“That one right there.”

“Oh, that,” said the Canadian women. “No one lives there. That's a ‘house’ for the car.”

The woman from Bangladesh was mystified. “A house for the car,” she kept saying. “A house for the car.”

Mark Buchanan, writing in Christianity Today magazine (September 6, 1999), pictures that woman looking out of his kitchen window at his garden shed. She is puzzled, saying again and again, “A house for the shovels. A house for the lawn mower.”

“We live in a culture of excess,” he concludes. “A culture of more.”

Mark Buchanan is right — we live in a culture of excess, a culture of more. We are forever upgrading our clothing, our cars, our furniture, our electronics, our kitchens, our houses. And I’m as guilty as any of you. When Nancy and I moved into our house in Fairfax, I was thrilled to finally have a home with a garage. A house for our cars.

In stark contrast to our 21st century culture of excess, we read in today’s Scripture passage about the culture of the first century Christian church. “Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common” (Acts 4:32). The result of this radical sharing was that “There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned land or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need” (vv. 34-35).

The first Christians did not participate in a culture of excess, a culture of more. Instead, they created a culture of sharing in which the needs of everyone were met. We hear that a man named Barnabas sold a field that belonged to him, and gave the money to the apostles to use in the work of the church. Barnabas enthusiastically donated his property to the church — a piece of land that might even have included a house for his plow.

Today is the sixth and final message in our “Intersections” sermon series, and today’s topic is “The Intersection of Gifts and Commitment.” At first glance, today’s passage might remind you of the economic philosophy of Karl Marx, and lead you to conclude that the early church was a communist experiment. But I’m convinced that the real truth of this passage is that the earliest Christians understood the intersection of gifts and commitment. They knew that they had been given gifts in order to advance the mission and ministry of the church — not to create a culture of excess.

The author of Acts was “not a Marxist,” argues William Willimon, a Methodist bishop. But he “was enough of a realist to know that there is a good chance that where our possessions are, our hearts will be also.” If you focus on your car, then your heart will be in your garage — in the “house for your car.” If you focus on the church, however, then your heart will be in the work of Jesus Christ.

Each of us has been given gifts by God. We’ve been given financial gifts such as money, savings bonds, mutual funds, homes, and property. We’ve been given spiritual gifts such as talents for teaching, hospitality, leadership, wisdom, and compassion. We’ve been given the gift of time, which is truly a precious gift — time to serve the church of Christ in a variety of ways.

What the first Christians teach us is the importance of the intersection of gifts and commitment. Unless we take these gifts, as Barnabas did, and lay them at the feet of the apostles, they remain inactive. Without commitment, our money will do nothing for the cause of Christ. Without commitment, our talents will sit inside us, contributing nothing to the needs of our neighbors. And, worst of all, without commitment our time will simply disappear … forever. Of all the gifts we have been given, time is the one resource that is not renewable.

The only way to solve this problem is to bring together our gifts and our commitment: To lay our gifts at the feet of the apostles, and commit our time, our talent, and our treasure to the mission and ministry of the church. I’d like to take a few minutes now to have Bob Coon illustrate what it means to live at the intersection of gifts and commitment. Bob has a gift and a passion for feeding the hungry, and he is going to tell us what the hunger program of our church has done for him, and for the community around us.

[Bob Coon] “Our Hunger Hunger program has brought me in contact with several neighbors who live in and around Fairfax City. These neighbors live temporarily either in motels, or abandoned automobiles, or in shacks in the woods, or under the bridge near Fairfax Circle. Most of these neighbors are among the poorest of the poor. Many can not rub two quarters together. Our Hunger Program provides direct food assistance by preparing and delivering hot meals to our neighbors. We do this on the first and third Monday afternoons each month as part of our commitment with FACETS (an organization dedicated to alleviate hunger). FACETS delivers meals every day of every week — rain or shine, ice-storm or snowstorm! Your Hunger Program also plans two FOOD DRIVES each year in cooperation with Our Daily Bread (another organization dedicated to alleviate hunger). Our congregation has always responded very generously with gifts of food and diapers; and we deliver these gifts to needy families and to help replenish our FISH pantry.

“However, we can not continue this satisfying and valuable work without the help of the congregation. We need more volunteers in hot meals preparation and deliveries. We need volunteers in each FOOD DRIVE to sort, repack and deliver groceries and diapers to needy families. Hunger is an on-going race. As Coordinator for the Hunger Program, I need to pass the baton to a new Coordinator.

“I believe strongly that one way to demonstrate our love for our neighbors is to provide direct assistance — whether it is food, diapers, blankets, shelter, clothing, furniture, medical supplies or transportation. Our neighbors are truly appreciative and are grateful.”

Bob’s statement illustrates so well what it means to lay our gifts at the feet of the apostles, and to distribute our resources to anyone in need. We are not depleted by these acts of generosity — in fact, the sharing of goods leads to a wonderful result, according to the Book of Acts: “With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all” (v. 33).

When church members live at the intersection of gifts and commitment, then they can speak with enthusiasm about the resurrection of Jesus, and about the new life he offers. When gifts and commitment come together, then the presence and power of God is felt in our community — this is what is meant by the words “great grace was upon them all.” A life of generosity does not lead to any deprivation at all. In fact, it helps us to discover the truly abundant life that Jesus wants us all to enjoy.

As an act of worship this morning, I want you all to take a stand at the intersection of gifts and commitment. Our elders will now come to the Communion table and pick up cards with the heading “FPC Time and Talent Stewardship,” and they will distribute them to you. When you get your card, think about where your God-given gifts and passions lie. Consider where you want to make a commitment to ministry and mission in the year to come. The cards contain very general areas of interest and calling. They should only take a minute to complete. After you check your areas of interest, a ministry leader will contact you to discuss opportunities specific to your interest. Please fill out your card when you receive it, and then place it in the offering plate when our morning’s offering is received.

Let’s observe a minute of silence to allow you to make your commitment of time and talent.

“Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common” (Acts 4:32). By your commitment this morning, you are showing that you want your God-given gifts to contribute to the common good.

The result of such sharing is that needs will be met, in the mission and ministry of our church. When people look at our church, they won’t see a house for Bibles, or a house for pews, or a house for hymnals.

They’ll see a house for God. Amen.


Sources:

Mark Buchanan, “Trapped in the Cult of the Next Thing,” Christianity Today,
September 6, 1999, 68.

William H. Willimon, Acts (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1988), 52.