Unity – Haydon Spenceley

September 26th 2014: Acts 15:22-35

After the tumult for the disciples of coming to terms with the extension and inclusivity of their new faith and way of life, today’s reading shows the beauty of unity. Power and the disunity have been themes of readings in recent days, but today, the strength and obedience of stepping towards unity is laid bare.

When we work for unity, for the love of God and for the love of the gospel, many of the things that we have held tightly on to, issues which we think are crucial and of central importance, fall away. If we’re not willing for them to fall away, then the problem is with us, not with the issues or questions that we face. What are some of the issues that you hold on to so tightly, in terms of Church, belief, practice, that were they to fall away, your faith would fall away with them?

August 28th 2014: Acts 4:32-5:11

Read Acts 4:32-5:11 here

“Al the believers were one in heart and mind”.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been in a Church, or a community, like that! Sometimes we look wistfully at the stories of the early Church in Acts and imagine that they had something special which made them more likely to love one another, love God, be sacrificial, serve one another and so on. Aside from proximity to the events of the life of Jesus, I can’t see anything else. These men and women were still more than capable of making a mess of things, as we see towards the end of today’s reading. At the same time, they were still able to live “with one mind”. Wouldn’t it be great if we made a concerted effort in our Churches to work out what God was asking us to do, and committed to pursuing that, entirely together? It’s not as unrealistic as it might sound. They managed it in Acts 4.

As for each of us as individuals, we have a role to play in deciding to journey through life with people with whom we can be of one mind, as we love God, our neighbours and ourselves. Even as we sometimes disagree, we can set our mind on things of God, those around us, and things of eternity and contend that we will not let petty squabbles, selfishness and our own desire for recognition get in the way of the life to which we are called, and the love which it is our privilege to share.