I’ve recently developed a highly unusual interest in
history. be frank with you I labored
through all my college history courses and highly resented not only the cost,
but the weight of those history textbooks. Maybe because I’m growing older or maybe
because I just always love to learn I did a stint of reading about the Great
Depression and World War II. Wow, was that encouraging! But it is perfectly
fascinating.
I knew a woman named Ella several years back. Ella was one
of the liveliest and quickest women I have ever known for her age. Up until
about a year before her 93rd birthday, she was still driving herself
around town. She had been a real source of joy to me and many others. One day
we were at a meal together and I decided to ask her about her experience during
the Great Depression. I asked her to tell me anything she would like. She told
me an astonishing story.
They lived out in the countryside in the Midwest. Their
neighbors were far and few between. Her parents were doing everything they
could to keep their family—body and soul—together during difficult times. She
said, frankly, that it was very difficult. But it would have been worse if they
did not have relatives back East who would every now and then send them a
barrel of food with salt, pork, and flour.
One day she said her family learned of their nearest
neighbor’s dire situation. Her father had been by to see them at their
homestead some distance away. What he
found was heartbreaking. The parents and their children were nearly starved to
death and they had to give up their hard-earned home. Ella’s father without
blinking an eye did something that was beyond generous. He invited them to come
and live with them, they would share their barrel of food and small home and no
one would have to die. I sat there dumbfounded. I knew that things had been
hard during the Depression. I had seen the famous pictures of gaunt people
sitting—just sitting—on porches. But I
had never heard a story first-hand quite like that. I was so impressed and
moved with the sacrifice and sharing spirit of Ella and her family because they
had out of how little they had.
Near that time, I was reading a book about the recovering of
Europe’s artwork from the grasp of the Nazi regime. It seems rather trite to
think of artwork in the face of the ghastly human sacrifices and losses that
were made during World War II. But I am an artist and have seen many of the
paintings and drawings which Hitler and his army stole from Jews and many other
people. His obsession in world
domination is mind numbing and evil. This book, The Monuments Men,
describes the journey a small group of soldiers made in saving and recovering
the great works of art in that area. One story stuck out to me.
One of the Allied soldiers, named Captain Walter Hancock,
would often find himself in the homes of war-torn survivors, sharing simple
meals with them. On one occasion in Le
Gleize, France he met up with a family he had shared table with before. Here is
his account (pgs. 218-219).
After the Madonna [artwork] was safe in the cellar, a young
man invited Hancock and his driver to dinner. Accepting gratefully, Hancock was
surprised to find himself once again sharing the hospitality of Monsieur
Geneen, the farmer-innkeeper whose daughter had entertained and fed him on his
first visit to town. Hancock wanted only his K-rations and some hot water to
dissolve his coffee powder, but again the family insisted on a full meal. This
despite the fact that the rear half of the house was gone, leaving the living
area open to the cold. Through one gap, he could see a large pile of grenades, Panzerfauste
[handheld antitank rockets], and other live ammunition the family had cleared
from the grounds; through the other, nothing but darkness. Everything seemed
wrong, unreal. And yet here were the same people, looking older and more tired,
but alive and well and spreading before him nothing less than a feast. In all
that destruction, freshly cooked meat and vegetables were the most wondrous and
unexpected sights of all.
They talked about the failure of the German advance; the ingenuity
of the American soldiers; their possible futures. Hancock ate heartily. He
looked from face to face, from the gaps in the wall to the pile of explosives
to the two small rooms, and finally to the wonderful plate of food before him.
A realization hit him.
"This isn't the house I visited before," he said.'
Monsieur Geneen put down his fork and folded his hands. "In
the middle of the night," he said, "I awoke and from my bed I saw the
sky through a shell hole in the wall. And when I began to realize where I was
and why I was there I thought to myself, 'Isn't this a hard thing to come to me
at my age after a life of unbroken labor! Not even to have four solid walls
around me and my family!' Then I remembered that this was not even my house;
that my friend who had owned it was dead; that of the house that I myself had
built not a wall remained. And I was very sad. And then suddenly the truth came
to me. We had come through the battle. During all that time we had enough to
eat. We were all well and we could work." Geneen nodded toward his family,
then at the two American soldiers seated across the table. "We," he
said, "were the lucky ones!"4
I’m struck by these two stories for their poignancy and
their sacrificial nature. So, I’m a bit confronted by our present situation in
the US that is being characterized as so terrible. Don’t get me wrong things
are bad and chaotic and unsettling. But I think that we have a good challenge
on our hands today.
So, let’s ask some questions. If Ella’s family and Mr.
Geneen could share the joy and comfort in such terrible circumstances, what are
we doing to share the same thing in our communities? Where do we find the way
to share joy with others and find true community? What is our motivation for
doing so?
Henri Nouwen, one of my favorite writers talks about
“hospitable space”. He defines this as
the way in which we open our lives up to the possibility that sharing our
journey with each other requires letting go of some things so that we can share the sweet life with others. This
is what Christian community—the sweet life on a broader scale—is really all
about.
One of my other favorite writers is Eugene Peterson. Here is
what wrote about this matter:
When
we realize how integral acts of hospitality are in evangelism, maybe we will be
more deliberate and intentional about it. A life of hospitality keeps us in
intimate touch with our families and the traditions in which we are reared, personally
available to friends and guests, morally related to the hungry and the homeless,
and, perhaps most important of all, participants in the context and conditions in which Jesus lived
his life, using the language he used for the salvation of the world. (p. 216)
If community could be imposed it would at least be manageable. “Coercion can provide uniformity and perfect
order, but the result is no community; it is an ugly parody of community; it is
Naziism. Community can flourish only in freedom. So, the love that defines our
common lives even though commanded, has to be unforced, personal, freely given by members of the community; ours
must be lifetimes of accumulates of love —
likely flawed, imperfect, juvenile, sputtery, but still love. Despite
ourselves, loyal love. (p. 326)
What is unity—I mean
real community? Is it just solidarity against oppressors, or marching in a
street for a cause, or having an ecumenical religious service? I think that
community runs far deeper than any of these things. Perhaps it's "one
nation under God", or a group of people committed to holding a city
together through its diversity. Still, I'm not quite sure that any of those
things are real community. What is the core or source of community?
Webster's Dictionary defines unity is several ways: "1)
the quality or state of not being multiple—oneness, 2) a condition of
harmony—accord, 3) the resulting singleness of effect or symmetry and
consistency of style and character."3 What I see in these
definitions is a kind of falling away of some individual goals and objectives
for a greater objective or outcome. That greater objective or outcome, it seems
to me, comes from Something other than our selves. There's Something outside of
us which calls to a greater good, connection and balance.
Some humanistic philosophers tell us that if we all
just find ourselves inside, then we will be truly unified. But I don't believe
that's the whole truth. Inside of each of us also dwell selfishness,
unforgiveness and hatred. There's got to be Something outside of us that causes
those things to fall away and brings us to true unity that is good now, but
only a taste of what it will be in heaven.
The answer rests in the Scripture we read today.
Maybe, just maybe, God has something to do with this illusive thing called unity.
Maybe, just maybe, it was His idea in the first place.
Let's make sure we understand the context of the passages
we are about to read. If you remember from the first part of Acts 2 all the
disciples, both men and women, who had been gathered for prayer after Jesus’
ascension into heaven, had been filled with and touched by the Fire of the Holy
Spirit. In turn, people from many, many
nations were able to understand them. There was an astounding sense of unity
that day. Three thousand people responded to the work of God in their hearts
and they saw, for the first time perhaps, their great need of a Savior—the very one they had stood by and watched die.
After Peter's sermon and the
testimony of those who had been filled with the Holy Spirit, thousands had come
to know that Jesus was alive and able to save them. Once they accepted this,
the wonderful work of the Holy Spirit began among them. And that's when true community
began to take root.
Read carefully how that Holy Spirit powerfully unified
them.
Acts 2: 42-47. "They devoted
themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the
breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and
many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the
believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their
possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they
continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their
homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and
enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily
those who were being saved."
Jump quickly over to Acts 4:32-36 and we'll see
more demonstrations of real unity.
32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No
one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything
they had. 33 With great power the
apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much
grace was upon them all. 34 There were no needy persons among them. For from
time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from
the sales 35 and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone
as he had need.
This is a remarkable description of a bountiful
community of love overflowing. They were not bent on the destruction of
anyone else. There was no opposing team. They were bent on the construction
of everyone else, even to their own sacrifice. This is the evidence of unity
sourced by the power and love of the Holy Spirit.
Take some time to list the characteristics of Holy
Spirit filled people found in these two passages. I found my response to the
Holy Spirit's call for unity, and put these into forms of statements I would
need to agree to if I want to be a person of Godly unity.
o I want to learn more from
God and His Word.
o I seek out ways to have fellowship with other believers.
o I initiate sharing meals/going out with other believers,
o I pray every day.
o I am open to being awe-struck by God's acts among us.
o I expect and anticipate God's miracles among us.
o I am willing to give of what I have to help someone in need.
o I find ways to praise and thank God.
o I am aware of how my behavior affects other people.
o I seek to find ways to get along.
o I am willing to give my testimony to a non-Christian.
o If God asks me to make a material sacrifice for the church
or others in need, I am willing to do that.
o I want the Holy Spirit to teach me what true unity means in my
daily life and in the church.
Did you notice what is not on this list?
There's no grumbling. There's no backbiting or gossip. There's no selfishness. There’s
no war. There's no division or competition.
It is the work of God to bind us together with love in
His unity creating an abundant community. He is always very clear about what He
expects of us, and He is always fulfilling His promise to love us and to
provide the Source of hope and unity—the Holy
Spirit.
It truly is a wonder to me how groups of people, so
different in taste, socio-economic status, education and ethnic background can
be part of one body of Christ, the Church! Isn't that astounding to you?! We
don't have to hate the same thing, dress alike, come from the same ethnic
group, speak the same language, or be educated the same way in order to find true
community!
If local churches are full of division, who is at the
source of community there? If our homes are full of strife and bitter fighting,
and we say that Christ is the head of our home, I've just got to wonder if He
really is. If we call our work place a place of peace and it really is a place
of hatred and backbiting . . . well, why not invite the Holy Spirit in and find
that peace and unity can exist.
Church leaders have tried to hang their hats on Acts
chapters 2 and 4. They have told us that churches should be like this all the
time. Well, God, in His wisdom, permits our human frailties to stay with us
until we reach heaven. But the Holy Spirit also gives us His power to
continually work out His unity, to continue stay in and nurture community.
A struggle is never a sign of surrender. We will also
read in the rest of Acts how the Holy Spirit dealt with and helped each one who
remained in Christian community. We must humble ourselves; give of ourselves to
the work of the Spirit, always being open to His leadership in our homes, our
churches and our workplaces. In this way destruction, division, terror, and
darkness can never sour community—and more than that, can spread it abroad. God's
Spirit can dwell among and in us.
These incredible moments in Christian history—when thousands were added to the church—birthed a movement
of sharing love, sacrificial giving, and common learning. It is truly a
standard for the kind of communal life that is possible and alive wherever
believers are open to the work of the Holy Spirit.
I would invite you to prayerfully seek the truth and
permit the Holy Spirit to have His way with you.
Consider putting these two statements in a place where
you can return to them in prayer when you are willing.
I will be genuine and ask God
to help me in my weak areas and sustain me in my strong areas.
I will be a life-long learner
and seeker of the Holy Spirit's power for true community.
Amen
© M.R.Hyde 2025
