Acting Up and Out

Then certain individuals came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to discuss this question with the apostles and the elders.....

 After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Come, let us return and visit the believers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.”  Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark.  But Paul decided not to take with them one who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not accompanied them in the work.  The disagreement became so sharp that they parted company  Acts 15

From the beginning of the book of Acts, you can begin to believe that everything in the early church was just peachy...rosy...amazingly awesomely the absolutely best community ever.  What went wrong?  Actually, we need to take seriously and sincerely chapter 15.  It starts off with an argument.  The issue of circumcision was as contentious as any today.  People who had been taught and told their whole life that this ritual was a defining and distinguishing part of faith.  Sometimes we can tend to think that rituals are ancient and can quickly become empty.  And yet, rituals can provide structure, rhythm, and routine.  A ritual is a vessel and as humans we can stay open to exploring the meaning contained therein.  For example, the Lord's Prayer when said quickly or on autopilot or in a monotone boring voice can be empty. But when the words sit on the tips of our tongues and slow work their way down to our soul, there is more meaning than we can ever say.  Likewise with circumcision, it was a way to say the past shines light on the present, connects us deep to the roots of our faith.  It can take commitment and courage and conviction.  Like people who are willing to stand in the rain to protest unjust laws.  Yet, like those who protest, there are often two sides to every story.  So, when circumcision became a door/gate way of defining or distinguishing who was inside and who was outside, Paul puts his foot down.

This topic had no small dissension and debate...

Sound familiar?
Sound like your last family reunion?
Sound like how you feel after reading the paper today?
Sound like that internal dialogue that happens within us?

Yup...yup...yup and yup.

It isn't that the early church was more awesome than the church today.  In fact, two thousand years later chapter fifteen feels like fifteen minutes ago...sounds like our last church meeting.

So, where did we get the notion that church should be all harmony?  All holding hands and being nice to each other?

In fact, part of the dynamic comes from the difference.  But like dynamite (from which the word dynamic is related), we need to be care.  Things can blow up quickly...in our face...hurting and harming others.

And what is even more painful is that Paul and Barnabas who are at first united, by the end of the chapter have gone their separate ways...

Wait...at the beginning a united front and force, only a few short verses later, they are updating their relationship status on Facebook?  See scripture isn't some fairy tale...it isn't always "Happily ever after."  It is messy and complicated and very human.  Just like the church today.  To act up and act out means that sometimes folks will go their separate ways.  We try to work together and work through issues.  But lines can be drawn that are not circles but in the sand of you are either with us or against us.

It is tempting to try to put a neat and tidy bow on this post, try to find some moral lesson that will help make the sun come out tomorrow.  The pain is real.  Relationships are difficult.  We focus on traces of God's grace because sometimes it is not as evident and easy as we like to think.

Are there moments you have felt like Paul or Barnabas?  Relationships that at one moment feel like they will last forever only to end in the blink of an eye?  And why would Acts tell us this story?  Because this story is reflected and can be real in our lives.  I believe God goes with both Paul and Barnabas...God doesn't choose sides...but seeks to bless and hold the promise that our all too human disagreements/divisions may one day be set aside.  But to get there we have to process the pain and be open to the work of reconciliation rather than scoring points.  It is not easy work.  It undid two of our earliest ancestors and undoes us today.  But that thread of seeking to draw the circle wide and open doors and connect is still the song God sings to us.  May we have more than a trace of God's grace to keep joining in that song today.

Grace and peace ~~