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First Presbyterian Church, Bainbridge, NY
April 15, 2012
D.O’Hara
Psalm 133
Acts 4.32-35
It’s Hip to Be a Christian
If you lived through the late 1950s and early 1960s you probably became familiar with
the term hippies.
It was applied to people who were involved in a counterculture movement that opposed
what came to be called the Establishment, people involved in the social/cultural mores of
that era.
The leaders of the hippies grew out of the Beats (who came to be known as Beatniks)
who were also involved in countercultural ways of living.
However, studies will show that Beats or hippies can be traced as far back as the Ancient
Greeks.
Whenever some people were involved in a lifestyle that is opposed to the prevailing
culture, they were, in essence, hippies.
Hippie comes from the word hipster which, in turn, may or may not come from the word
hip which, in African-American culture means awareness.
Whatever the case, a hippie was someone who favored (or favors) a differing order of
living with emphasis on matters that are of concern amongst society in general.
I could go on, but hopefully I have given you a somewhat deeper understanding of what
the hippie movement of the 1960s was all about.
I bring this topic up to present an idea of the scene in which what eventually came to be
known as the Christian faith was born and grew.
The early Christians were hippies. Theirs was a counterculture among the Jewish people.
They were Jews who had turned to a counterculture of the mainstream views. But they
were still Jews.
It is interesting how, in reading from Acts in the New Testament, we find that those
people who had come to believe in the Lord Jesus “believed (they) were of one heart and
soul, and no-one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they
owned was held in common.”
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We read this and are filled with admiration that those people were of such dedication to
Christ and strong in one faith in him that they felt that they were one in Christ.
And being one they shared in one wealth.
If that is said about the Hippies of the 1960s, we hear – and share – in nothing but scorn
and criticism.
“Those Hippies living in communes where everybody owns everything. They’re just one
step away from being Communists! And their moral beliefs … outrageous!” we say.
I wonder what the average Jew said about those believers in Jesus.
Their buildings may not have been side by side, but they were together every day of the
week, worshipping together, praying together, eating together and always eating and
drinking in the name of Jesus who they claimed was the Christ.
When we read Acts, we get the impression that the first true followers of Christ’s
teachings were people who lived in total agreement, certainly about Christ and his
teachings, at least.
Keep in mind that this was the original church of believers in Christ.
It goes on to say that no-one amongst them was poor since those with lands, houses and,
no doubt, other possessions would sell from those things and the money would go to the
church, the united people.
The money was used so that those members who did not have all that was necessary in
the basics of living could get whatever was needed. It was a great sense of oneness,
harmony and comfort.
We hear of the modern gatherings of people – private communities or communes – in
which all wealth must be given to the organization. It appears in most cases that a leader
and his or her cohorts who run the organization are in charge of the money.
This is not really a choice. People who join the community understand that nothing is
any longer their own except the very basics of life, and even what makes up those
possessions is often controlled.
With regard to the people we read of in Acts, it needs to be understood that the giving of
members of the church to the community of believers was done voluntarily, it was not
required.
If we go on, in the next chapter of Acts we read about Ananias and Sapphira who sell a
piece of property and give part of the money to the church but keep the rest for
themselves.
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We are told that, when they tell the apostles that what they gave was what they received
for the land, they each fall down dead after being reprimanded by Peter.
It is important to realize that they were not punished because they kept part of their
money for themselves, but because they claimed that they had given everything to the
church, to the Holy Spirit.
Their death came because they had lied to the Holy Spirit in saying that they had given
all to the community of believers when, in fact, they kept some for themselves.
Giving was truly a voluntary thing for these first believers. Being honest to the Holy
Spirit was demanded.
Isn’t that the same for us? Not that we will be put to death, but that we must be honest to
the Holy Spirit, to God, in all that we do in and for the church in Christ’s name.
(The story of Ananias and Sapphira is believed to be a legend, not a fact. Such stories
dealing with the wrath of God can be traced back into the Old Testament. But Luke uses
it in the Acts to make a point about giving truly to the church, that is, to be true to God.)
The same point reaches out to you and to me in this day and age.
It is not enough that you are baptized and that you join a particular congregation. It is not
enough that you associate yourself with a particular church whether or not you actually
join the congregation.
What led in to the fellowship of those first believers? Why had they begun meeting on a
regular, daily basis? Why would they meet in one another’s house to join in a meal,
always ending with what we now call the communion?
These early believers (who were not at that time referred to as Christians) “broke bread in
their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the
favor of all the people.”Acts2.46b-47a
All this fellowship and sharing was believed to be fruits of the Spirit.
That very thing – the involvement of the Holy Spirit -- is something that we need to keep
in mind in whatever we do as true Christians, be it worshipping God, caring for those in
need, managing the upkeep of our own church or anything else.
The Spirit is involved. Without question, then, we must be involved.
But does that mean that we should expect not only harmony, but total agreement on
everything if we are these dedicated followers of Christ?
Of course not.
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The great difference between a robot and a human being is emotion.
In this day and age, robots are designed to do more and more of things that human beings
were in charge of for centuries. There is very little that a robot can not be made to do.
But one thing that the robot does not have (though I would not be surprised if in the nottoo-far future someone will say that they have designed a machine that has this) … but
one thing that current robots don’t have is emotion.
That makes the human and the machine creature different. We are different because we
have a heart, mind and soul; we have feelings.
And feelings have so much to do with how we live, what we like or don’t like, and how
we relate with other human beings.
That also results in differences of opinion and interest amongst people. That is normal
and is to be expected.
Sometimes, as we know, these differences can lead to disagreement, and actions can
result from that. Things, as we know only too easily, can lead to inhumane and horrific
results.
Just look around the world.
Yet, it is that very same thing – emotions – that can cause people to push their differences
aside as they become determined to see that interrelationships with others will be aimed
toward nothing but good.
Where do emotions come into play in your daily life? How much of what you do or want
to do is influenced by emotions, by feelings?
For example, why are you here in church this morning? Not surprisingly, I imagine that
there are many different answers to that.
Do you find a sense of oneness when you come to church? Christ does represent all
believers with regard to God. If you are a believer, do you stand up for Christ?
Are you a part of the oneness that is found within the congregation? One for all, all for
one?
How about this church? One church for the benefit of all. All members and friends for
the benefit of this church?
We celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ in this Easter season. We remember what
that one person did for the benefit of all believers – those we read of in Acts all the way
to us, here today.
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In return, just how much are we all doing for Christ?
Christ ascended into heaven, paving the road for all believers to follow.
As he looks down at this church and those who are here, can Christ really say:
“I am one for all” ?
I suppose that one of the main reasons that Christians are not considered as hippies in this
day and age would be the fact that we are no longer people who follow a counterculture.
We are not a part of a counterculture movement as were those believers in the beginning
years.
Instead of being a people who are opposing the Establishment, we are the Establishment.
At least in the Western World.
Despite all of the never-ending clashes and divisions within the Christian followers (not
as much within the Christian faith as within the believers and the way that they think
things should be done) – despite these divisions, we are yet a part of the Christian
Establishment.
It must have been great in those early days when the people were of one accord sharing
common belief and common understandings and willingly giving freely of their own
possessions for the well-being of all.
I wonder just when the first divisions began.
That happened within the Beats and within the Hippies.
The original Beats, who looked at how the underprivileged were beaten down and viewed
themselves as being those who were beat by society, never referred to themselves as
Beatniks.
That was more of a media creation as followers of the Beats were stereotyped into being
people with goatees, long straight hair, gathering in coffeehouses and reciting poetry and
playing bongos, and things such as that.
The Beat Generation practiced “non-conformity and spontaneous creativity” that rejected
materialism.
Hippies built upon those practices and became a wider-spread form of the Beats with a
less isolated and more encompassing form and expression of non-conformity and freer
manners of living than were accepted by the Establishment of the society in the 1950s
and 60s.
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Eventually much of the Hippie practices have become a part of the mainstream culture in
this modern world. Things in movies, music, television, literature, clothing and such can
be traced back to the Hippie Movement.
But all Hippies and all Beats are not and were not of one code and manner of living with
totally common beliefs.
Such is the case of the Christians.
No doubt before the word of Christ began spreading to reach into the Gentiles, but
certainly after that, the true believers developed many differences in their understandings
and their practices as Christians.
There became the Jewish Christians and the Gentile Christians, now obsolete names as is
the Beats except when looking into the history of the faith or the culture.
But the Christian faith and the Christian practice of worship and the Christian code of
ethics and the Christian foundation are alive and well.
And just like the Hippies, the Christians’ views have had a very strong effect on the
current culture of society.
Things in movies, music, television, literature, clothing and such can be traced back to
the Christian faith and the Christian way.
As I said earlier, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ in this Easter season. We
remember what that one person did for the benefit of all believers – those we read of in
Acts all the way to us, here today.
What are you and what am I doing as a result of all that Christ did?
Are we, like almost all of the Beatniks and Hippies, letting our moment of interest and
belief and practice of an earlier stage of our life be nothing now but history?
Or are you and I allowing the Christian faith to continue to grow and develop within us?
Jesus Christ did so much for us.
In return, just how much are we all doing for Christ?
Remember: it’s hip to be a Christian.
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Let us pray.
O God: in this Easter season we remember all that led to Jesus’s crucifixion so long ago.
Then we remember the great news that he rose from the dead and has ascended into
heaven that all who truly believe may follow. May we each live forever as believers that
we may all be a part of our Savior’s flock. Amen