Sermon for June 16 from Acts 2:42-47

So...

We have been meeting at Janet Miedema’s house for our Wednesday night bible studies, and as always, they are a free-for-all.

The coffee is hot, the desserts are delicious, but what makes the gathering is the comedy. Yes, we are studying the bible, and by that I mean we, at home, read the Scripture passage, this week it was Hebrews chapter 3, and we individually (and sometimes as couples) read the study guides questions and come up with what we think is a good answer.

But I have got to be honest, it goes off the rails as soon as we start talking. This is not your aunt Gertrude’s bible study! It is in fact, a small group, a life group, a discipleship group that has at it’s core a few minutes of bible stuck in the middle.

Yes, we talk about our answers to each of the questions, but inevitably someone says about one of them, “That was a really lousy question!” And then its on.

Plus, we talk about life, and how were doing and what is happening and who needs prayer and why.
We talk about Derrick’s regular visits by the Jehovah’s Witnesses where we have him convinced, I think, that he should invite them to worship some Sunday!

And together, we try to figure out how to be faithful disciples in our day-to-day lives.

I reminded the group that Sue was retiring this June after 21 years of time working for Orange County Office of the Aging, the Middletown School district and 17 disconnected years at the Minisink Valley Middle School as a 7&8 grade special education Science and Social Studies teacher.

Because she’s retiring, we had a financial guy, actually two of them, over to talk to us about what to do with her retirement income, and one of them asked, “well, do you want to leave anything for the kids?”

I get it, they want to know if we want to put all our resources in something like an annuity, where you get more income, but at the end, the money is gone.

And while I am thinking about that, she says, “no, we plan to use it all!” And don’t worry, me being me, I already shared that with Brian, Rachel and Katie.

Because the bible study, our small group, was thinking about eternity, about how you live now, so that you can live in God’s presence forever! About the choices we make, the distractions we deal with, the ease of getting off track and saying we love God and we are serving him while spending all our time and energy doing all kinds of other stuff!

Small groups, life groups, church families, tribes, bible studies, whatever you call them, are a way, smack dab in the middle of the week, to keep you focused, keep you praying, keep you laughing, keep you on the way of Jesus, just like it was 2000 years ago for the apostles and disciples and followers of Jesus in Jerusalem!

You can meet at church like the Wednesday morning bible study does, ten women and me.

Or you can meet at a house like we do at Janet Miedema’s with coffee and last week ice cream and the week before Katie Jackson’s blueberry heaven.

I’ve heard of a men’s small group that meets at a bratwurst pub and eats lunch and has beverages.

I know of a mom’s small group that meets at a church’s fellowship hall and the kids play while they exchange prayer concerns and do bible study in the midst of all kinds of interruptions.

And, of course, the old Bible and Brew idea, plus my friend Jay’s “tasting” bible studies.

Why do they do all this?

Because they wanted to be together!

Because they want to do what they could to sustain and grow their faith!

Because they wanted a place to share what they have seen God do and what they needed prayer for, and they wanted to know that someone was praying for them, and they were not willing to go more than a couple of days without that kind of spiritual support.

After Jesus death and resurrection, Ascension, and the arrival of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, the community of faith was not going to just go back to the same old, same old.

They went to the Temple. They saw the big worship experience there, and really understood its meaning now. But they wanted and needed more. So, they got together in small groups.

And they ate together, and they prayed together, and they studied together, they shared with and cared for each other, together.

I am always amazed by the number of church folks who are and are not in bible studies or small groups. Because it is the place where God’s people grow the fastest and the strongest, hands down!

So, if you are interested in being part of a small group, or think that you would be willing to host or lead a small group, let me know.

Summer has its challenges, but fall is coming. Would it be nice to have a bunch of new small groups for people to consider being a part of.

“Everyone liked them, and each day the Lord added to their group others who were being saved.”

We, God’s people, are called to Make a difference, in Jesus Name!

And so, we shall. Amen.