April 18, 2016

Acts 2:45  They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.

I have cried reading The Gift of the Magi. You may not know this O’Henry short story by its title but you know the plot: Young husband sells his watch to buy special combs for his wife’s hair while at the same time she sells her hair to buy him a gold watch chain. The idea that love could move two people to such a degree of self-abandonment touches something deep in me. It reflects the giving nature of God and the gospel. In the passage above it reflects what happened among a group of people who came to believe in that holy love of God. They liquidated assets for one another and not just the special beloved of their lives, “anyone who had need.” I don’t know how long this went on, this radical selling and sharing. It’s not terribly practical- so much need and so few resources. But it is loving and the idea that love could move a group of people to such a degree of self-abandonment touches something deep in me. It reflects the giving nature of God and the gospel. It is Luke’s idealized picture of God’s church. What is yours? This week, think about what you would sell and for whom.