Message: A Community of Resurrection / Acts 4:42-47

Stories of transformation have been told in every age and place. We find them in many myths, legends, fairy tales, and novels. Some show that change can be tragic, when a person is cursed and becomes an animal or even a tree. Other stories show that change can bring courage and hope, or can grow out of love and compassion, such as when those in danger are turned into stars through the help of the gods.

These stories draw us in because they speak to something deep in human life. We know that life changes. Sometimes change brings new life. Sometimes it leads to brokenness.

One of the most powerful stories of transformation in modern literature is Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. It begins with this striking sentence: “As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.”

This strange change reveals how Gregor had been treated. When he becomes a bug, no one comes near him. He had been a salesman who worked hard to support his family. His company saw him as a tool for profit, and his family depended on him as a source of income. His value was measured only by his ability to work, earn, and provide.

But once he is no longer useful, no one welcomes him. His family shuts his door. What drives him into despair is not only his changed body, but also the way the people around him isolate and neglect him. In the end, he grows weaker and dies alone. What his family feels at his death is not grief, but relief.

This novel reflects a reality in the world today. Technology gives us easier and more comfortable ways to communicate, but many people feel a deep sense of loneliness. We have more things for entertainment, but it is hard to find those who truly care for the heart. Most people are always busy, but it is difficult to discover real meaning and value. People today have more than ever before, but the emptiness in their minds continues to grow deeper.

The philosopher Immanuel Kant argued the following as a central pillar of his moral philosophy: “Act so as to treat humanity, whether in your own person or in that of another, at all times also as an end, and not only as a means.” This insight arose from the social reality of 18th-century Europe. As personal freedom and autonomy began to be emphasized, human beings came to be understood as independent individuals. At the same time, communal solidarity and harmony weakened, and the tendency to use others as tools for personal success and profit grew. Human usefulness began to appear as the highest value.

In such a world, human beings are treated like machines. A new and efficient machine is welcomed, but an old or broken one is thrown away. Everyone is measured in terms of usefulness. The weak are hidden. The lonely are overlooked. The poor are blamed. The sick feel like a burden. In the end, people can feel like Gregor, who becomes an insect and struggles in alienation and isolation.

Today’s first reading from Acts also speaks about change, but this change moves in a very different direction. Kafka’s transformation pushes one person into isolation and darkness. On the other hand, the transformation in Acts brings those who have met the risen Christ into a community of love, fellowship, and sharing.

The essence of Easter is not simply that Jesus died and came back to life. Throughout history, there have been some special cases where people died and came back to life. Even in the Gospels, a few were raised by Jesus. But the resurrection of Jesus is not a resuscitation. What makes it different is that those who experienced the risen Christ were completely changed.

After encountering the risen Christ, the followers began to live a new life. When the Holy Spirit came upon them, they started to do what Jesus did without fear. They proclaimed the good news, fed the hungry, healed the sick, and welcomed those who had been pushed aside.

They formed a new community. In that community, no one was treated as a tool. Differences were not seen as problems, but as a gift. Each gift functioned like a part of one body. Those who had been in despair found hope. Those who had been left out experienced love. They sold their possessions and shared with those in need. Their understanding of ownership changed. They realized that what they had was not only for themselves, but for everyone. 

Verse 42 in today’s passage shows four important practices of this community. First, the people in the community focused on the apostles’ teaching. This was not simply about gaining knowledge or information.  As they reflected on what Jesus did and taught, they kept asking what direction their lives should take. Learning was a way of lighting something divine in their hearts and minds. Faith was not the possession of absolute answers, but an ongoing process of learning the way of the risen Christ. They listened, questioned, and grew together. Through this, their vision of the world expanded.

Second, they practised fellowship. This was not simply about greeting one another. Fellowship meant recognizing that the lives of others were not separate from their own. They shared their lives. They shared one another’s loneliness, poverty, sorrow, and joy. They did not leave the lonely alone. They did not abandon the grieving in silence. Their community was not a place where people were measured by usefulness, but a place where they could truly rest and know they were not alone.

Third, they broke bread together. This meant more than filling the stomach. Jesus’ table had disturbed the order of the powerful. The lines that divided people were broken down at the table. Sinners and the righteous, the poor and those with wealth, those at the centre and those at the margin, all sat together. This table continued after the resurrection in the community of his followers. It was memory, worship, and welcome. Around that table, social barriers began to lose their power. The table became a sign of grace for all.

Finally, they prayed constantly. Prayer was not an escape from reality. It was the breath that kept them open to the living Christ and to the world. Their prayer helped them look more deeply at the lives around them. It led them to share their possessions and care for the vulnerable. It guided them to see and participate in God’s work. Prayer was the core strength to resist evil and to seek justice and peace.

This new community drew people’s attention, and many joined it. What made it compelling was not a beautiful building, polished programs, or professional service. People saw something beautiful that gives life. It was the movement of Christ that transformed people. There, they tasted what the kingdom of God is like.

Today, we are called to be a community of resurrection. We teach and learn, but we are not an academic institution. We cherish fellowship, but we are not a social club. We share with those in need, but we are not a charitable organization or political party. We pray and seek God, but we are not a mystical refuge from the world.

We are called to be a community where every person is honoured as one who bears the image of God. We are called to be a community where the lonely can feel warmth, where those pushed aside are welcomed, and where prayer opens our eyes to God and our neighbours. If the risen Christ is alive among us, then our learning, our fellowship, our table, and our prayer will become pathways through which people may enter new life.

May our congregation become such a community. May new change come to the world through us. And may all who feel forgotten, measured, used, or alone discover God’s new life in us.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

Rev. Min Hwang