Living Wages – Easter 2 - Updated March 24, 2015

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Overview
Focus Text
Related Texts
Commentary
Pastoral Reflection
Worship Aids
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Vignette
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Focus Text: Acts 4:32-35

Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

Overview

Focus Text: Acts 4:32-35

Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common.

Pastoral Reflection by Rev. Sekinah Hamlin, Director of the Ecumenical Poverty Initiative in Washington, D.C., former president of the NC Council of Churches Governing Board

Those of us who limit our Christian engagement to pious proclamations that are devoid of action would do well to consider the vibrant and attentive witness of an early congregation presented in Acts 4.

This congregation was a Holy Spirit-driven body that did much more than issue bold pronouncements of its faith; it dared to live its faith boldly! Practicing decisive discipleship, Christians in this congregation modeled a sense of selflessness so awesome that made it unthinkable for them to ignore the economic hardship of sisters and brothers around them. Spurred by the hope and power of the Resurrection of Jesus, those who owned houses and fields actually sold them and made their proceeds available for use in meeting the material needs of their sisters and brothers!

Personal Vignette from Not Making It: NC Voices on Jobs & Unemployment

After her plant shut down in 2000, Ms. Newkirk keeps a very part-time job at the Post Office….She also drives a school bus, works as a substitute teacher, and does what she can to earn enough. Still, she has no benefits and bills wait to be paid. ‘I am my children’s only provider, so I work all I can. I can’t go to the doctor to deal with things in a preventive way, so they get worse. I worry what would happen if I got sick,’ she says. ‘It’s stressful living paycheck to paycheck.’

Key Fact

80 percent of the jobs created in North Carolina since 2009 pay below what it takes for a family to make ends meet, and almost 60 percent don’t pay enough to lift workers out of poverty.

Related Texts

For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever. Rise up, O LORD! Do not let mortals prevail; let the nations be judged before you. Put them in fear, O LORD; let the nations know that they are only human.
Psalm 9:18-20

There are those whose teeth are swords, whose teeth are knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, the needy from among mortals.
Proverbs 30:14

You shall not withhold the wages of poor and needy laborers, whether other Israelites or aliens who reside in your land in one of your towns.
Deuteronomy 24:14

Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice; who makes his neighbors work for nothing, and does not give them their wages.
Jeremiah 22:13

Come now, you rich people, weep and wail for the miseries that are coming to you. Your riches have rotted, and your clothes are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you, and it will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure for the last days. Listen! The wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.
James 5:1-4

Scriptural Commentary on Acts 4:32-35

Acts 4:32-35 is situated as a summary among narratives, partly evidenced by the numerous imperfect verbs appearing in the pericope.[1] The book of Acts contains three such summaries of the church’s life (2:41-47; 4:32-35; 5:12-16).[2] The model of church life present in Acts 4:32-35 parallels the instructions of John the Baptist that “whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise,” (Luke 3:11 NRSV). In the early church, people of varying social and economic statuses confessed Christ communally, and the church members saw one another’s well-being as the church’s responsibility. Some scholars argue that the sharing of goods was a result of an expectation of Christ’s second coming within the early church’s lifetime. These scholars suggest that this communal practice died out once the church’s eschatological vision began to allow room for a less imminent return of Christ. Other scholars offer differing reasons for the disappearance of this practice, and some even suggest that communal sharing was not condoned by the apostles or the author of Acts.[3] Such a position is difficult to defend, however, as it lacks meritorious evidence and fails to account for the teachings of Jesus and John the Baptist that lend themselves to such communal sharing.

The theme of communal sharing continues throughout the book of Acts and also appears in Paul (2 Cor. 8:13-15). Most of the communities that practiced this sharing were quite small, which may have made the communal aspect more natural than for large congregations. Given the social and economic aspects of pagan worship, many early Christians were left without economic support when they separated themselves from the pagan practices. Because of this, it was difficult for new Christians to provide for their families. As a result, the church pulled its resources together and distributed to each person as he or she had need.

– Marcus A. Steer, Duke Divinity Intern

[1] Walton, Steve. “Primitive communism in Acts? Does Acts present the community of goods (2:44-45; 4:32-35) as mistaken?.” Evangelical Quarterly 80, no. 2 (April 1, 2008): 102.

[2] Sterling, Gregory E. “Athletes of Virtue”: An Analysis of the Summaries in Acts (2:41-47; 4:32-35; 5:12-16).” Journal Of Biblical Literature 113, no. 4 (December 1, 1994): 679.

[3] Walton, 101.

Pastoral Reflection on Acts 4:32-35

Like so many people in our society, I’ve learned to listen patiently while scores of our fellow citizens seem to line up in the face of cable news reporters, newspaper journalists, and radio talk show hosts to describe our nation as a Christian nation. It must be noted that such pious conferrals of national religious identity seem to be based more on deeply generous internal reflection than on outside observation, and are pronounced more often during frantic election cycles than at other more normal times of the year.

I don’t mind confessing here that I’m a bit curious as to how a nation itself becomes Christian. Was there a time long ago when town criers, perhaps connected by the then-social media of Pony Express and Morse Code, agreed to synchronize their timepieces, stand in public squares across the country at the same time, and call citizens, as well as those denied the privilege of citizenship, to a moment of common confession of Christ and baptism under his name? I’m just wondering.

It seems to this wonderer that those who call the United States a Christian nation must really mean that our nation is filled with people who have made confessions of faith in Jesus Christ, and have been willing to disclose, if not broadcast, their religious acts on or near the public square, and even on bumper stickers!

However, by now we know that even the most sensational of broadcasts enjoy relatively short lifespans. Like meteors or a Super Bowl commercial, they streak across the screens and minds of the public only to leave sight and memory in a flash.

Alas, merely broadcasting the depth of one’s faith, as noble as it may seem to be, is an insufficient indicator of the substance of one’s faith. This point becomes abundantly clearer at the same rate as one pays attention to the dominant social, political, and economic systems and the ways they confer credibility to those who stockpile wealth and power, while denying the dignity of the masses of minimum wage workers who do not earn enough income to adequately care for their families.

So allow me to offer something here that Christians everywhere seem to love and make time for: an announcement! Here goes:

Imagine how compelling the church’s witness would be if more of its adherents – you and I – functioned as decisive disciples! Just think of the increased credibility we would have if we, as spurred and sustained by the Holy Spirit, collectively deemed any acts of ignoring the glaring needs of those near us or far from us to be unthinkable! Consider how faithful we would be if our hands and hearts connected us, congregation to congregation, community to community, nation to nation in ways that demonstrated that people are more important to us than property, possessions, and profits. I think such attitudes might position us issue the following proclamations: We are Christians who believe that poverty is not God’s will for anyone! In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, pay workers a living wage!

It seems to this continued wonderer that if more Christians and their church bodies affirmed such stances and practices, our Lenten disciplines might involve more than giving up candy bars; they might involve giving up any notion that we are not responsible for attending to the conditions of those who are in need. Society may prepare its runways and spotlights to accommodate the lifestyles of the rich and famous, but I’m so glad today that Jesus created a runway and spotlight to focus on improving the lifestyles of the poor and the unknown.

Now it is quite possible that naysayers would label us as being supporters of “failed political and economic systems.” You know the language. Label us negatively, they might. Even so, I believe we are called to believe and act in ways that transcend political parties, shatter glass ceilings in employment, erase redlining in real estate, and create economic systems that enable all to triumph while trivializing none.

So when we commit to living as decisive disciples, we will joyful yet humbly affirm and adhere to the sentiments of an old African American spiritual, “If we can help somebody as we pass along, if we can cheer somebody with a word or song, if we can show somebody that she or he is traveling wrong, then our living shall not be in vain! If we can do our duties as Christians ought, if we can show salvation in a world of wrought, if we can spread love’s message that the Savior taught, then our living shall not be in vain!” Amen

– Rev. Sèkinah Hamlin, Director of the Ecumenical Poverty Initiative in Washington, D.C., former president of the NC Council of Churches Governing Board

Worship Aids about Living Wages

Call to Worship

Worker God, whose hands built the earth, molded our bodies, and sowed the stars across the skies, we gather in your presence this morning, grateful that we can participate in the work of creation.

Jesus our Brother, whose hands shaped wood, healed the sick, and reached out to fishermen, laborers, and tax collectors, we gather today to follow your way of compassion and service.

Spirit of Love, infusing our lives with energy and meaning, grounding us in grace, we seek your renewing presence. Remind us of the world we are called to create, the dream we see before us.

We work with our hands and our hearts for a world where goods are shared, respect is offered to all, and justice rolls down like mighty streams.

(from Workers Rights Sabbath resources, by Edith Rasell, United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries, 2003, www.ucc.org)

Prayer of Confession

We are workers, God, like you. But we confess that our work is not always done in a manner that affirms and honors each other. We confess that sometimes we blindly buy goods made by people who are paid too little or work in unsafe conditions.

Creator God, help us build a new world out of the ashes of the old, a world where all workers are valued.

We admit that we have failed to end an unjust system in which some workers have jobs with good wages, health insurance, sick leave, paid vacations, and pensions, while some do not make a livable wage or have no jobs at all.

Help us build a world where those who clean houses are also able to buy houses to live in. Help us build a world where those who grow food can also afford to eat their fill, and where those who serve us are also served by us.

O God, you offer grace and transformation. Give us the courage and strength to live out our faith in the marketplace as well as within walls of worship. We thank you that out of ashes, we can look for hope and new life. May your love be brought to life in the work of our hands as we labor for the common good.

Amen.

(adapted from Workers Rights Sabbath resources, by Edith Rasell, United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries, 2003, www.ucc.org, with additional material written by Denise Cumbee Long.)

For the Grace of Work

Loving God, we thank you for the grace of work. You create each one of us with particular talents and gifts and you call us to use them in the service of love and justice. You set before us a vision of your heaven to come to earth and you ask us to offer our work so that your vision may come to pass. You give us abundant resources so that our collective work will satisfy our individual material needs and the needs of the community to which we belong.

Today, we give thanks for jobs that fulfill your intention for work. For jobs where we can use our hands to build houses of peace. For jobs where we can use our minds to explore the mysteries of the universe. For jobs where we can use our hearts to offer care to those in need. We confess, loving God, that many of us take our work for granted and turn a blind eye toward those without jobs, and those whose jobs do not pay enough for food and shelter for their families. We acknowledge our need to remember that your covenant of work assumes mutual responsibility between employee and employer so that all members of the community may be blessed and prosper.

And so today, we pray for those who suffer the injustice of a job with wages insufficient to care for their family’s needs. We pray for workers who earn a salary condemning them to live below the poverty level. We pray for workers forced to take two low-paying jobs to survive. We pray for workers denied the dignity of earning a living wage, “a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work.” Forgive us our negligence, and spur us to work for change.

Remind us that in your heavenly realm the last will be first and first will be last. Let no one of us be satisfied until all our brothers and sisters earn a living wage. Move us to employ our gifts and talents so that each of us contributes to a world where all your children are paid a just and living wage for their daily work.
Amen.

(prepared by Ms. Joan Malone, Coalition for Economic Justice, Buffalo, New York)

Help Us to Hear Your Word

Generous Lord, show us how to see your truth with the eyes of the prophets. Show us the way to speak for the needy among us as we stand with them in calling for a living wage.