Introduction
You’ve heard of families being rescued from burning buildings; sailors being rescued at sea; cats being rescued from trees; dogs being called “rescues” when they are pulled out of abusive homes. But have you ever heard of food rescue?
Food is rescued when it is taken out of grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and hospitals before going into the trash. The food has not gone bad, but for a variety of reasons and regulations it cannot be used or sold. Unless it is rescued, it has to be thrown away.
A new food rescue movement has developed and according to Fast Company magazine, this Pittsburgh-based non-profit has become “a crowdsourced transport network, moving both food and people.” Food Rescue will rescue food and deliver it to churches, community centers, senior centers, schools, and even entire neighborhoods. Volunteers are notified of available food through a mobile app called “Food Rescue Hero” and then they quickly step into action, pick up the food, and deliver it to where it is needed. “We have a great team,” says a food rescue leader Aaron Tolson. “Together we are changing the food insecurity landscape here. We have been successful in reducing food waste and food insecurity because of the tremendous people involved.”
In just six months, one single Food Rescue branch delivered more than 200,000 pounds of food, which translates into over 100,000 meals. And the program is growing because donor locations, rescues, and downloads of the Food Rescue Hero app are increasing weekly. That’s what happens when you mobilize a group of committed volunteers. No one person is the hero, but instead success comes through crowdsourcing—which is the practice of enlisting the help of a large number of people— typically via the internet—to get something done or shared.
Around the country, Food Rescue Hero is making a positive difference by diverting food from trash cans to hungry people. (There are several locations in the greater Cleveland area doing this work.) Over the course of five years, more than 12 million pounds of food has been rescued by over 10,000 volunteers. And its efforts have evolved, and now in addition to delivering fresh food, Food Rescue Hero helps transport those in need to medical appointments.
“Technology is important,” says Leah Lizarondo one of the founders of Food Rescue Hero, “but it’s the power of collective action that will drive massive change.”
I love that statement, because it’s so true… It’s the power of collective action that will drive massive change.
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What’s true today was true in first-century Jerusalem.
The book of Acts tells us that “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” (4:32). A great team. Tremendous people. Instead of individual heroism, collective action.
“With great power,” says Acts, “the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. … 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.” (vv. 33-35) The result of this action was that there “was not a needy person among them” (v. 34).
These Christians had been rescued by Jesus, so they wanted to rescue others. With great power, the apostles spoke of the resurrection, and of the Good News of Jesus Christ. In all they did, they had one heart and soul and the power of their collective action drove massive change that still resonates today.
Move 1
If the Church is going to feed the hungry, assist the poor, and share the Good News of Jesus we need to tap into this mindset, this approach to being church, this power of the Spirit to drive massive change.
Such an approach is foundational to our faith, and well within our abilities. “We need Christians focusing on ordinary Christianity,” writes pastor Tony Merida. “This means speaking up for those whose voices have been silenced, caring for the single mom, restoring the broken, bearing burdens, welcoming the functionally fatherless, and speaking the Good News to people on a regular basis in order to change the world.”
Merida is right to say that ordinary Christianity is the most important kind of Christianity. Start with the great commandment, he says: “Love your neighbor as yourself. Reach out to those in need, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, visit the prisoner, speak good news to people around you.”
This was the ordinary Christianity being practiced by the first followers of Jesus— not as isolated heroes, but as members of a broader and unified community. They were ordinary Christians, who crowdsourced their abilities and assets, and then tackled their challenges through collective action.
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Now this isn’t some deep, theological revelation you needed a pastor to tell you. We all know the quote from Margret Meade who said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the World: Indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.” What is needed though is not a reminder of this biblical model, but a modern day example that can help us begin to envision how we can drive massive change today.
Move 2
Christian activist and author Shane Claiborne has written a book called The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical.
And there’s that word “ordinary” again— ordinary radical, ordinary Christian.
In the book, he tells the story of two college buddies who told him they were going to Philadelphia to hang out with their “homeless friends” and asked Claiborne if he wanted to come along, which he agreed to do. Claiborne admits at first he was afraid he would be robbed, but in the end, he tells how the people in the alleys “stole only my heart.”
In his book Claiborne tells how a group of 40 homeless families, who were about to be evicted from an abandoned cathedral in North Philadelphia, gave him a perspective and a vision for living out this biblical model for massive change.
He joined a group that went to help these families—a group that would then evolve into a club called: Youth Against Complacency and Homelessness Today, or for short the Y.A.C.H.T Club. Their Y.A.C.H.T Club was not for boaters, but sometimes boaters would call them looking for membership information. Claiborne and his friends would explain who they actually were and the work they did… and then ask for a donation.
Claiborne and his club saw a need: Shelter for homeless families. They responded through the Y.A.C.H.T Club… an ordinary, crowdsourced Christian effort. Their work became so successful and important that Claiborne and others from the club moved into a small row house in a underserved section of Philadelphia. Their vision was to love God, love people, and follow Jesus. They began calling their little efforts the “Simple Way.”
Since then, they have shared food with folks who needed it and run a community store out of their house. They have reclaimed abandoned lots and planted gardens in the concrete jungle. They have rehabbed abandoned houses and made friends with people in prison and on death row.
Claiborne and his club have seen a vision of another way to live— the way of ordinary Christians. It is formed by, and directed toward, changing the world for the better.
Move 3
The Christians of Jerusalem had been rescued by Jesus, and because they were, they wanted to rescue others. They “gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus” and shared their resources with such generosity that there “was not a needy person among them” (vv. 33-34).
In chapter 9 of the Book of Acts, the writer names this effort calling it “The Way.” These ordinary, radical for the time, Christians became part of a movement which took their lives in a new direction and it had world changing impacts
In his book Claiborne writes, “No wonder the early Christian church was known as the Way. It was a way of life that stood in glaring contrast to the world. Of course, everyone was forewarned that in this kingdom everything is backward and upside-down — the last are first and the first are last, the poor are blessed and the mighty are cast from their thrones. The Christian Way still stands in contrast to the world. Instead of “me first,” it is “us first.” Instead of “hate your enemy,” it is “love your enemies.” Instead of “store up treasures on earth,” it is “store up treasures in heaven.”
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Claiborne’s story begins to show us how we can implement and further this ordinary Christian Way today.
No we don’t have to move to inner-city Philly to meet a need, but we do have to see a deep need, and then take collective action, because the work of rescuing— be it the homeless, the abandoned, the hungry, the marginalized—takes many forms. But successful rescue is always best accomplished as a group.
So we can show up as a group at city council meetings and speak in favor of affordable housing. We can show up at a school board meeting and speak in favor of racial diversity, equity, and inclusivity. We can join a group that offers after-school tutoring for at-risk children. We can take food and seasonal clothing to tent city in Akron. We can help at our own Loaves and Fishes Plus Pantry each month.
It’s the power of ordinary Christians, taking collective action that will drive massive change.
Conclusion
In the ordinary Christianity of first-century Jerusalem, Christians worked together to help those in need. Rather than the church being split into liberals and conservatives, “the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul” (Acts 4:32). Possessions were not hoarded, but instead “everything they owned was held in common.” (v. 32) Rather than the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, “there was not a needy person among them,” because they pooled their resources and distributed aid “to each as any had need.” (vv. 34-35)
We are still part of this movement—this ordinary Christian way—a way that takes our lives in a new direction. Having been rescued by Jesus and been given new life by his resurrection, we can see a need, meet a need, and change the world. And like the Christians of Jerusalem, we do this best when we work together and practice ordinary Christianity. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer, April 18, 2021
God of the resurrection, we gather this morning as a community of believers. We come with joy to greet one another and to tell again and again the amazing news: Christ is risen! Love is victorious over death! You have given us new life—a new life that is set within the one body of Jesus Christ, who draws us together so that together, with him and through him, we can change the world for the better.
Holy God, it is always our desire to be part of this movement to help change the world for the better. We have heard your call and nothing about it ever repels us for we know of its incredible power and amazing grace.
But at times reluctance invades our minds, which often trickles down into our hearts. Often, we hide true intentions behind stubborn silence or an attitude that we are too few, and the need is too vast.
So we admit that our motives are at times displeasing to you who knows us better than we know ourselves. We pray you cultivate the power of Jesus in us so that we would discern where and when and how you send us to do your will. Instill in us the sense of community Jesus sought to share through his life and deeds. Help us to grasp its essence more clearly, weaving within our spirits the power you gave to the early church that is the same power you give today’s church—a power that can make the impossible possible, the ordinary extraordinary.
Holy God, we know you love us, and we know you send us out into the world to share the Good News of Christ’s love. So speak to us again your words of forgiveness and grace, while reminding us again that you have gathered us together to be a community of believers, who believe that together with your Holy Spirit we can truly change the world for the better.
May you hear now the prayers of our hearts, as we share them in this time of holy silence…
All this we pray in the name of our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, who taught us to pray saying, “Our…”