We are continuing to look at the life of Jesus and what he practiced, not to earn God’s love, but because the way Jesus lived is something to imitate; it’s for our own good, to help us walk in step with God’s Spirit in our lives and bear His fruit. This week we ‘ad a go at the practice of community, as we do week in week out, both in our Sunday gatherings and in our midweek meet ups. If you missed the first session, feel free to catch up here: www.oakscc.org.uk/community
Reassuringly, writings from the early church demonstrate that the way our community gathers today, looked quite similar even back then….
Justin Martyr (c. 100–165 AD) was a prominent 2nd-century Greek philosopher who converted to Christianity and became one of the early Church’s first, most important apologists (defenders of the faith).
In his writing ‘First Apology‘ (c. 155 A.D.), he provides the earliest detailed description of Christian worship, written to Emperor Antoninus Pius to defend Christians against false accusations. He describes a structured Sunday gathering focused on scripture readings, an instruction by the “president”, prayers, communion and giving.
He describes Christians from cities and the countryside gathering on “the Day of the Sun” (otherwise known as Sunday to me and you). Today, we take for granted that Sunday is often the day we gather together but this was not always the case! Worshiping on a Sunday was a big deal to the early church, because it is the day Jesus rose from the dead. Think about this: the resurrection was such a pivotal moment that it rearranged their entire weekly rhythm, from gathering on a Saturday to gathering on a Sunday. So, if we were meeting in the year 155AD, we might be hoping we’d turned up on the right day!
Justin stated that Christians met for worship in a “common assembly,” which generally occurred in private homes or rented spaces rather than dedicated buildings.
When pressed during his interrogation (recorded in the Martyrdom of Justin), he stated that Christians meet “Where each one chooses and can”. He specifically noted he was meeting “above one Martinus, at the Timiotinian Bath” in Rome (see pictures for estimation of where this would be in modern day Rome).
He noted that because God is not “circumscribed by place,” Christians did not all meet in one single spot, but rather in various locations available to them. This made it harder for the Roman authorities to locate them, with some calculations suggesting a total of 20 meeting places in Rome by the end of the first century.
Here’s a picture of a similar one discovered in Syria, from around 232AD.
It was a private home converted for worship, featuring a baptistery, with some of the oldest surviving Christian depictions of Jesus, including this one of Jesus and Peter walking on the water:
It isn’t until emperor Constantine legalises Christianity in the 4th century that we start to see buildings being dedicated to gatherings. We are therefore quite privileged to have our own buildings to so freely meet in – others around the world today still do not have that privilege.
Also, no bibles yet, you wouldn’t have owned one because they didn’t exist! However, they did have ‘readings of the memoirs of the Apostles’, i.e. the gospel accounts, and readings from the Old Testament. I think it’s key to note at this point, yes this was before what we call the canon of Scripture (when the church decided what is in and out of what is our Bible today), but it’s clear that even in the year 150 AD, just ~50 years after the death of the apostle John, the gospel accounts were being treated as Scripture. What a blessing to be able to have it in our pockets nowadays!
Reflect
Imagine: you’re a Christian in the year 155 AD. You’re walking along in northern Italy in summer, you’re walking into someone’s home. It’s not luxurious, or even a big space. It’s the simple living room of a believer. Some people are sitting, some are standing. The lighting is probably pretty dim. The group is diverse; to your right you see a wealthy man, a widow and a slave. To your left you see a few who have recently left the synagogue, and you know what that means for them, the price they’re paying by being here. Someone stands up and does a reading of the Good Samaritan, about loving your neighbour.
You hear the reading and then the leader stands up and it isn’t polished, but they encourage you to imitate the life of Christ. There’s a carpenter next to you who recently became a Christian. He is harbouring resentment towards his parents so he breaks down because, from the reading, he realises he needs to forgive them. This is the Kingdom of God on earth that Jesus spoke about.
Then you go into a time of prayer, some songs are sung during this time.
Side note: While Justin doesn’t explicitly mention singing, we know this to be the case from other writings at the time, including the New Testament but also a letter from the Roman governor Pliny to the Roman Emperor Trajan written about 110AD. Here’s an excerpt:
“I interrogated them as to whether they were Christians; those who confessed I interrogated a second and a third time, threatening them with punishment; those who persisted I ordered executed…they were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god, and to bind themselves by oath, not to do some crime, but not to commit fraud, theft, or adultery, not falsify their trust, nor to refuse to return a trust when called upon to do so. When this was over, it was their custom to depart and to assemble again to partake of food — but ordinary and innocent food…Accordingly, I judged it all the more necessary to find out what the truth was by torturing two female slaves who were called deaconesses. But I discovered nothing else but depraved, excessive superstition. I therefore postponed the investigation and hastened to consult you. For the matter seemed to me to warrant consulting you, especially because of the number involved. For many persons of every age, every rank, and also of both sexes are and will be endangered. For the contagion of this superstition has spread not only to the cities but also to the villages and farms. But it seems possible to check and cure it…” – excerpt taken from: https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/study/module/pliny
Cure it eh…?
Back to Justin then…sat in that living room, you all stand to participate in the prayers. They’re simple and all take part, from the youngest to the oldest, the slave to the wealthy merchant. How wonderful.
After the prayers, you share in the eucharist (communion) together with wine, water and bread. The focus is on thanksgiving (in fact, the term ‘eucharist’ is from a greek word meaning to give thanks).
Side note: Why wine and water? Because the wine was often mixed with water in the ancient world. This was most likely what Jesus did at the last supper, and therefore Christians of that day followed this common practice. Over time, this took on symbolic meaning as well; Some connected it with the blood and water that came from Jesus’ speared side on the cross, Christ’s divinity and humanity, the unity of Christ and his people. Even today in the Eastern tradition, hot water is added to the chalice after the breaking of the bread to symbolise the descent of the Spirit.
Two people who had been quarrelling make peace before they take the bread, wine and water.
Then, finally, there is a time of giving to the needy in your midst, the poor, the widows, the orphans, the sick and the strangers, anyone who has a need. There’s rich lady sat next to an orphan, how can she not want to tend to their needs?
This is the beauty of God’s church, the Christian community.
Key elements of a church gathering as community, according to Justin Martyr:
- Sunday NOT Saturday.
- Readings: “Memoirs of the apostles” (Gospels) or writings of the prophets (Old Testament)
- Instruction: The leader (Justin calls the president), instructs and encourages the people to imitate the readings.
- Prayers: The community stood to pray together, including songs.
- Eucharist (Communion): The leader offered prayers and thanksgivings, and the people assented with “Amen”
- Giving: A collection was then taken for the needy, orphans, widows, and those in prison.
Go Deeper
The early church didn’t treat community as a nice add-on to their faith. People showed up with real, imperfect, messy lives – conflict, grief, status differences, financial hardship and more. They brought all of that into the room. The expectation wasn’t perfection; it was participation. Everyone prayed. Everyone listened. Everyone gave. Everyone was being formed. This should challenge us.
It is very possible to be around church without actually being shaped by it. To attend, but not engage. To listen, but not respond. To stay comfortable, but not be changed.
Furthermore, if the early church shows us anything, it’s that community was never meant to be contained. It didn’t stay in the room on a Sunday, it spilled out into everyday life.
In Acts, we see a community that didn’t just gather once a week and then retreat back into private lives. They shared meals, resources, time, and burdens. They opened their homes and if they noticed a need, they did something about it.
Reflect
Is there space in your life for others to really know you – your struggles, not just your strengths?
Is there someone you know who has a need that you can help them with?
Meditate On
Good Order in Worship
What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. – 1 Corinthians 14:26 (NIV)
