We are crew

 

Acts 2: 42-47
New Ark United Church of Christ, Newark, DE
April 26, 2026

Photo of astronauts Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen, Reid Wiseman, and Victor Glover sharing a group hug on their Artemis II mission to the moon.

In his 2013 book An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth, retired Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield wrote that in any given situation, you’re either a plus-one, a minus-one, or a zero. Take a moment to ponder which one you think you are. A plus-one adds value to any situation, but if you go in thinking you have to prove you’re plus-one, you quickly become a minus-one: someone who subtracts value and causes problems. A zero, on the other hand, listens, pays attention, offers wisdom when needed. Like a true Canadian, Colonel Hadfield advises that we aim to be a zero—add value without taking control of the situation, without attracting attention to yourself. You may be a plus-one but you can move through life like a zero.



Fast-forward 13 years to the crew of the Artemis II mission and their reflections on their spaceflight. Astronaut Christina Koch remembered when someone had asked her what makes a crew a team. And after these recent 10 days in space, she said she had a much better answer. “A crew is in it all the time, no matter what. They are together, in the same rhythm, with the same purpose. Willing to sacrifice silently for each other. A crew gives grace. Holds accountable. They have the same cares and the same needs. A crew is inescapably, beautifully, dutifully linked.” And she talked about looking at the earth, the tiny earth, surrounded by darkness, a lifeboat in space.



And then she paused. “Uh oh”. She’s standing in front of the rest of the astronaut corps, the press, other NASA officials and staff. Deep emotion wells up within her and with deliberation she says, “Planet Earth. You. Are. A. Crew.” Then amidst the applause and the standing ovation, the four crew members joined in a group hug, one of many they have shared.



This may be the first space mission in which love was palpable, visible, actionable. I’m also gonna just say that it’s the first astronaut mission named for a goddess rather than a god. I don’t know if one can love wholeheartedly like that and be a zero at the same time. Because love like that attracts attention. It adds value but it doesn’t have to prove it. I guess what I’m saying is I don’t know if I can call love like that a zero. Because it contributes beyond what is asked for and gives freely what is needed.



Which sounds remarkably like the early Jesus movements and groups who were forming community together. They lived in chosen families, with mutual support and affection. Communal meals were at the heart of these Jesus groups, with Jesus as the host, guest, and guest of honor. They formed what could be called “supper clubs” that not only fed one another but also shared housing and finances, sometimes with the assistance of a wealthy member who provided space for larger groups. Their focus was centered upon caring for one another as they lived in the shadow of the Roman Empire, not on what they believed. They weren’t looking for one right way to live but many possible ways to live as Jesus taught and lived.



Where it says, “And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved”, salvation wasn’t about belief or the afterlife but about keeping people and community safe for everyone. Their survival depended on it. And freedom from poverty is the foundation of safety.



The gospel of Luke and the books of Acts are thought to have been written by the same author. Did you know that in the gospel of Luke the poor are a constant theme but in the book of Acts the word “poor” does not even appear once? The gospel of Luke instructs how we are to care for the poor and the book of Acts is the living out of not only that gospel which harkens back to the law of Moses in Deuteronomy.



“If there is among you anyone in need, a member of your community in any of your towns within the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your needy neighbor. You should rather open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need, whatever it may be. …Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, ‘Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.’”



Christian nationalists will call “opening your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land”, they will call it socialism instead of empathy or compassion or justice. They will call it socialism instead of solidarity. They will call it socialism like it’s a dirty word rather than what it really is, which is biblical.



Ultimately, a crew is a group of people who choose each other rather than just themselves. The other day I read that the poor and the middle class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the very rich pay lawyers, and the ultra-rich pay politicians. Capitalism is about choosing ourselves and gambling on our future. The Bible is all about choosing each other and each other’s well-being to ensure we all have a future.



Earlier this week, when asked about his stance on migration, Pope Leo replied, “I would change the question: what is the global North doing to help the global South in its situation that forces them to migrate?” When will the global North choose the global South as a needy neighbor that it plundered rather than an endless supply of resources and profit?



Our world is not divided by race, color, gender, or religion. Our world is divided by people who choose the earth and each other and people who choose themselves. And the reason the poor are still with us is not because of the money spent on the space program, but because there are those who choose wealth and power over their neighbor, to the point of dehumanizing them.



Maybe the reason I’m preaching again about this space mission is because it is one more small step toward a Star Trek future where they don’t use money, they work to better themselves, and they embrace diversity.

"If man is to survive, he will have learned to take a delight in the essential differences between men and between cultures. He will learn that differences in ideas and attitudes are a delight, part of life's exciting variety, not something to fear." - Gene Roddenberry

We can’t just want things to change and yet keep what we have. We need to want more, not just for ourselves but for everyone—to hunger and thirst for it like we can’t be satisfied with what we have, because when our neighbor suffers, so do we.



There is no peace without LOVE.
There is no justice without LOVE.
There is no loss without LOVE
There is no joy without LOVE.
There is no future without LOVE.
There is no crew without LOVE.
There is no Church without LOVE.
There is no earth without LOVE.

Amen.

Benediction – enfleshed.com


Go forth expecting signs and wonders,
for undermining the Ways of Domination
is not new to the Holy Trouble Maker.
Her people are openhearted and determined.
Her people love the Ways of New Life.