Happy Birthday Church!

Happy Birthday Church

This post was written on Pentecost Sunday in celebration of the church faithful who down through the ages has been a sign of God’s faithfulness to us when we gather as a people, called.

Think of your favorite party…

The odds are high that when you saw the heading for this post, you thought of a birthday party.  Perhaps it was a surprise party that your friends organized to let you know how special you are to them. Perhaps it was the birthday party of a family member that has had an important role in your life. Whatever the occasion, we mark the passing of our years on the annual date of our birth.  Usually, with some fanfare and gifts!

When we have parties with the family the chances are that there will be people who we like more than others. Families have differences but we make the effort to get along – especially at parties!

And, so it is with the church!

Pentecost is the liturgical day of the year when we celebrate God pouring out his spirit on the early church. Miraculously, the story recorded in Acts 2 tells of the sign of the Spirit coming upon the first disciples in a way that allowed them to share the good news of Jesus Christ in a way that all people understood for they heard it in their own language. It is the job description for the church!

Reversing the experience at the Tower of Babel, Pentecost made it possible for people to understand each other. The Holy Spirit brought people together as they listened and understood what was being said. What can we do today that will foster genuine listening rather than talking at people without understanding?

From the very beginning of the Christian church, people have responded to the gospel by allowing God to change their lives into the image of Christ (or, at least we espouse to do so). What does it mean to live in the image of Christ in our Church communities? What does it mean to truly listen and understand one another? How is the Pentecost vision shaoing the way that we talk to each other?

Our calling is to take care of one another and generously give to those in need. Teresa of Avalon once talked about this phenomenon of the church gathering for mission to remind us that we are the very arms and feet of Christ embracing the world with God’s hug. I like that image very much. Could it be possible that the way we treat other people is a sign of the way God loves us?

And yet, the Church’s story has not always been so gracious.  Recall the pain caused by the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, persecution of the Jews, the Salem Witch Trials and today’s bashing of people based on their sexual orientation. No, these are not our finest hours.

So,  Why Bother?

Despite being imperfect and falling short of the glory of God, we continue to try and live into God’s expectations for us in this world.  We are called to be peacemakers and reconcile the world unto Christ.  How are we doing church? What processes do you use in your congregations that make peace and foster reconciliation among your members?

Recently I talked with a young adult who had decided not to attend church because the congregation he visited were a bunch of hypocrites. He believed – but he just didn’t want to belong. It has been said that a hospital is not ashamed of being full of sick people. In a similar way, why should the church be ashamed that it is full of sinners?  Indeed!

No, we are not perfect yet we serve one who is. This Christ we seek to serve can take our foibles and imperfections and transform the world. It is the only thing that ever has and the only thing that ever will!

We yearn to be all that God has in store for us knowing that Christ loves us just the way we are and calls us into more than we can ever dream of becoming. How do you show that you love people just the way that they are? Being genuinely interested in the experiences, feelings and views of the people who are different to us is a way to do this. Listening – using consensus building approaches is a Christ-like gift of respect and love.

And, if Christ loves us (warts and all), how can we do less than accept one another despite our preconceived judgments and criticisms? I was once told that God loves us just as we are, and sees us as redeemed despite ourselves. God chooses to love. Sadly, so many of our church members have preconceived ideas about other people and react to them without seeing people for who they are. Pentecost, with the gift of the Holy Spirit, is to open us up to difference and the embrace of the other.

Come, Holy Spirit!

This year has been a serious challenge to my faith in the church.  I have watched my denomination fight publically with each other in ways that made me cringe. At the heart of the debate is the full inclusion of LGBTIQ people in the life and witness of the church.

There has been deliberate manipulation, power plays, one-upmanship, and even righteousness misplaced. Distressed, I have questioned my commitment to remaining a member. Yet each time I have made the decision to leave, God has gently called me back – reminding me that I also stand in need of grace and reconciliation. And so I stay… Why?  Because God’s best hope for this world continues to be through people just like you and me.

This is why I am engaged in this ministry of consensus-based discernment – because it provides the tools we need if we are going to live as the family that God makes possible through the gift of the Holy Spirit.

So,  the next time you are tempted to give up and leave the church, take a deep breath and feel God’s love wash over you. Feel God’s love supporting you. Know that God is in control not this side or that view. Then, share that love with others as best as you can, despite how unloving this world can be. Be an instrument of God’s peace.

Come, Holy Spirit! Come!