Creation. God’s Spirit hovers over the waters. The wisdom and imagination of God is set
loose to make the worlds. Prophecy. God’s Spirit inspires preachers to call God’s
people to account for sin and to imagine an age to come when all the people of
the earth will worship God in unity and peace.
Jesus. The breath of the Spirit leaves his body on
the cross and enters the disciples hearts, filling them with peace. Pentecost. The sending of the Holy Spirit fanned the
flames of fledgling faith into a wildfire of witness and service in the name of
the risen Lord Jesus. Jesus’ disciples
became public witnesses, announcing that God has indeed inaugurated a new age
through the death and resurrection of His son, Jesus of Nazareth. This new age will be characterized by love,
peace, and mercy for the sinner and the outcast. The promise of eternal life with God gave
them confidence to face trials and death with hope and courage. They boldly and passionately called God’s
people to believe in Him and walk in His ways.
They demonstrated the Spirit’s power with stories of Jesus and
miracles. People are healed. Widows are fed. And the community of believers grows and
expands, reaching from the margins of the Roman empire to its very center—Rome itself! In one generation, this Jewish messianic
movement becomes an unstoppable global phenomenon. The first three centuries of the Christian movement
was the age of belief. The gospel story
was told and demonstrated by faithful Christians, who made a difference in the
lives of non-believers. They too became
believers, who began to adhere to this community of the resurrection. Baptism, Eucharist, prayer, and giving marked
the life of the believer. There was a
clear distinction between the Christian community and the non-Christian
community. Believing in Jesus was a mark
of distinction that subjected you to persecution, and maybe even death. Believers met in secret. Despite the hardship, the movement grew rapidly. Believing in Jesus and belonging to His
church mattered. Through the Spirit
people experienced the presence of God and the flourishing of life.
In 325 AD the Roman Emperor Constantine adopted Christianity
as the principle religion of the empire.
Every citizen was baptized, because belonging to the imperial cult was
more important than belief. The result
of this relationship was both good and bad.
In this age, Christianity grows and expands. But not without great costs. Religious tolerance toward Christians leads
to increased power and prosperity for the church. Political power corrupts, leading to reverse
persecution—first of Jews and then Muslims.
Both Native Americans and African Americans experienced the white
European man’s prejudice, violence, and enslavement under the banner of
Christianity. Christianity attacked itself, too. Insisting on right belief in order to belong,
makes Christianity exclusionary. Division
plagued the church of the middle ages.
Somewhere along the way the church decapitated itself, separating from
its head. A church without Christ flailed
around in the darkness of the enlightenment and “human progress”. A congregational system, in which the church
is established as a civic institution by the people for a community, serves as
the modern vessel for church in the United States. Congregations carry on the ministry in
whatever ways please them. Unbelievers criticize
the church from outside and destroy the church from within, as both internal
and external strife erode the church’s witness in the world. Despite this
broken body, the gospel is proclaimed and demonstrated through movements both
in and outside the church. The Spirit was
at work in the Reformation and in missionary movements, in monastic communities
and in Christian hospitals, schools, and social ministry organizations. The Spirit is at work now. God’s work is not dependent on human
cooperation or participation. God’s existence is unprecedented. God’s
agency does not require a church. But
the church requires God’s agency, for its existence and its mission in the
world. God does not need a congregation
in which to dwell. But a congregation is
called to bear witness to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit that gives life, faith,
hope, joy, peace, compassion, and justice.
Today, there are no cultural prerequisites that one must or ought to
belong to a church. One is not born into
a congregation, as one was a generation or two ago. More and more people do not locate themselves
within a faith tradition. So what kind
of church is needed in this age?
·
A community of believers marked by baptism,
eucharist, prayer, and giving/service in the name of Jesus.
·
Bold witnesses who have heard the story of Jesus
and can share that story in word and action.
·
A safe and hospitable church where non-believers
are welcomed in and given opportunity to experience the presence of God.
·
A servant church dedicated to the relief of
suffering and poverty.
·
A hopeful church, unhindered by the sins of her
past and free to be Christ’s people in the future.
In this Pentecost season, let us
become who we are: the baptized,
believing community of the cross and resurrection, sent to share God’s story
and demonstrate God’s love in speech and action over and over again until
Christ Jesus comes again. Amen.
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