What Sort of Birthday - May 23 sermon for Pentecost.mp3
John 14:8-17, 25-27 (Acts 2:1-21)
What Sort of Birthday?
Today is the birthday of the Church. Happy Birthday, Church. It is also the birthday of Ambrose Burnside, Civil War general from whom sideburns got their name. Bandleader Artie Shaw was born on this day, as was singer Rosemary Clooney. Boxer Marvelous Marvin Hagler, comedian Drew Carey, and singer Jewel also celebrate their birthdays today. Perhaps there is also someone here who is celebrating a birthday today.
Of course we’re not doing anything at my house to celebrate General Burnside’s birthday. I had to do a computer search just to know about it. Same for all those other folks. Some of those births may be historical events, but they’re little more than a passing curiosity to me.
It’s hard to get too excited about the birthday of someone you don’t know, and it’s even harder to get excited about some long dead historical figure. We may put George Washington’s birthday on calendars, but I can’t remember the exact date. I know it’s February. Even Jesus’ birthday had been long forgotten by the time the Church decided we ought to celebrate it. So they borrowed an existing holiday.
Not only do birthdays take on different significance when we know someone, but they feel different depending on the age of the person. I’ve been invited to a few 90th birthday parties, and even a couple of 100th birthdays. They have a very different feel from a first or second birthday party. They may be happy and joyous, a genuine celebration, but they do not anticipate much. The gaze at such a party is mostly toward the past, and there is a lot of remembering and reminiscing. There are certainly no gifts of clothes that must be grown into or toys that will help someone learn a new skill.
And now here we are at the Church’s birthday party. What sort of feel does is have for you? What sort of gifts would be appropriate? Is the gaze mostly toward past or the future?
If you grew up in the Church like I did, or even if you’ve simply been around the Church for a few years, you’ve likely heard about the Church’s birthday, about Pentecost and the Holy Spirit. The reading from Acts shows up most every Pentecost, and so many of us know that today commemorates the sending of the Holy Spirit. We speak of the Holy Spirit often. The Spirit is in our songs and hymns, in our creeds and prayers. And yet I know a lot of Christians who seem to think the Holy Spirit is a relic of the past.
I probably need to qualify that. A lot of Christians think the Holy Spirit described in the Pentecost story is a relic of the past. They’ll speak of the Spirit being with them or in them, but they seem to be describing a rather vague feeling. And sometimes they speak of the Spirit as something innate to humans, something that gives us an awareness of God.
But such notions have little connection to what the Bible and Jesus say about the Spirit. There the Spirit is not something naturally a part of us. Rather it is God’s presence and power sent to us to equip and empower us to be the body of Christ. The story in Acts vividly describes the disciples being given extraordinary gifts via the Spirit so they could share the good news with all. And when Jesus speaks with his followers just prior to his arrest in our gospel reading today, he promises that God will send the Spirit, the Advocate. And this gift is also associated with the church being empowered to continue Jesus’ ministry. Jesus says, “Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”
According to our faith story, the Church whose birthday we celebrate is given extraordinary powers through the Spirit. Jesus promises to be present to us through the Spirit, and to do whatever we ask in his name. So why do so many Christians seem to see the Church like a hundred year old aunt or uncle who is still alive and vigorous, but whose days are obviously numbered?
If you’re not up on all things churchy, you may be unaware of the high level of anxiety that is out there in many denominations and congregations. Membership numbers for Presbyterians, Lutherans, Methodists, and Episcopalians have declined dramatically over the last few decades. In recent years, even folks like the Southern Baptists have joined in the decline. Statistically almost no one is doing well. And yet as we celebrate the Church’s birthday today, we hear Jesus telling us, “I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” What gives?
Growing up in the Church, I heard people routinely end their prayers with, “in Jesus’ name we pray.” I don’t know about you, but hearing this on a regular basis led me to believe that this was the proper formula to use if you wanted to get what you were asking for. It was a church equivalent of “pretty please” or “Abracadabra.”
But “in my name” was never meant as a formula. Rather, it describes the relationship of what Jesus’ followers are doing to what Jesus has done. It is about continuing Jesus’ ministry, about obeying his commandments. It is about being a community where the world can see the risen Christ still at work. “In my name” is Jesus entrusting us to be his faithful representatives in the world. And it is his promise to be with us and help us when we are faithful to that call.
And that raises a question. If we are feeling anxious about the future, if we are worried about the fate of the Church or our congregation, is it because Jesus was lying when he said he would give us what we asked for? Or is it because what we’re asking for, wishing for, pining for, isn’t what Jesus wants us to be doing on his behalf, in his name?
As we celebrate the Church’s birthday, it is natural to look back, to remember her triumphs and accomplishments. And I suppose it is only normal to worry when numbers go down and budgets are tight. But it seems to me that such times are also a call to take stock, to examine ourselves and ask where we are being faithful and where we need to move in new directions if we are to minister in Jesus’ name, on his behalf, if we are to be Christ to the world.
As we celebrate the Church’s birthday, I see clear signs that the Spirit is blowing through the Church, calling and empowering those who will look to the future. I hear the hope the Spirit brings in the voices of those on our Dream Team as they listen for where God is calling us. And I am convinced that when we are attentive to that call, the Spirit will be powerfully present, instructing and guiding us, gifting and empowering us. Where do you hear the Spirit moving us? What is Jesus calling us, and you, to do “in his name,” as his representatives.
As we celebrate the Church’s birthday, peering into an uncertain future, Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” You will do even greater works. And God will be glorified, and the world will see the Son in you.
Thanks be to God!
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