May 15, 2005: Pentecost!
Acts 2:1-21, John 20:19-23, Psalm 104:24-34, 35b
Eileen Parfrey, Springwater Presbyterian Church

 

Pentecost must be really important, because the lectionary committee gave us two stories today of the birth of the Church. What is confusing is that the two stories don't sound at all like each other. How is the Church born? As Jesus blows on his disciples in a locked room Easter evening, or seven weeks later with cosmic portents, rushing wind and flaming tongues of fire? You'd think the Bible would be more consistent. Maybe the gift of the Holy Spirit, empowering us to be Church, is so immense, that just one story can't handle it. Frankly, I don't think we need to worry about which story is more true. Truth-as-fact is different than truth-as-what-is-claimed. And today, what is claimed is the truth that the Church has been given both the equipment and authority to proclaim humanity's restoration to God. It's a big job description. But by using both Pentecost stories, we can see what it is that makes "a bunch of people" more than just a bunch of people-what it is that makes them "Church."

It seems obvious to say, but it's not "Church" unless there are disciples-people who have committed to try to be like Jesus, both together and individually. That's us. But then, in order to be "church," disciples must gather together, expecting the presence of the crucified and risen Savior. Really. Because it is only the Risen Christ who sends us out (by the power of the Holy Spirit), only he who gives us our message of forgiveness. Every year, seven weeks after Easter, we celebrate this phenomenon of our faith. It is not ourselves we celebrate, but our life together commissioned by Christ and powered by the Holy Spirit, in the community we call "church."

We usually celebrate by hearing the story in Acts that sounds as if all of creation has come loose on its hinges. Divine intervention and cosmic fireworks in the midst of a town which looked like a hybrid cross between National Cathedral and the Clackamas County Fair-crowds everywhere, bumping and pushing, smells of hot fat and spicy foods mingled with eau de barn, wagons of produce, sideshow barkers luring customers. The crowd trying to make sense of the roaring winds and leaping tongues of fire is international and urbane. Their bewilderment lifts momentarily as they hear familiar phrases explaining events, which quickly becomes deeper perplexity as they realize they aren't hearing translators. Common Jews could not communicate with them.

Too cool to stay baffled, they state an authoritative opinion and prepare to move on. "They're drunk." It is the correct assessment of the situation because they thought of it. But the too cool authorities in Jerusalem leave no room for God doing a new thing. A quick explanation of things might not intend to limit God. Perhaps we only intend to hide our fear that we really are in the presence of a power far outside our control. One of the few things I remember Albert Einstein saying was that humans name things with the mistaken notion that once we've named them, we understand them and can then control them.

John's version of Pentecost is more Presbyterian than Acts-a gathering of the frozen chosen. In fact, they were frozen-locked up "for fear of the Jews," so soon after the crucifixion. And Jesus comes to them, bestowing the Holy Spirit, giving the Church its mission of forgiveness toward other humans. This gift has a context. Jesus is not making the disciples guess the details of being church. The gospel of John puts a new church development intensive seminar into the Last Supper. Between what scholars call "the final discourse" and Jesus' pastoral prayer, the disciples have just received a lifetime of "how to" over unleavened bread and sacramental wine. Not unlike the meal we have waiting for us on this table. This is the essence of how to be church-the presence of the Risen Christ, filling by the Holy Spirit, forgiveness to each other.

When Jesus told his disciples to be the Church, he didn't say, "Put together great youth programs, a music group and good preaching." In John he says, "I'm sending you out. If you forgive anyone's sins they're gone for good." In Acts, the disciples are told to wait for the Holy Spirit in prayer, but then they are supposed to be witnesses. As disciples, we believe God has a hand in the formation of this faith community. We need to explore why God brings together this particular group of people, but the bottom line is always redemption. Not, "What's in it for me?" but "What is God's intention?" God's intention is forgiveness, and that is the heart of being church: reminding each other of God's grace.

Now, I wouldn't be doing my job if I let you think, "that's it" for being church. That's it, but there are also a million details about "how" to be church, even if our main job is reminding each other of God's grace. How do we nurture the faith of our children? What about children in our community? How can we help adults deepen their faith lives? How do we realistically pray for the coming of God's kingdom, when Democrats and Republicans can't even agree on the US Constitution? Are we supposed to pray for the peace of the world-or should we do something? What about racial reconciliation and hunger, violence and drug abuse? What can such a small faith community do to bring gospel justice? Should we develop relationships with sister churches to consolidate our efforts? Where? How?

It's a big job, being the Church. It's bigger than we can handle. We're in way over our heads. And thank God for that. If we thought we were capable of being "The Church" we would be in big trouble. Really big trouble. Being "The Church" is bigger than any of us, bigger than Springwater, even with the benefit of our 115-year history. Being "The Church" is bigger than the PC(USA) and all our ecumenical partners combined. Being "The Church" is so big that we will surely die of exhaustion unless the mighty rushing wind of God blows us off our very capable feet. Unless the flame of God comes upon our heads and burns into our cleverness and book learning. Unless that flame overtakes our tongues and engulfs our hearts and bellies, we may as well be a service club. But it doesn't depend on us. That's why we believe the presence of the Risen Christ is essential to being Church. William Willimon writes, "It is up to the risen Christ to make good on his promise to bestow the Spirit. . . . In a sense this is what prayer is-the bold, even arrogant effort on the part of the community to hold God to his promises. . . Prayer is thus boldness born out of confidence in the promises [God] makes, confidence that God will be true to himself. What may appear as prayerful insolence by the church in praying that we shall receive the Spirit, the kingdom, power, and restoration is in fact the deepest humility, the church's humble realization that only God can give what the church most desperately needs."

Friends, only God can help us. Only God can give us the energy and resources and spirit we so desperately need to be the Church. Pray that this will be so. Expect that God will answer our prayer. And then be on the look out for how God wishes us to use this power.