Happy Birthday, Dear Church, Happy Birthday to You – sermon on May 15, 2016
John 14: 11-20, 25-26 Jesus said, “Believe that I am in God and God is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do. I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with God. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to God. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!
If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask God, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. It is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive it, because it isn’t looking for it and doesn’t recognize it. But you know it, because it lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in God, and you are in me, and I am in you. I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. But when God sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—it will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.
Acts 2: 1-21 On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.
They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! Here we are – Parthians, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Pamphylia, Egypt, visitors from Rome, Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!” They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other. But others in the crowd ridiculed them, saying, “They’re just drunk, that’s all!”
Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that. No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants – men and women alike – and they will prophesy. And I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below – blood and fire and clouds of smoke. The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives. But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Sermon: Happy Birthday, Dear Church, Happy Birthday to You by Rev. Doreen Oughton
Today we celebrate Pentecost. Does anyone know what the word means? (50 days) What 50 days? (50 days since resurrection) Pentecost was also a Jewish feast day, which is why so many people were in Jerusalem, people from Egypt and Cappadocia, Mesopotamia and Pamphylia. The Jewish faith has three solemn feast days: Passover, Pentecost, aka the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. On each of these feast days, all able-bodied Jewish males were required to travel to Jerusalem to attend the feast and offer sacrifices. But for the Christian church, the significance of Pentecost is what happened that day, during the Feast of Weeks, fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus. Its significance is in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the followers of Jesus who had gathered together.
The eleven were there, plus Matthias, the replacement for Judas Escariot. A sound like a rushing wind filled the house, and something that looked like fire settled over each of their heads. And when they spoke, it was in a variety of languages. They must have left the house in their excitement, because before long there was quite a crowd gathered, all understanding in their own language what the disciples were saying. And they were all talking about the amazing power of God. The chapter continues past what we performed this morning, with Peter preaching about Jesus being the Messiah, and he ends up baptizing 3000 people into the faith. For all these reasons, Pentecost is considered to be the birth of the Christian church, and each year we celebrate its birthday.
So, was that first church the building where the twelve had gathered? What was the first “church?” The twelve? The 3000? I think it was all who were empowered by God’s holy spirit. The word “church” comes from the Greek word ecclesia, which means the “called- out ones.” The church is all those called-out people. So I wonder, called out for what? Called out to do what Peter did, proclaim Christ as the Messiah, the Savior, the Son of God who leads us into new life. For that first church, it wasn’t about gathering, it was about going. And I think that is what church is meant to continue to do. Sure we gather. We gather to be fueled up with the Holy Spirit that we might go and BE church.
Jesus didn’t come to start a new religion. He didn’t come to have grand cathedrals built to honor him. He came to proclaim the coming of the kindom. While he walked the earth he didn’t stay in one place very long, but was always going, moving on to take his message of mercy and love to the next place. And he tells his followers that once he is gone, they will be able to do what he did and even greater works, because of the power of God’s Advocate, the Holy Spirit. They, and we, would be able to bring the message even farther. They, and we, could lead people into new life, even if we can’t get them to worship with us.
In a few years we will be celebrating an anniversary here at FCC, 300 years. It marks the erection of a building on this site.* But as we think about plans for the celebration, let’s not get caught up in the edifice complex, mixing up the church with the building. Let’s remember that it took lots of “called-out,” faithful people to get that building built. This “church” had to have started before the building was up, right? And let’s remember, that if what you do in this building doesn’t lead you to new life, doesn’t inspire you to see the coming kindom, doesn’t drive you to act in ways that make people wonder what you are up to, well maybe there isn’t all that much to celebrate. So let’s be sure to attune ourselves to that Holy Spirit, which is in all of us, which Jesus said will teach and remind us, will empower us to do even greater works than his. And to each one of you touched by that holy spirit, I say, Happy Birthday to you. Amen.
*I later learned that the anniversary marks the calling of a minister to establish a parish, not the building. Yay!
