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Foundry is an historic, progressive United Methodist Church that welcomes all, worships passionately, challenges the status quo, & seeks to transform the world.
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Sunday May 24, 2015
Sunday May 24, 2015
A sermon preached by Rev. Ginger E. Gaines-Cirelli at Foundry UMC May 24, 2015, Pentecost Sunday.
Text: Acts 2:1-21
“Forget the Church, Follow Jesus.” That was a Newsweek cover story several years ago.[i] The story by Andrew Sullivan makes plenty of good points about the ways the so-called “institutional church” has been sullied by all sorts of bad behavior. You’ll find no argument from me on that. But the notion that one can “forget the church and just follow Jesus” struck me then and now as being just a little too glib. One can reasonably argue that Jesus may not have had in mind the specific institutional varieties of church that we see or experience. But in the scriptures Jesus consistently calls people to “come and see,” to “follow,” and to do the things that he himself did. Jesus creates a community by calling people and sending people and sharing life with people. Jesus, as a practicing Jew and itinerant Rabbi, lived and taught within the “organized religion” of the day and participated in the life of the Temple. He railed against the injustices being practiced within his religious tradition, but he did not abandon it. To follow Jesus inherently involves being in community—not only because this is the model set for us by the man himself, but also because when Jesus left we were given the work to carry on—to be Jesus’ hands and feet and voice—Christ’s body—on earth. That is simply not something that we can do alone. To be the Body of Christ, requires the myriad gifts that each of us bring.
It is tempting sometimes to “forget the church,” as promulgated by the Newsweek piece. After all, the church is a “broken, compromised, human organization.” But who here today isn’t at least a little bit compromised or broken? “As the old joke runs, I would like to find and then join the perfect church, but as soon as I join it, it will be imperfect.” Once, GK Chesterton was asked what was wrong with the world. He replied, “I am.”[ii] As flawed as the church is, we do well to remember that Jesus is clear that the mission is to be a healing and saving station for the sick and broken, not a trophy case for the strong and righteous. And thanks be—since that means that people like me and you can fit in here. We, all of us, are drawn into this messy reality of community in Christ. And it is in this context that we are offered healing grace and given opportunities—often because of the messiness of the church—to practice being more and more human, patient, generous, brave. We practice here so that we can manage it elsewhere once in a while.
Students of systems theory will know that any organization is deeply affected by the conditions, personalities, and actions of the founding leader or group. That is to say, what happens in the beginning imprints itself upon the proverbial DNA of the community for years to come—for better or for worse. This is good news in our case, because even in the midst of all the brokenness of the institutional church, we are assured today that we have good DNA. Because what we know as the church started within the context of the covenant relationship between God and Israel, was renewed and reformed through the person and work of Jesus Christ, and then enlivened and embodied through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Not bad as “founding pastors” go! The church has full inclusion in its DNA, because when the promised Spirit appears in our story today, folks from “every nation under heaven” are there and Joel’s prophecy, used by Peter to interpret the event, specifically speaks of women and men, young and old, and of “slaves”—those who would be understood to be on the margins of society. Upon “all flesh” the Spirit of the Lord falls. And when the Spirit is poured out into receptive people, signs and wonders happen. People speak and are understood, hear and understand one another. The thing that divided them is overcome. Unity happens—a unity that defies all human understanding. This is in our DNA…
In light of this, the brokenness of the church and of the world seems even more discouraging. After all, it has been more than 2000 years since all this went down and we still have the long list of broken places, exclusion, and radical disunity. A deeply broken justice system, racial and ethnic divides, Muslims and Christians killing each other in Nigeria, Israel and Palestine locked in a seemingly endless conflict, ISIS exploiting every possible religious tension, churches everywhere continuing to fight over who is “in” and who is “out” while thousands get fed up and say, “forget the church.”
As a Christian pastor, I must admit that there are times when I find myself tempted to believe that it is up to me to fix the church. I come by this temptation honestly, living as we all do in a culture permeated with what I call the “I can do all things (without Christ or anyone else)” bug. I can self-help my way to a brighter future …I can get what I want if I just work hard enough…I can save myself… Individualism and self-sufficiency permeate everything. In addition, we have created amazing technologies that can make us feel like we can do anything, control anything, fix anything. I am told it is possible to experience virtually anything “virtually.” Maybe this is why it is so tempting to think that we can control or create any reality that we desire.
Every year in my worship planning, I catch myself wanting to make Pentecost happen…to create the special effects—you know—the sound of a mighty rushing wind, maybe with one of those giant fans at the back of the sanctuary—and to light enough candles to set the place on fire…and then I realize that scenario wouldn’t happen…they’re kind of mutually exclusive… And then I realize that the special effect that I really want to create is not so much the stuff that Hollywood can produce—those effects like wind and fire. What I really want to create are the real miracles of Pentecost:
- All people receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit—regardless of age, gender, race, orientation, or anything else—and those gifts leading them to see God’s vision and to dream God’s dream…
- People who are REALLY different speak in ways that are not only heard but understood
- People who are really different listen and recognize that others are speaking their language at a deep level
- Those who have experienced the saving love of Jesus having the courage to share that experience with others.
- A great conversion to love and justice and generosity and peace and mutuality—the formation of a new community with those things at the center
These are the “special effects” I want for Foundry, for the United Methodist Church, and for the world…And sometimes I really do labor under the illusion that it’s up to me. But these miracles we read about in Acts 2 didn’t happen through human ingenuity—because someone figured out a new technology for communication, or because a pastor dreamed up an innovative program, or because a congregation has such a great history and so many good and capable people. Pentecost happened—and happens—through the unmerited grace of God, the love of Jesus, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. God is the one whose “effects” are so special that people aren’t just impressed by them, but are transformed, empowered, set free, brought back to life, and drawn into a new kind of community. I can’t make those things happen. Foundry can’t make them happen. And, frankly, when I remember that, I’m able to see and remember that not only is it not up to me, but God has the Pentecost Experience quite in hand. Then and now.
But that doesn’t mean that you and I have no responsibility, no role to play. The original Pentecost miracle wouldn’t have happened if the disciples blew Jesus off when he told them to stay in Jerusalem and to patiently wait, deciding instead to attend to their own agenda. It wouldn’t have happened if the apostles, the women, and other disciples with them (Acts 1:12-14) were not open to receive the strange and wonderful gift of the Spirit’s presence—an openness likely prompted by the prayers to which they were so devoted (Acts 1:14). It wouldn’t have happened if others who heard the sounds of the wind and the people speaking their language hadn’t responded with curiosity and open hearts. All of this is to say that, while the words of Jesus are our invitation and guide and the Spirit is always the instigator and power source, we have to decide how to respond. Some on the first Pentecost chose to “sneer” and label what was happening as embarrassing, bad behavior. But thousands of others—“about three thousand souls”—decided to respond by joining the Jesus movement. “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (Acts 2:42) They became part of an intentional community, what we call the church.
Abandoning the church is not going to help the world become more whole, peaceful, or just. Being the church—grounded in our true DNA, the love, example, grace, unity-in-diversity, and power of the Holy Trinity—is what will really make a difference. The call, as one God-dreamer describes it is to, “surrender to the mystery of the fire of the Spirit that burns within, … live in ever greater fidelity to the omnipresent Word of God, [and] enter into the center of it all, the very heart and mystery of Christ, into the center of the flame that consumes, purifies, and sets everything aglow with peace, joy, boldness, and extravagant, furious love.”[iii] When we get right down to it, each one of us has to decide whether we are willing to get close enough to be set on fire with God’s love or get picked up by an unruly wind that will carry us into relationships and activities we couldn’t have imagined and may not fully understand. Each one of us has to decide whether we will hang back with those who sneer or take a step into the new life in Christ we receive when our hearts are open—risking ridicule from the “sneerers.” Each one of us has to decide whether to truly follow Jesus which will mean getting mixed up in the mixed bag of the church with people who are flawed and wonderful just like you and me.
You and I don’t have to try to create special effects. You ARE God’s special effects. We ARE God’s special effects! We are here. And God creates the best special effects ever—better than Star Wars, The Matrix, Lord of the Rings, and the Avengers combined! The best special effects ever are when the Spirit keeps overflowing and seeping into the tiniest cracks in human hearts and minds, filling the brokenness, softening the cynicism, and forming and reforming people like you and me, here and there, now and again, into an ever more faithful, open, engaged, loving, and grace-filled church—the kind of church no one could forget…or would want to.
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