Pentecost

As most of us know…today is the birthday of the Church. Every year on my birthday, my mom calls me at some point during the day. Like clockwork, Mom recites the time when I arrived in the world, and some of the details of that day…like who was there, what they were doing just before, or how people reacted. Even though she continues the tradition, my mom thinks that I don’t care to hear the story anymore…but she’s wrong. It is important for us to remember when we were born, because at this moment, our individual identity which had been brewing, hidden in the depths of mystery, burst forth into the world. As we celebrate the birthday of the Church today, let us remember its inception, and in doing so, remember who we are as Church.

Though most people nowadays associate Pentecost with the birth of the Christian Church, Pentecost was actually a Jewish holy day with its roots in the later chapters of Exodus. Pentecost is the greek name, stemming from the word “penta”, because it is celebrated 50 days after Passover. Pentecost was the 7^th Sabbath…which I like to think of as a “super-Sabbath”…and was celebrated because the harvest season lasted seven weeks. Farmers would offer their first-fruits in the temple, while telling the story of the Jewish exodus into the land which God had promised them. The festival was a passageway from the rescue of the Passover into their present identity as a nation. The land was central to Jewish identity, not only as a source of life, but also as evidence that God cared about their duration as a nation. Pentecost was a time for Jews to celebrate their national identity, and to connect the reality of salvation in the Passover with the reality of present existence.

The celebration of harvest brought Jews from different parts of the known world to Jerusalem. Thus, in Acts, we see people from many walks of life…different languages…different cultures…and we are reminded of a tower from the distant past, where the arrogance of men caused scattering and confusion. However, amongst the distance and confusion, God gathered men together in love to celebrate their common identity. When Jewish farmers presented their first-fruits in the Temple, they would offer two loaves made from their wheat. These two loaves represent the Jews and Gentiles…it should be obvious what these signs are pointing towards. From the earliest days of Jewish identity, God was forming the body of Christ in the womb of mystery. The baby was kicking as the different parts of the body assembled and purpose brewed within the people of Israel. God was there as the Church was being woven together in the depths, moving towards the Pentecost after the Passover of the Messiah. The birth of the Church was ordained before any of its days came into being.

And just as a child appears in the world as the perfect composite of body and soul, so too God’s Holy Spirit filled the Church body, forming it and setting its course for the future. You see, the soul forms the body…without form, the body is just a mass of flesh and blood and organs. For example, think about a house. Without its form, a house would be a pile of wood, glass, nails, shingles and insulation. Only when these things take their shape, only when they embrace their proper purpose and end…only when they are able to lived within…do they become a house. In the same way, God’s Spirit forms the Church, giving it shape from bonds of love, giving it a purpose and an end in Himself, and actually setting it into motion. So too, 50 days after Christ died on the cross and was resurrected, the Holy Spirit blew into the Church and gave it form.

This Church was born body and soul…human and divine…the body of Christ. Aren’t we pulled in these two directions…at times our humanity weighs us down, and we see the needs around us…that we live in a broken world in need of drastic change. Yet, God also pulls us towards Himself, drawing us in by His love, and reminding us that we are strangers in this world…that we are different from the rest. Did not Christ also feel this tension? Our Messiah was God Himself, bearing the substance of the Godhead, and filled to the brim with perfection. Our Christ was also fully human, capable of feeling the uttermost depths of our pain and suffering every evil known to our race. As Christ Himself was both human and divine, we too, as the body of Christ, bear the marks of the human and divine. True, we are a band of humans, replete with flaws and need. But we are also the presence of God in this world, as marked by His Holy Spirit, and filled as such, we carry God’s divinity with us. The Church is a special child…adopted…bearing birthmarks of both the human and divine.

We are an intricate, complex creature, held together by the glue of love. After years of kicking and screaming, Kelley and I have finally become sucked into the black hole that is the TV show Lost. Aside from the philosophical tirades of certain characters, I am most drawn into this show by the theme of the unity of the cast of characters. The show features 40-something characters whose plane has crashed upon an unknown island near Australia. As the show progresses, different plot twists and deficiencies in the setting force the characters to intrude upon each other for help. The strengths of some characters rescue other characters from their weaknesses. Some characters are forced to lead the group by making decisions…others lend their expertise…still others sacrifice their own well being to rescue other characters. Yet, each character has a story that shows the audience how this specific character has been prepared to help on the island in some way. We all have something to offer…each one of us. How often do you think in these terms? I guarantee that someone here needs something from you. They might not be brave enough to admit it…or they might not even see that they need something…but they do. Ask yourself, what are you offering? What grew in your field this year that you can offer up? This is what draws us together…that God has formed us, and holds us together in love. And we must love one another.

And the Holy Spirit not only gave form to the Church in the beginning, but it also is leading us towards an end in God. When God formed us, He had an exact idea what He intended for us to become. I have not experienced what I am about to describe, so seasoned parents…please stop me if I am showing my inexperience! I believe that when a child comes into the world, a parent is filled with expectation for what their child might become. They can teach their child, and sacrifice for the sake of the child’s wellbeing, but the child must eventually learn to develop herself to reach this end. God has set a path for us, but we must embrace this journey of discipleship if we are to reach the great ends set out for us by our Father. It starts with a step…the first notes of the greatest violinists in history probably sounded the same as your first notes would sound if you picked up a violin…horrible. But we all must start somewhere. Excellence takes practice. Troy often references the great athletes of our times when he talks about discipleship. He says that the greatest athletes are separated from their peers because of how much they are willing to trade to reach the high goals set before them. Our Father has great plans for us, but eventually we must embrace His goals with our entire existence. How much have you traded to follow Christ? What are you still holding onto…what is getting in your way from becoming what God planned for you in the depths? What is getting in the way of the Church?

As we look back to the birth of the Church today, I want to challenge you. Remember what God had in store when He unleashed His Holy Spirit upon the world. Remember what came into being when the Church experienced its birth. What was God planning all those years? What was He forming in the hidden place? We are about to sing some songs to prepare our hearts to share in the meal of Christ’ flesh and blood which He spilt for our rescue. As you do so, I pray that you would ask God to open your heart to embrace greatness. Embrace His expectations for you…remember all that He imagined for us at the day the Holy Spirit gave us form…how highly we can magnify Him with our existence. Remember our birth as a Church, and remember our greatness.