PENTECOST SERMON from FATHER BRIAN 27.05.2007
Pentecost Sunday is the day of celebration of the foundation of the Church of God., the Church’s birthday.
The words ‘The Church’ probably bring to the mind of most of us the institution, the organisation. ‘The Church’ is the powers that be - the Church Commissioners, the General Synod, the Archdeacon’s Visitation, perhaps, even the PCC. We often say ‘the Church’, meaning the CofE., is in trouble - it risks splitting into factions, it is running out of money; you know the sort of thing.
Of course it is true that because the Church exists in a material world it often looks like any large society or organisation. But in essence the Church is first and foremost a community of people who believe and trust in Jesus of Nazareth, who died and rose from the dead, as Son of the Father and Lord, as Saviour of all mankind; a people who believe and trust in the life-giving Holy Spirit at work in the Church to do God’s will for his creation.
So the Church really and truly only exists where believers meet to hear the Bible read, to pray, to celebrate the Eucharist, to dedicate themselves to a life of faith and love. This has to be something very, very personal and very, very communal..
Soon after the Holy Spirit began to move in the life of the Church, people said, ‘See how these Christians love one another.’ They were struck by the joy and genuine fellowship of Christians trying to be true to their faith. The bond uniting them was different. It had nothing to do with being like-minded, like a club for stamp collectors. It had nothing to do with sharing enjoyment, like a group of music-lovers.
The early Church certainly had problems and tensions to sort out, just read what S. Paul had on his plate, but their differences were dissolved by the Holy Spirit of unity and peace.
The first Christians were in communion with the risen Jesus and then with one another in proclaiming Jesus is Lord. They were truly Catholic in their acceptance of the full Christian faith and in their belief that it is for everyone. They were truly apostolic in following the command of Jesus to the Apostles to break the Bread of Life and go out to the whole world with his message of hope and love.
The Church began its life as the sum total of small Christian communities scattered across the Roman world to be the salt of the earth and the leaven in the dough. The Church took shape step by step guided by the Holy Spirit from within.
The history of the Church has been dreadfully spoilt by greed, corruption and sin. We know this and accept the truth of it. The Church became far too much like a multinational giant which controlled and manipulated the people alongside the secular authorities. But that is largely in the past. Nowadays Christians are a minority to be ridiculed and discounted. We are merely one brand in the religious supermarket which has few customers.
It seems that the future Church will return to the beginnings in New Testament times. What commends the faith most is the strength and quality of Christian community life found locally. Contrary to what people say - Christians are different from other people, churchgoing can and does make a difference that attracts people.
We at S. Francis must allow Jesus Christ to become what we have in common - his holiness, his loving, his forgiving, his accepting. Then the Holy Spirit’s gifts will build us up to grow stronger together and individually. We have to be so careful not to just jog along like most people in a society that has abandoned God, the Christian faith and the Christian way of life. In our local Church community we must openly and naturally rely on the Holy Spirit’s help in our successes and in solving our difficulties and problems.
The Scripture reading at the Friday Evening Office was from S. Paul to the Galations: Learn to live and move in the Spirit; then there is no danger of your giving way to the impulses of corrupt nature. The Spirit yields a harvest of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, forebearance, gentleness, faith, courtesy, temperateness, purity. Since we live by the Spirit, let the Spirit be our rule of life.