Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. (
Romans 8:26-27)
What Is the Church? The Church, according to the Second Helvetic Confession of the 16th Century Swiss Reformed Church, "is an assembly of the faithful called or gathered out of the world; a communion, I say, of all saints, namely, of those who truly know and rightly worship and serve the true God in Christ the Savior, by the Word and Holy Spirit, and who by faith are partakers of all benefits which are freely offered through Christ."Jesus didn't build or install a Church yet here we are nonetheless. The Holy Spirit beckoned his disciples to share Jesus' Living Word with their neighbors and strangers alike. This same Spirit broke down walls of distrust and confusion between Jews and Gentiles, Romans and Copts. Early apostles spread the Good News of Jesus' Resurrection around the ancient world. The Church, in overly romantic and idealistic terms continues to express the Holy Spirit's values and beliefs. We'd like to believe that The Church always honors God's Spirit while comprehending that the Church as a human institution has never been nor never will be divinely perfect. It is this same Spirit that urges us to realize Jesus' love in spite of our human frailties and failures.
The One, Holy Catholic, and Apostolic Church that took its first breath of life on the Day of Pentecost has now morphed into hundreds of denominations, sects, religious orders, and contemporary expressions of Christian Faith. It has in various ways and forms survived civil wars, plagues, economic and environmental disasters, clerical scandals, and assorted other trials and tribulations.
Many people now deem The Church to be insignificant, irrational, and irresponsible. Decline in membership and faithfulness in The Church has happened down through the centuries especially during periods of time when secularism and cynicism squelched anything deemed to be too illogical, intrusive, or mystical. Luther's, Calvin's, and Wycliffe's
Protestant Reformation along with
The Enlightenment created opportunities for Christians to more fully explore
Ministries of the Baptized. Literacy and knowledge also made God less wonderful and miraculous, at least for many non-believers.
Now, here were are, living in a
Postmodern,
Post Colonial, and
Post Toasties world still striving to follow Jesus and respond to the Holy Spirit's yearning.
Pentecost's mystical fires and holy winds will hopefully inspire us to love Jesus the Christ all that much more. Join us this weekend as we continue to more fully realize what it means to be The Church. Join in the wonder of communing with God and one another. Let's speak in languages that honor our shared baptism in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. Our mission continues to be the proclamation of Christ's Gospel of compassion, salvation, and redemption - just as it was for the Church on that very first
Whitsunday.
Blessings Along The Way, Jim+
