union avenue christian church |
|||||||||
 |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
Caught in the Frenzy Acts 2:1 – 21; Psalm 104:24 – 34, 35b Popular movies, as we all know, do not necessarily teach faithful theology, church history or even Biblical stories. I recommend one, however, that didn't get as much press as it should have. Each time I see it, I am drawn into both the story and the teaching within it. Bee-Season, starring Richard Gere and Juliette Binoche, is about spelling bees, but at its core this movie is about Jewish mysticism. The girl in the movie, Eliza, obviously has a gift for spelling. As a professor, her father teaches his students that our job in this life is to gather the shards of broken-ness to help bring them back into the wholeness of God’s desire. As a father of this precocious little girl, he teaches her how to be open to the power inherent in letters, and how when she allows herself to be wrapped in that power she will be led to the wholeness of a word and the correctness of its spelling. And all of this comes from God. An intense listening to the power of the letters provokes a unity with God — a sweet, mystical union. When and if that happens, the professor taught, we could be so fortunate to help bring the shards of broken-ness — the shards of this fragmented life — into the wholeness of God’s desire. Once we taste the unity, the sweet communion with God, we will never be satisfied again with broken-ness. Unbeknownst to her father, the precious girl in the movie did have an ‘out of body’ experience — an ecstatic frenzy of speaking/hearing the tongues of God when she dared to believe and touch that power. The first time I saw the move, I expected to be entertained. As I have seen it over and over, I am amazed at the illumination of faith within it. What do you think the folks gathered for Pentecost 2000 years ago were expecting? They, undoubtedly, had brought their first fruits for this traditional celebration. They were doing what they were supposed to do for religious requirements. They were having family gatherings. As in any major metropolitan city, there was a din of babble. Languages, cultures, ethnicities were swarming. But then suddenly some sort of natural, tornadic wind stopped them all short. That, however, was not the important occurrence. That was not the miracle. That merely provoked the attention of all gathered. The miracle was the word of God being understood in every language. The miracle was that interpretation was not necessary. The miracle was that every ear was attuned to the words that were being shared. Is not that the longing of every person in the Church of Jesus Christ? Not that you will hear and understand me; not that I will hear and understand you; not that we will be able to get together on the same wavelength to confirm our own opinions and thoughts and beliefs but that every one in this world could be attuned to the word of God in one sweet, crystalline moment. Idyllic hope, of course, but in smaller doses it has happened, and when people are caught in that frenzy the world has changed because of it. The thousands who were gathered that Pentecost Day 2000 years ago obviously had such an experience, and the world was changed and continues to be changed by the power of the Church of Jesus Christ born that day. It has happened in the life of congregations when leaders feel the spirit empowering them to take chances on ministry that has never been championed before. It has happened in communities of faith when a new idea is dared to be breathed, and, rather than people claiming we could ‘never do that,’ tongues of fire seem to settle upon the hearts and inspiration builds to excitement and energy for the possibilities. It happens to people of faith when they are confronted with the pain and injustice of others and hear assuredly from God that change is possible — that with God’s power a particular corner of the world can be redeemed…a life may take a different path…hope does not need to extinguished. The world changes whenever people are attuned to God’s speech, God’s words, God’s heart. Out of body ecstasies and frenzies are not the most reoccurring means of receiving those words. But when we earnestly listen and believe we hear, taking then the risk of sharing what we have heard…ministry begins. Can you imagine how daring those first disciples were to say out loud what they had been called to do? Their leader had been crucified and yet they were still going on. Reasonable people would have gone home and taken up their old trades and tried to start life back where it had left off. But they had heard something different, and they chose to risk their lives. Some of the crowd thought they were drunk. Others probably thought they were crazy. But the ones who were also willing to listen for God’s leading heard God speaking through them…as if it was in their own language. What is St. Louis thinking about Union Avenue Christian Church? Are we crazy to think we can continue to be in ministry in this place? Are we crazy to continue to bring together people in a sanctuary that could seat six times the number of people we now have? Do we really believe that we could make an impact on this neighborhood — bring any semblance of hope to those desperately in need of hope? Do we really think it makes a difference that people of faith connect artistic gifts with the gift of the Holy Spirit? Does it make a difference that when the children of elementary schools come into this sanctuary to hear Bobby Norfolk – the storyteller – that they know we are a people who are concerned about them and their well being? Does it make a difference that many of us know that the gifts of singers, musicians, stagehands need to be encouraged so that their lives will be fulfilling in God’s world? Does it make a difference that we see the connection between God’s inspiration and the quality of artists’ work? Yes, yes, and yes. The miracle of Pentecost centuries ago was that people were hungry to hear and to receive the message and so did not need interpretations. People in St. Louis 2006 are every bit as hungry to hear the message of hope and love and justice. People today want to know that their lives matter and that their lives are part of God’s inspiration. We have that message. We know that message. We need to continue to find ways to say it. Boldly risking that we will not be understood. Daring that some will think we are drunk or crazy, but realizing that when we are attuned to the possibilities of God’s ways we will also receive the power of God to do what needs to be done. And when that happens, others will hear and will understand! May this day be a beginning for the renewal of life among us…the renewal of life in our ministry…the renewal of life to those whom will listen and hear the message we have received. SW |
OUR LIFE OUR WORSHIP OUR STUDY OUR HISTORY OUR CHURCH LINKS
|
||||||||
 |
|
|
|||||||
