Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
John 20:21-22
Catching The Spirit in Church!
There is a great story featured in one of my favorite but not so successful books, 10 Life-Charged Words.
I thought of it Sunday morning during pastor Mac’s Pentecost sermon. This would be the perfect illustration, I thought. But don’t worry, I didn’t jump up and share. Here is the short, abridged, CliffsNotes version.
So one Sunday this man – we’ll call him Ernie – decides to visit a different (more traditional) church. He arrives a few minutes early, has to open the heavy outer door himself, is pretty much ignored by the ushers, and seats himself in an unoccupied pew in a half empty sanctuary.
All goes well until the sermon. Five minutes in the visitor lets out a strong “Amen!” The preacher hesitates, thrown off balance, and a few people look around uneasily. Soon after, the man repeats the amen and adds a loud “Hallelujah!” complete with raised hand. There is a stunned silence, several choir members cough loudly, and the minister loses his place.
Just as the preacher hits his rhythm again the visitor jumps to his feet, claps his hands in excitement, and yells, “Yes, Lord! Thank you Jesus! Hallelujah! Now you’re preaching, brother!”
Two ushers are dispatched to deal with the “situation.”
- “Is everything all right, sir?” The first usher inquired.
- “Yes, thank you,” the visitor replied. “Why do you ask?”
- “You appear to be in some kind of distress,” the usher persisted.
- “I’m fine,” the man said. “I can’t help myself. I’ve caught the Spirit!”
- “Well I can assure you, sir,” the usher shot back, “you didn’t get that here!”
We laugh – and, yes, everyone laughs every time I tell that story – because it is so close to home, so believable, so relatable, so possible in our own experience.
God Touching my Heart:
Emotion unnerves people. But let me tell you, lately it’s the smallest thing that sets it off in me, and I honestly believe it is the Holy Spirit at work.
You have to look closely because it’s not easy to make out on video, but during the closing hymn Sunday morning our youth director, Rich Richards, moved through the congregation with a “puppet” dove representing the Holy Spirit.
Rich used a long flexible stick, several colorful ribbons. and a white paper dove. It was beautiful; it was poignant; it touched me deeply. Here is a short excerpt that I hope captures the mood (and use the volume, it’s a great hymn):
Again, I find myself coming back to this hugely important point – that Jesus is God’s invitation. The Church (any congregation, any denomination) does not need to put its emphasis on entertaining or browbeating or gimmicks or bait-and-switch marketing tactics to “get people in the door.”
No. We are called – simply – to do the following:
- Love and follow Jesus with our whole heart, and be authentic in our worship (whatever tradition that is).
- Let the love and the light and the grace so fill us that it flows over, gets all over everything around us, and becomes an invitation to others.
- Remember that “God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:17). Our job – like Jesus – is that of invitation, not judgement.
Jesus is God’s invitation
After church I spent a few moments in the courtyard garden. I often do. And I found The Spirit there, too, speaking words of life and promise, softy and with compelling beauty.
There is a line from Sunday’s closing hymn that comes from the life of John Calvin. It completes the theme of each verse by repeating his motto, Cor meum tibi offfero, Domine, prompte et sincere: “Sincerely and completely I offer you my heart.”
I believe that is a good line to end on for this Monday post, and a worthy trajectory for this coming week. “Sincerely and completely, Jesus, I offer you my heart.” – DEREK
