Brandon Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

The book of Acts gives us a very special insider’s look at the early church. We see that the Holy Spirit of God is the driving and enlivening force behind its growth and expansion. But do we know it? Do we know the Spirit—and even more importantly—do we allow it to inspire and enliven us? Today we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. So often we focus on the dramatic events of that day: rushing wind, tongues of fire, speaking with other tongues (languages). That is frighteningly exciting! Can you imagine that happening here at BCC? I think many of us would be climbing over pews and others as we headed out the door at breakneck speed. It’s one thing to read about it and quite another for it to be happening around us. I think we tend to romanticize the scriptures—believing we would be rational and composed in the face of many events we read about.

Very often in serious times we hear these words: “I’m not sure we should do that. You know, I think it’s better to be safe than sorry.” Those sound like wise words for times like ours, don’t they? But, Loved Ones, I ask you—are they God’s words? Or better yet—are they God’s will? At this month’s “Come and Pray” service we heard part of the story of the talents that Jesus told in Matthew 25. Think about that parable now. What did Jesus say about the person who chose the “better safe than sorry” approach with the master’s money? The master’s response was strong and biting: “You wicked and lazy servant! …and throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Robert Strand, in his book, Especially for the Hurting Heart, has a wonderful discussion of Hebrews 13:5 in which we read these encouraging words: “God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you!’” Strand asks, “What ever does never mean?” And he notes that in the original language “never” is really a compounding of five negatives. Not that each negative is added to another. Rather, each negative is multiplied by the other. According to Strand, it really should read, “I will never, no, not ever, no never leave you or forsake you!” It is a synergistic compounding negative. It’s a forever never which has no exceptions! Then he asks, “What does ‘leave’ mean?”

There have been big changes in our world. Huge shifts have been underway in our lifetimes during the second half of the twentieth and the beginning of the twenty-first century. The reality is that we have lived through the end of an American Christendom. We live in what is called a post-Christian era. Our society has emerged as officially secular but at the same time religiously pluralistic.

Community is a central but neglected theme of Christian faith. We tend to focus on ourselves, or to measure ourselves by others, or even to plot our progress on some kind of spiritual growth chart. The reality is—God is more concerned with how we are doing than with how I am doing. A big part of the reason for a church community is the challenge to call us out of ourselves into some larger community—to some greater venture—to learn about Jesus by learning to be part of his people in the world. But we neglect the idea of “what church is” in our contemporary culture.