Sermon for Pentecost Sunday June 5, 2022 - Congratulations! You’re Pregnant!

GOSPEL: John 14:8-17 [25-27]

The holy gospel according to John.

Glory to you, O Lord.

Though the disciples struggle with Jesus’ nature and identity, they receive the promise that they too will be identified with God and God’s mission. Though he must leave them now, Jesus promises the coming of the Advocate whom God will send to comfort and enlighten them.

8Philip said to [Jesus,] “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” 9Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. 12Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.

 15“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. 17This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. [

 25“I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”]

The gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

On this Pentecost Sunday,

we celebrate the gift of God’s Spirit;

yet many of us have difficulty

describing or understanding God’s Spirit.

I suggest that, to know the work of the Spirit,

we need remember two things:

the cross and the creeds.

Looking at the Nicene Creed:

We believe in the Holy Spirit,

the Lord, the giver of life,

That’s the Spirit: the giver of life.

… who has spoken through the prophets.

Want to know what the Spirit might be saying?

just read the prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church:

That’s the Spirit -

the Spirit forms the church

- the communion of Saints.

God’s Spirit calls, gathers, enlightens,

and makes holy Christ’s church - us.

We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

That’s the Spirit -

promised to you in baptism,

forgiving you,

setting you free from sin.

We look for the resurrection of the dead,

That’s the Spirit -

who raised Christ from the dead

and who will also raise us.

and the life of the world to come -

or the life everlasting

That’s the work of the Spirit! Amen!

Or put another way;

the work of God’s Spirit is all about

the cross of Christ.

God’s Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness;

a time of preparation for the cross.

God’s Spirit led Jesus to the cross,

and raised Christ from the cross,

God’s Spirit always points to Jesus.

So don’t be afraid of God’s Spirit:

be comforted by God’s Spirit,

and, at the same time,

be prepared to be made uncomfortable by God’s Spirit.

Remember that the primary image

for the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was fire.

Fire is creative and destructive.

Fire is creative when, for example,

used by a blacksmith to shape iron

or when used by a chef to barbecue

something delicious.

Fire is destructive when, for example,

someone tosses their cigarette on Nose Hill

and the grass fire threatens the hill

and the homes across the street.

In recent weeks we have been talking about change,

we have heard the statistics about

church decline over the past 8 years of so.

It feels destructive,

like a grass fire,

people evaporating out of our pews

like smoke into air.

We celebrated 4 baptisms last week,

and the sanctuary was filled with

the sounds of children,

and voices singing.

It was glorious!

As I looked out,

the church felt full,

the attendance record saying

66 people attended in person.

Many of you remember when it was normal

to have 166 in our sanctuary.

We are a fraction of the size we are used to,

and that burns.

God’s Spirit is a refining fire,

and our Advocate,

our Paraclete;

at our side,

our comforter.

It is hard to be comfortable

when you’re under fire,

but maybe we can find some comfort

in this possibility:

that with church decline happening,

we are being refined.

Does this mean that God wills church decline?

I don’t so.

What if this perceived dying of the church

is really more like

the grave that comes before the resurrection?

What if our discomfort, lethargy,

feeling weighed down,

is a sign, not that the church is dying,

rather that the church is pregnant?

That’s what Author, Speaker and activist,

Brian McLaren says about the church.

Let’s look at some of the side-effects of pregnancy

and you tell me if the church is pregnant or not:

Signs of Pregnancy:

Discomfort

Fatigue

Exhaustion

Nausea

Cramping

Hormonal changes

Moodiness.

Emphasis on your own comfort

Food cravings

Enlarged stomaches

Yes - it looks like the church is pregnant.

I want to acknowledge that this metaphor

for understanding the church is difficult for many,

especially women who have had miscarriages,

or abortions,

or who are unable to have children,

or other significant issues associated with pregnancy.

As light as I’m being here,

I acknowledge that pregnancy is not something

to be taken lightly

If indeed the church is pregnant -

and I believe it is,

we ought to take seriously various implications.

I also want to acknowledge - for the men -

you really don’t want to be pregnant.

I’m a big Arnold Schwarzenegger fan,

but even I couldn’t watch the movie

where he’s pregnant.

I think it’s time for us men to become friends

with our feminine side!

People would ask my wife

if she wants to have another baby,

and she would say

“it’s my husband’s turn to be pregnant!”

It’s true - it is not just men;

many women just don’t want to be pregnant.

Pregnancy is hope-filled - wonder filled -

what will this child look like,

be like, act like?

Pregnancy brings about new life.

But pregnancy comes with risks,

with responsibilities,

and uncomfortable side effects

Mothers among us know what pregnancy is like,

and it has its stages,

beginning with “Woohoo! I’m pregnant”

to “I really wish I could have a glass of wine”

to “I will cut you!”

and don’t forget the stage

“Get this baby out of me right NOW!”

Pregnancy is painful enough,

Yet it is the labour;

like pushing a watermelon through your nostril

that is often the most threatening,

and the most painful.

Giving birth hurts,

there is lots of pressure.

And Mothers can attest that pregnancy,

labour and delivery

can leave stretch marks -

a mother’s body is never the same after giving birth.

A mother’s body is changed forever.

My friends,

The test results are in -

You are pregnant by God’s Spirit,

I’m not sure which stage we are in,

but the church is pregnant.

So what do we do now?

We have a couple of options…

We can deny that we are pregnant -

and some of those symptoms will go away,

but other symptoms will emerge.

if the church is not pregnant -

then you can bet that decline wins,

and then we go back to blaming each other

for the church’s decline,

and that blame will act like a mighty contraceptive.

New life will not emerge.

We could respond with a conservative resurgence,

maintaining a 1950’s type of church

for a next generation of people

who don’t want that kind of church,

and don’t care about the questions it answers.

Or we can respond by acknowledging the church as it is -

which is giving birth to Christianity

for the next generation.

This means,

not trying to predict what will happen next, and adapt,

but rather to determine those things

that are needed the most,

and dedicate our energies to it.

Being pregnant means focusing our energy

on the things that matter most.

For Brian McLaren,

Being pregnant doesn’t mean asking

“how can we keep people coming to our buildings

or contributing to our budgets,"

and not "how can we preserve the

religious industrial complex that we have created.”

rather, being pregnant means asking

“How can we prepare people

to go and live a regenerative life of love

in our world in the Spirit of Christ?” (http://brianmclaren.net/archives/blog/q-r-church-futures.html)

My hope is that we won’t run away like Jonah,

and instead we respond to pregnancy by the Spirit

like Mary in the Magnificat, declaring:

We are the servants of our God,

We live to do God’s will.

Instead of focusing on the symptoms,

instead of trying to reverse church decline,

I say we start sending out birth announcements.

I say we invite others to celebrate what is here now,

and join God’s Spirit in giving birth

to what is to come.

While some are saying,

“Jesus, just give us more bums in pews

and we will be satisfied”

We can instead imagine what these greater works are

that await us in Jesus Christ.

These greater works that Jesus promises

will give glory to God,

they will be defined by God’s love for the world;

not just for Albertans,

not just for Lutherans,

not just for human beings,

but for the world.

Pregnancy is Risky.

The church being pregnant is risky, 

but only risky because it is our old selves,

or church as we want it

that’s at risk.

The church pregnant is about Christ being born in us -

new life in the Spirit emerging from the womb,

the old self dying,

and a new person,

Christ in us, emerging.

Trust that the same Spirit who is leading us into this wilderness,

is the same Spirit that led Jesus into his wilderness,

the same Spirit that raised Christ from the grave

will raise up the church,

The same Spirit that calls, gathers, enlightens

and makes holy the Church,

is our Advocate,

coming alongside us in our trouble,

abiding with us amidst our uncertainty.

By God’s Spirit

a new, different,

and beautiful body is emerging.

What a privilege it is to be the church

in this time and place

where God chooses to bring about something new,

in and through us!

Do not be afraid of the change,

do not be afraid of the church being pregnant

and the uncertainty and troubles that comes with it.

It is at the precise moment in which we are deeply troubled,

when we do not know what the future holds,

when we need a word of peace

that’s when the Holy Spirit comes.

So Come, Holy Spirit. Amen.