A Sermon Preached May 27, 2012, Pentecost Sunday

by the Rev. Frances A. Hills, Rector

The story of Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit, as it’s told in the Book of Acts, is so full of vivid images and energy! It’s obvious…

Something really different is going on here!

Jesus’ followers were in Jerusalem, “All together in one place”. It was the Jewish Feast of Pentecost, or the Feast of Weeks, 50 days after Passover. It’s when the first-fruits of the corn harvest were traditionally presented, and later it’s the celebration of the giving of the Law.

But that year, on that Jewish Feast Day, there’s the rush of a violent wind that fills the entire house. ‘Sounds like a cyclone or something blowing through it! Although the house is filled with the rush of this great wind, somehow Jesus’ followers live to tell about it!

And then there’s those tongues “as of fire”—Divided tongues that rest on the disciples. I have no idea even how to speak of that, but Acts tells us, “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit.” Then they begin that mysterious speaking in other languages, the sound of which drew the Pentecost crowds to them. The words of these Galileans were somehow understood by everyone, no matter where they came from or what language they spoke. What a turn of usual events…Instead of dismissing each other because they can’t understand each other, their different languages or points of view, people—coming from different directions, different countries, different places— somehow understand each other! Instead of their languages being confused, as they are in the Older Testament story of the Tower of Babel, their languages become comprehensible! Surely this is a glimpse of the Kingdom of God that the Holy Spirit offered on that Pentecost day. Contemplative Franciscan Richard Rohr calls Pentecost, “The day of the great outpouring of fire-laden love.”

It’s really hard to imagine all this…The wind rush. The tongues of fire. The languages. Maybe if we’d been there, we’d initially join the skeptics and say they must be drunk (or high); but I’d hope we could also then really hear the words of Peter in his bold Pentecost speech, when he reminds us of the prophecy that God will pour out God’s Spirit on all flesh. Just imagine that for a moment…What would it look like or feel like for God to be pouring out the Spirit? I can imagine it sort of washing over us in a big, cleansing whoosh, and washing away all in us that is not of God, that is not of Love, and that is not of Truth. Then we’d be filled with the Spirit. 

Let’s not forget the rest of that phrase, “I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh.”

God’s gift of the cleansing Spirit of Love is for absolutely everyone—ALL FLESH! “Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit and they shall prophesy. “So we’re reminded again that God loves everyone God has made. God has made us all good, and God desires to bless and empower each person on this earth by pouring out the Spirit! Thinking of that makes it really hard to decide or defend the idea that we Christians/Episcopalians somehow have the corner on the spiritual market.

God will pour out God’s Spirit on all flesh!

Since this great pouring of the Holy Spirit took place on the Jewish Feast of Pentecost, the Christian Church eventually appropriated the name “Pentecost.” So we use “Pentecost” to commemorate this coming of the Holy Spirit as it’s described in Acts. We also consider Pentecost “The Birthday of the Church” because the coming of the Holy Spirit is what empowered Jesus’ followers to go out in mission and ministry. They are fortified with the Spirit of Love and Truth; and they know they are heirs of a tradition of dying and rising, of trusting God and one another, of believing Love is stronger than death, and of knowing they are not alone. They are blessed with the Fruits of the Spirit, which include (Galatians): Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.

So here today at Crissey Farm in 2012, it is still the Holy Spirit that empowers us to go out in mission and ministry. It’s why the group of people gathered here today is essentially different from, say, some kind of club—even a club that does good works. We’re a group of people called to listen to and understand each other, even if we’re coming from different places. We’re a group of people who recognizes God loves and gifts each person…all flesh…not just a few.

We are here today as two congregations on the verge of courageously consolidating and becoming a new parish, because we believe that as Jesus died and rose again, so also will we. We believe the gospels when they say, “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” (MT 16:25)

Because we are learning to really trust God and to trust that the Spirit is with us,

We as St. James and St. George are stepping out in faith, exhibiting some of those spiritual fruits of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.

Something really different is going on here!

And I hope we realize that!

God has poured out the Spirit here in a lavish whoosh! I hope we recognize that, and I hope we are really learning to expect that. The “great outpouring of fire-laden love” is here for us now! Today! Everyday! Our job right now is to vividly and energetically testify to these things in all that we are, all that we say, and all that we do. Amen

What’s in a Name?

A Sermon/Address given Sunday, May 20, 2012 Easter 7 B 2012

by the Rev. Frances A. Hills, Rector and Vicar

  

In the name of the One who longs for us to be one, Amen.

Yesterday our St. George Executive Committee and St. James Vestry met in a prayerful retreat. We took care of the monthly business, and had a good discussion about Stewardship. We were glad to learn that our thoughts on stewardship really dovetail with the work the Ad Hoc Committee is doing right now to try to balance our budget. Then we turned our attention and prayer to the suggestions we received for our new name.

‘Just for our information, Rick Gore had gone on-line and gotten a list of the most widely used names of Episcopal Churches in the U.S. (in order of popularity). He gave all of us a copy, which we skimmed, mostly out of curiosity, then pretty much set aside. 

Many had come to the discussion with some clear preferences, but over the course of our conversations together, several changed their minds. . . Not because they were pressured, but because the Holy Spirit was working among us as we faithfully tried to discern the best choices. Some came to the meeting with several favorite choices, and I can honestly say, we all left with a strong confidence in the final list of names.  Not unlike the Bishop Search Committee, everyone had the sense that they could support any of the choices. 

As we talked, it came clear we want a name that told a story about who we are, and a name that somehow captures something about the congregation we hope to become—something we can grow into over time. Perhaps a name that’s more about what we do and how we act than what we believe theologically. It should be a name that’s appealing to the ear. It shouldn’t need an explanation; however, it would be a name that could be explained in depth.   

We also talked about the importance of a name that would be inviting and inclusive of other Episcopalians in South County, if in the future they decide to join us. The name should also be inviting and not a mystery to the many people in South County who are non-religious (So, we’d avoid a theological name like “Atonement,” which requires knowledge of Christian theology; and we’d avoid names of saints, which require some Biblical or church history training to have any meaning.)

We talked about the importance of using the word “Community” because it refers to relationship, something all people want and need. It indicates both our congregation as a community and also our mindfulness and concern for the community we live in. Someone had suggested, “Community of Grace,” but we realized that could too easily sound like a monastic order.

We talked about using “Episcopal” in the title or not.  It’s important to attract Episcopalians who may be new to the area or just visiting—People who are specifically looking for an Episcopal church. However for some people, a main-line denomination’s name is a “turn-off”. . .  ‘Sounds like grandma’s church”.

With all these things in our hearts and minds, we initially settled on two names…“Church of the Holy Spirit” and “Grace Church”.

Holy Spirit—

Although this is the third person of the Trinity, so very “theological” the word “spirit” is something non-religious people know about; and “holy” is something we may all long (at least subconsciously) to experience more of in this increasingly secular world. The Holy Spirit has brought us together, guided us through this incredible time, and we pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to guide our mission and work. It acknowledges how we have been learning to trust the movement of the Spirit more and more in our lives, and how we hope that will be even more true in the future.

Grace Church—

Grace is a pure gift from God. It’s not earned or deserved. It’s just showered upon us. So it is by grace that we are here today, together. Through these many, sometimes really difficult, years for both Sts. James and George, both congregations (separately and together) have experienced showers of grace. It is grace that has kept us going and hopeful. It is grace that has kept us together.  It is grace that will lead us into the future. Grace is a word that’s clearly meaningful to Christians, but it’s also freely used in the secular world; so it holds the promise of something most people (churched or unchurched) would like to experience. It’s not something they would avoid.  When we got to “Grace,” we had quite a discussion about finding a name that’s unique to the region. We decided it was not essential. (There is Grace Episcopal Church in Dalton, and other Grace churches in the diocese.) 

So after we got the two names, then we decided to add the “tag line” or “subtitle” of: “An Episcopal Community in the Southern Berkshires”.

Although we’d not pre-determined how many names to present to you,

We discovered yesterday we really wanted at least three names. So we went back into discussion and prayer, but nothing seemed to come clear. We “tried on” several others, but they just “didn’t fit”.

Maybe it’s just these two?

Then Lee Cheek suggested we just take a time of silence. After awhile in silence, I asked God to show us the way: Are these two it/or is there another?  Then Doug Happ spontaneously said he would read aloud the top 50 names on the list that Rick brought, excluding the saints’ names, just to see if anything “jumped out” for us. 

All Angels—

With this reading, “All Angels” surfaced for many in the group. (Remember “All Angels” was on the list you suggested initially, but we’d not even discussed it yesterday until this point.)  Then I shared a couple of stories about this name.

One many of you know because Pennie Curry told it in church one day, but before that, she told it one night to our Bible study group…

One day last year Pennie and Taft Farm owner, Dan Tawczynski, were at Taft Farms talking about St. James. Raquel, one of the Hispanic employees,

Diego’s mother (some of you know little Diego from our garden), was nearby. Raquel chimed in, “Oh, I know St. James…that’s the church where all the angels fly around…so many people doing such loving things for children and hungry people in the community.” When Pennie told that story, the energy in the room seemed to really gather. It felt like the Holy Spirit was there.

The other story is one that happened a year ago at Easter…

I was talking with a friend, a clergy person in another diocese, about St. James and St. George and how we worshiped together. Out of the blue, the friend said an image had come to his mind of the two angels in the empty tomb. (This is part of the Resurrection story in the Gospel of Luke: When the women went in the tomb, there were two men in “dazzling clothes” who ask, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?”) After we sat with this in silent prayer yesterday, we decided to add “All Angels” to the list.

So here are the three names you will be voting on come June 3:

Church of the Holy Spirit

An Episcopal Community in the Southern Berkshires

Grace Church

An Episcopal Community in the Southern Berkshires

All Angels

An Episcopal Community in the Southern Berkshires

It’s not lost on me that today’s story in Acts is all about discernment. The 11 are choosing a new 12^th Apostle to replace Judas. So they pray,

“Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these (two) you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship.”

People of St. James and St. George, please pray and ponder these three

names for our new church, so when we vote on June 3, we will select the one God has already chosen for us, as we begin these next 250 years.

Amen.