A Church Anniversary sermon for two former lovely churches

Passages for reflection: Acts 2 (all of it!) and    John 20: 19 - 23

This Sunday we reach another major festival of the Christian year, the feast of Pentecost, the day God’s Holy Spirit came upon his people, the birthday of the Church! 

In the time BC, before coronavirus, this Sunday I should have been leading Church Anniversary services in two of my former churches in Rutland, Uppingham in the morning (pictured above) and Empingham (pictured below) in the afternoon. I have promised both churches I would still write them an Anniversary sermon, so here it is. The day of Pentecost is the right day to celebrate the Church, universally and locally.

At Pentecost we usually think about the Church being out in the world. At Whitsuntide in the past I’ve led ecumenical services in the park and we’ve had praise parties in the community, and in my first appointment Whit Friday was a huge day when the churches walked their streets each behind a banner and a brass band with people on the pavements in huge numbers watching. We would then go back to church for sticky buns with icing on the top of them. No one could ever tell me why! 

Some history of this for those of you who have never done Whit Friday!

“ Schools and factories would be closed and in the 1800’s people stirred early in the morning, as early as 4am, to prepare for the day and with the absence of any licensing laws the doors of pubs and shops would open at 5am to begin the day.

Led by a band in a Procession of Witness people would walk on a tour round their local area with the church officers, vicar or minister, the cross and children carrying baskets of flowers or ribbons attached to their Church banners.  Whit Friday was the Church's Annual Day known as the "Scholars' Walk" when the girls would have a new dress and the boys would have new trousers. Neighbours, friends and relatives would line the streets to witness the procession having often given a penny or two towards the new clothes.” You have to experience a Mossley Whit Friday else you haven’t really lived!  I do remember when it was my turn to lead the ecumenical service on the market ground before the walk being told off I’d gone on too long. I dared to read the account of Pentecost from Acts 2 but “we only have a hymn and a prayer” the scary person from the Traditional Whit Friday Committee told me. I think they’d missed the point a bit.  Here’s a scary picture from 1998!!!!! The account of the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 is quite remarkable. There is an event, a response and an outcome. First, the event: Luke notes that it is the Jewish Feast of Pentecost, so already several things are going on. Originally a harvest thanksgiving, it is also the celebration of the giving of the Law to Moses at Sinai, one of the foundational moments in the Exodus.  Luke finds this Pentecost almost impossible to describe. It is like flames coming out of your head; it is like being drunk at nine o’clock in the morning. The event is real, but – like the Resurrection and Ascension – it is elusive. Language struggles to describe it. Then, the response: Peter addresses the crowd. He uses Scripture to encourage, illustrate and call, telling them about a crucified Lord who is yet alive and active. Finally, the outcome: repentance and baptism, and then, the formation of a new community, holding possessions in common, meeting each others’ needs, united in prayer, worship and teaching; and with evangelism not as a separate, special task, but the normal outcome of the life of the Church: “the Lord added daily to their number those who were being saved.”  If Pentecost is a celebration of the birth of the Church and the Holy Spirit coming on people turning them into a dynamic force, what does being that Church mean today?  If you read Acts 2 and then the account of Jesus breathing the Holy Spirit in John’s Gospel on demoralised disciples in the upper room, you can see different things a Spirit filled Church might think important. Two churches I had the privilege to serve in Rutland are two of millions of groups of Christians across the world. On Whit Sunday, at a Church Anniversary, we celebrate that God hasn’t finished with the Church yet and can still use us as he used those first disciples who, before the Spirit came upon them, were an unreliable shower. I think we celebrate two things:  One, that the Holy Spirit unites us as a people. Different people from many nations gathered in Jerusalem heard the message in their own tongue. The Church is a rich tapestry of diverse people united by Christ into a mystery. There is a deep fellowship if we do it right.  Uppingham folk, I remember my time with you being a time when I was part of a lively caring fellowship. You were not frightened to disagree energetically sometimes! I remember a good Friday morning drop in, and a very close Wednesday evening  house group, and some folk who I could trust who let me be when I was with them. You remain an attractive community for people to join and receive care. The Spirit brings people together. I wonder whether people who have been joining in on line worship are longing to be included and nurtured.  Then the Holy Spirit makes us look outward. Those disciples behind locked doors, quaking in fear, were turned into brave and confident evangelists. Some were martyred for daring to name Jesus in the world. At this mad time, the Church has not shut, it has been deployed.  Empingham folk, I remember my time with you because we shared a vision to serve our village together.  Ian and Eileen spoke to me within days of my arrival in the Circuit to say they had a vision that their church should be refurbished and that we might get the village post office reinstated on our premises. As I looked at their dreary worship space and saw water dripping in through the ceiling and noting the size of their mostly elderly congregation, I thought they were quite mad.    But Empingham taught me never to mistrust a vision. After regular prayer, a lot of fund raising, and encouraging each other to keep going, we put a mobile post office in our hall on a Monday, and four years into the appointment, we reopened a refurbished church with most of the bills paid. Empingham will always be special to me, I think you awoke in me a love for rural mission, where a small group of people with some energy can do amazing things. Dreams and visions have to lead to service and involvement where we are meant to be.  So, what’s the point of a Spirit filled community especially at a time of coronavirus?  First, people ARE searching and we need to be there to listen to them. Many are worried and unsure about the meaning of life. House groups like the one in Uppingham are important but equally as important is the cup of tea and the conversation with someone letting them know we care. What’s our task today? Look at the picture below. For some it’s meeting a deep philosophical need, for others it’s comfort today like fries on a pier!  Then we are called to be where we are needed most. Empingham had a vision of a post office, it’s still open seventeen years later. For others it’s getting involved in food banks and other agencies badly needed in this uncertain climate where its looking like we will see more poverty and high unemployment again. The Spirit enables us to be Christ to others. We need to be bold in our engaging with the world and speaking out if we see injustice, even if that costs us with some letters saying “please don’t get involved — and stay out of politics!”  So happy Anniversary to Uppingham and Empingham and a good Pentecost for us all. The Church us having to reassess what matters at the moment. Much may not reopen when we can go back into our buildings. Can we be more theocentric because maybe over the last two months we might have seen God matters and we could be a bit less building centred? Let’s see!  Whatever, I’m convinced if we are faithful there are many new adventures and surprises to come. You don’t receive the Holy Spirit and have it comfortable all the time. Believe me!  Spirit of justice and community Give us the confidence to challenge injustice And to nurture the flame of justice until it burns brightly And may the Spirit of justice and community Accompany you and light your way   May this Spirit move you, heal you, Guide you and challenge you Call you to action and to prayer   May this passion for justice burn through you and in you And may it warm the hearts of those around you Encouraging hope and overcoming fear.  Amen Linda Jones: CAFOD