God’s Spirit Ignites Our Human Spirit

May 31, 2009—Pentecost

Let’s be honest.  Being alive is about having a healthy human spirit.  It’s very sad to encounter a person whose inner spirit has dimmed or has disappeared.  Sometimes a sick person will confide, “I really don’t have the energy to carry on the fight against this illness.” Part of being healthy, and staying healthy is about maintaining a healthy inner strength to balled for health and wellness.

Some of life’s most uplifting, inspirational stories are about people who are dealt a devastating blow of tragedy, sickness, loss of relationship, and other threats to our well being.I was talking to one of my cousins yesterday in the States and I asked how his wife is doing. She’s an editor of a variety of magazines. In the course of about 8-9 months she has lost e jobs: the first job because the company was bought out and her job was declared “repetitive, and she was outsized; she found work with another publisher only to have them drop two departments, and again she was released.Finally, she got a position as Exec Assistant to the Director of Public Parking, which she discovered by experience was the place where all complaints and irate verbal abuse was handled. She finally quit as the stress of handling mostly irate customers was stressing her out and her health began to decline. Her husband, my cousin, said he is very concerned about her ability to recapture her spiritual vitality. The spirit is no longer “in her.”

One of the groups in society today who, in my opinion, that is in dire need of new spirit and vitality is the Mainline Protestant Christian Church.  Too many Churces in my opinion are circling the wagons in smaller and smaller circles to try and protect what few things and few people they still have. Their fear of dying and lack string commitment to keep everything they way it to keep things as they used to be means a slow or quick death.

Why is that outcome predicted to be almost certain?  Here’s one reason: How many of you here today grew up with or had experience with a church? How many of you have had very little exposure to Christian faith or church? 

We are coming out of  time when the church, or religious culture was a present force and reality.  I grew up in a church-culture and so did many of you but that culture no longer exists for an increasing number of Canadians. 

The granddaughter grew up a long distance from his grandparents. The grandparents had a prayer before every meal and after morning breakfast grandma and grandpa would read aloud A Bible reading for that day, and have another prayer.  When the granddaughter arrived for a vacation at the grandparents’ home, she was curios but silent about how her grandparents lived their faith.That morning it was grandma’s turn to offer the prayer and half way through the prayer, the little girl rather loudly asked her mother?  It’s no longer a church-culture.

Another very immediate example. This morning there are a whole bunch of signs downtown saying there will be traffic disruptions downtown because of a “special event.”  I think it’s another charity fun-run or walk to raise funds for something or other. In the time of “church-culture” Sabbath was observed as a different kind of day and even if you did not go to church, synagogue, temple or moss to worship, at least it registered in your mind, Sunday belongs to God and people respected that.

The good-news is that now, there is a new generation of young adults who are NOT recovering from from being forced to “go to Church.” What’s good about that?  The fact that they are not bringing “baggage” from unhealthy church circles. Instead of anger or resentment toward parents, or God—instead there is a clear and present void in their lives.

For these folks we need a book, Christianity for Dummies, 101.

So, how do we invite and allow the Pentecost Spirit to inspire us? 

1. Think back about the first Pentecost, where the remaining 11 disciples were circling the camels into a tighter and tighter circle. After Easter and before Pentecost, Jesus told his followers that a huge spirit would be coming to them to bring comfort and strength.

Keep in mind those first followers were reacting similarly to our reactions to change today. Their fears of being discovered and being nailed to their own crosses. It’s difficult to have faith to break out of the prison of fear, but the wind and fire came to Jerusalem  and they were so in-spirited with faith, that Peter the coward who denied Jesus, proudly rose up and spoke to the whole gathered crowd.

The in-spiriting of the Holy Spirit has certain factors for us to know so that we can fully experience the fullness of our own human spirit.

What’s required of us is to open the door to our hearts so we are fully present to the mystery of love;  the mystery and mircle of Divine and human love.  The late Fr John Powell was a Jesuit Priest and Professor of Theology at Loyola. His most famous course was called “The Theology of Love. Professor Powell was aware of Tommy right from the first class of the semester.

Tommy was a committed atheist and class after class Tommy would challenge Dr Powell with clear and complex statements of theological questions that even St. Peter would have been challenged to answer.
On his final exam Tommy put down an edgy question. “Do you ever think I’ll find God?”  Professor Powell tried a little shock therapy.  His reply to the question was “No, you will not find God!”

Tommy replied, “I thought that was the product you were pushing?” Powell let him get close to the door and then called out, “Tommy! I don’t think you will ever find God, but I am certain God will find you!”  Tommy just shrugged, and left the Professet feeling disappointed he had missed his clever reply. Later Powell learned Tommy had graduated  and he was duly grateful. Then came a sad report. Tommy had terminal cancer.

Before Powell could search Tommy out, Tommy came to his office. His body was badly wasted, his long hair had fallen out because of chemotherapy, but his eyes were bright and his voice was firm for the first time in a long time. “I’ve only got a matter of weeks to live,” was his opening statement. Dr. Powell asked Tommy, “What’s it like to be 24 and know that you are dying/”

“it could be worse.”  “Like what?”

Like being 50 and having no values or ideals. Like being 50 and thinking that booze, seducing women and making money are the real biggies in life. But what I came to see you about is what you said to me on that last day of class. About me not being able to find God, but God being able to find me.”

“As my cancer spread I got serious about finding God. I really began banging my head against the doors of heaven, but nothing happened. One day I woke up, and instead of throw more appeals to God, who may or may not exist, I decided to spend what time I have left doing something more profitable.You said in one of your lectures that ‘the essential sadness of life is to go through life without loving’ and you went on to say that that it would be equally sad to leave this world without telling those who you love that you have loved them, so I began with the hardest one of all, my Dad.”

Tommy confronted his Dad while Dad was reading his newspaper. “I told him we needed to talk, and he replied, “so talk.” And I told him how important this was for us to do. The newspaper slowing dropped uncovering Dad’s face and Tommy stated, bluntly and clearly, “Dad, I love you, and I just want you to know that!”

Tommy’s face lit up as he went on. “My Dad did two things I could never remember him doing, he cried and he hugged me.” We talked all night long even though he had to get off to work early the next day. It was easier with Mom and my little brother. I was only sorry I had waited so long to do this, and you know what?......When I turned around God was there. Apparently God bring the Divine Spirit in a heavenly calendar not on my time table. God came to me when I got out of myself and began loving others.”

That’s what happened on the original Pentecost, when they over came their fears and began sharing the good news with others the Holy Spirit gave them power to fulfilling their calling. Is that not a message for us?

When we get over ourselves and reach out to those not part of the “church-culture” that may unlock the Church doors and windows to let a new spirit blow through us and through McDougall Church.Let’s hope so, because the non-church culture needs the hope, the joy, the compassion, the love and the inclusiveness the Holy Sprit offers.