A Sermon from Falmouth Congregational Church…

A sermon offered by The Rev. Ian F. “Jack” Steeves in the public worship service of the Falmouth Congregational Church United Church of Christ in Falmouth, Maine on Pentecost Sunday, May 23, 2010.  The Scripture readings were John 14:8-17, 25-27 and Acts 2:1-21. 

“Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them” (Acts 2:3).

A Gift of Understanding

Words can never truly capture an experience of the divine. Those who experience such an event are left with “it was like….” The first Pentecost was like the rush of a violent wind. “Divided tongues, as of fire…rested on each of them. Literally? No! Really? Yes! If words can not convey the power of such an experience, one thing is certain: when the Spirit moves through an individual or an entire congregation, a transformation is close behind. Let me make that thought a bit personal.

The date was May 13, 1979; it was a sunny Sunday and Mother’s Day in Ashland, Maine. I was in worship. It was 3:00 pm. Surrounded by the congregation, my family and my colleagues, I stood and answered searching questions about my calling to the ministry, and then I knelt down for the “laying on of hands” and the ordination prayer. I was surrounded by a dozen or more ministers and laity who placed their hands upon my head and shoulders. It was a long prayer, but, in part, it said:

“Bestow…the power of your Holy Spirit, confirming what we do. Let the same mind be in him that was also in Christ Jesus. Enable him to nourish your people in the faith of the gospel.”

 When I arose from my knees, with some assistance and by the grace of God, I had been “set apart” as an ordained pastor and teacher of Word and Sacrament for the United Church of Christ. It was a special moment, dare I say, my personal Pentecost.

Even though I had grown up in the Christian church and was familiar with many of the church’s rituals, I was ill prepared for that moment. It was like the weight of the ages descended upon me as the hands of the church leaders were placed upon me, and I sensed deeply the awesome opportunities and real responsibilities of my becoming a minister. But as they lifted their hands off me, it was as if a floating lightness and a gracious freedom came over me, and I was overwhelmed, especially making my way round the small circle, shaking hands and exchanging the peace of Christ. It was a most memorable, moving and humbling experience. I was told, “I declare you to be ordained into the ministry of Jesus Christ.” What was true thirty one years and ten days ago, is still true today but it is different.

Over the last three weeks, I have been part of several Association and Conference meetings that dealt with an ongoing “discernment of one’s call to ministry.” It has been a time of some reading, deep reflection and honest sharing of thoughts and feelings. A number of the participants, like me, have acquired a certain antique, clerical patina that comes with age; others are fresh and new in their callings. These gatherings have dealt with array of topics: how pastors respond to a calling that by most worldly standards makes no sense, how ministers come to a clear sense of their clerical identity and exercise pastoral authority, how we find a necessary balance between ministerial expertise and pastoral wisdom, and other sometimes mundane, but important matters that pertain to the Christian ministry.

Pastoral ministry can be a rough flight and a rocky road and it does not always work; but more often than not, it does. I suspect that is why Jesus repeatedly told his followers to act in certain ways, regardless of how they felt at the time. He still counsels all of us; clergy and laity alike, to turn the other cheek, to pray for our enemies, to be not anxious about what we are to eat or the clothes we wear, to be forgiving and childlike in our attitude and behavior. He focuses upon our outward actions, not because the interior “you and me” is unimportant but because more often we act our way into new ways of thinking and feeling, rather than the other way round. Graciously, the Christian faith requires that we all act in ways that seem beyond us.

I have come to recognize that clergy who have experienced some form of transformation in their lives sometimes tend to exaggerate or over-extend both the “before” and “after” of their lives. I think in most respects that I would have become pretty much the same kind of person I am today. But because of the “saints” whom I have known in the various churches I have served, and you who are God’s people here at Falmouth Church, I have been changed, in spite of some resistance on my part, in many gracious and special ways for the better, if not for the “good.” As Billy Farrington, one of my lay preaching students, proclaimed many years ago, “Jack, you can be well, very well, indeed, but you will never be ‘good;’ only God is good!” I have, however, become “better” with your help.

There is a very unique “spirit” that you embody as a church family in Falmouth. As our “Welcome Statement” confesses, this church family is not focused upon what distinguishes us from one another, but what we have in common and the gracious unity we experience in the midst of our rich and personal diversity. I am me and you are you. We are both the “better” for it. Our unity is curiously and beautifully reflected in our “passing of the peace,” the openness of our sacraments, and the many outreach opportunities, through out the church year, to share our considerable gifts of time, talent and treasure. This is “a congregation that steps up” when “called to care.”

We have been for two years an “open and affirming” congregation of the United Church. I still view this fact as something of a work in progress. There is an openness and acceptance of all who come through our doors, front and back, a genuine delight in greeting friends old and new, a real willingness to pray for both the named and the unnamed, and a warm embrace of those times when we enjoy and build up a fellowship that is accented by laughter and tears and much love, always received and nourished by the spiritual food God alone provides us.

There is also a curiosity and yearning to grow in the progressive faith that is ours, a willingness to explore and live the questions of life, a contagious hope for opportunities to challenge and be challenged, to broaden and deepen understandings of what it means to be a Christian fully alive in the contemporary world, and to live out these discoveries in a life of service. Indeed, there is a willingness here to share in generous fashion the love and gracious blessings we have received and to do so joyfully, in gratitude to our God for the life-giving gift that is the Spirit of the Christ.

There is a great appreciation for meaningful worship, inspiring music, thoughtful but short sermons that connect the dramas of our lives with our faith, and prayers that reflect the hungers and hopes, the joys and concerns, the yearnings and needs we feel upon our hearts being expressed to a loving God who hears and receives all these, as we seek to listen for God’s still small voice. Worship happens here as we open ourselves to be comforted and awakened, encouraged and renewed, guide and touched and, at times, corrected by the presence of God from whose love we cannot escape, and whose love we are called to proclaim loudly and share freely in our words and deeds.

Being with you and experiencing these dimensions of our life together, I believe I have grown in gracious ways. I have become a better preacher, pastor, teacher, counselor, and spiritual friend; and I am grateful for the gift you, individually and congregationally, are to me.

On this Day of Pentecost, far removed from the 1st century Common Era and the Upper Room in Jerusalem, we remain a people of God’s grace; created, nurtured, judged, redeemed and sustained by the One who knows us in our best and in our worst of times. Part of our shared belief in Jesus the Christ involves our own lives and how we live. Belief in Jesus must lead to life like his, to love like his. That is what he says. When we know we are wrapped up in his love, we cannot help but embody that same kind of love into the world. That sounds like a tall order, and it is. But the good news is that, once again, God has given us what we need to do what we are called upon to do. The Spirit is the gift to us for that purpose. Let us let her do her work, shall we?

In many respects, I have come to experience the closer company of our Lord, and I am learning to live more lightly and freely. My hope and prayer is that you have been able to experience some measure of this as well.

Let us pray:

Gracious God, empower us as a congregation to speak boldly and to act courageously on the journey of ministry that still lies before us, affirming our heritage and proclaiming our hope. Breathe your Spirit in us as we strive to bring the gospel alive in this new day and age. Amen.