I would like you to do something for me: if you’re sitting on the end of a pew, I’d like you to lean over, and look at where it rests on the floor. Is it bolted to the floor? I think it is.
It is?
Well, let me tell you a story – not about the pews, not about this church – but about the screws that hold those pews to the floor.
When the Church itself was young – when the presence of Christ was fresh in people’s memory, his breath on them, his ascension, and his promise to come again: it was a wild place.
People came in, shared a meal, shared stories of a church in which the Spirit of God was like a wild thing; it would pick people up and deposit them far from home; it would heal some, restore others, and brought faith to all people. It gave gifts to everyone it touched; gifts of healing, gifts of leadership, gifts of being able speak boldly to authority (for that is what prophecy is – divination is foretelling the future).
When the Holy Spirit moved through the church, it left seats overturned, banners waving, and it drove people out of the door to exclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. Wherever they went, the Holy Spirit went with them; it unsettled people, made a mess out of carefully ordered lives, put to shame the empty religiosity of the Roman gods.
And the church grew. With every baptism of every man, woman, and child, the Holy Spirit was poured out freshly upon the people. And the people who watched were amazed that ordinary men and women could do such things, but most of all they were amazed that those ordinary men and women were so eager to talk about their God and their faith – a task that was normally left to the priests of the temple. And some made fun of them, but even their mocking laughter could not be heard above the joy of the Spirit.
As the church grew, it became necessary for the Spirit to raise up some people as teachers, as securers and guardians of the truth; they were the first people who formed doctrine out of faith. And that was a good thing – because even the Spirit would not prevent humankind from abusing the good news of Jesus Christ; to do so would infringe upon their free will.
But those in the church knew that there is really no free will; our wills are bound to sin. So they trusted completely in Christ, and the Holy Spirit moved among them with power, and the presence of God burned as flames in their hearts.
And then, the church was old, and hundreds of years had passed. The living memory of Christ was lost, and the persecutions began to ease, the Holy Spirit still moved in the church, sending out hundreds of eager men and women, young and old, who shared dreams and brought the vision of God’s redemption to the world. It still left seats and benches overturned, and the simple meal that the community shared reminded them of Christ’s presence in their midst.
And one day, an elder in the church was approached to form a part of a new government; an appointment that would mean respectability, income assurance, and more opportunity for leisure. But, he was told, those who would employ him were uncertain of his religion. It was so messy, they told him, and they worried that the mess and uncertainty that were the hallmarks of the Spirit would be brought into their carefully ordered universe.
So the man went back to his church, and began to speak with the elders there. Not that there was anything wrong with the Holy Spirit, he said, but could we possibly secure the benches to the floor, so that when the Spirit is poured out, they stay upright?
And the elders agreed. After all, it would save on cleaning costs. So the benches (which we call pews) were bolted to the floor in churches all over the world. So it was more…respectable.
And after a while, respectability began to be the reason for the church. And the garments that signified the people of the church – the alb, pristine white for the righteousness of Christ; the stole that marked one as ‘ordained’ to serve the community; and the chasuble, worn to denote the special meal that was shared – became solely the propriety of the minister.
But the Holy Spirit still moved in the church; it was just harder to see. And as the teachings that were necessary to understand God working among the people became emptier and emptier; sacred rites became empty rituals, because the church had become the center of all that was…respectable. As people discarded old ideas of what was respectable, they came to discard the church, as well, seeing only those rituals as what marked one as belonging, as Christian.
So generations were lost. But many stayed; many who had experienced the Holy Spirit in their lives, who had lived – on the surface – quietly boring lives, they stayed in the community and devoted their time, as in the days when the church was young, to the apostles’ teaching, the breaking of bread, and prayer. But the pews remained bolted to the floor.
And they were bolted with traditionalism, ethnocentrism, boredom, and ignorance.
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So, today is Pentecost Sunday, a day when we celebrate the presence of the Holy Spirit in our midst, in this church, and it also the day of confirmation, when these 3 young people will take upon themselves the promises made for them by their parents at their baptism.
For those of you who are the parents or perhaps the baptismal sponsors of the confirmands here today – and those who have young children – did you know that you made promises before God to teach your children the Christian faith?
And let me ask you this: have you kept them? Bear in mind, I know the answer to that already.
But I’m not being judgemental; this is a day of celebration! Because today, along with these young people, the whole people of God in this place have a chance to affirm their baptism, and to experience again the presence of God in their lives.
So I urge you today to remember a few things. Just a few:
Remember that what we call ‘church’ isn’t a burden or responsibility; it’s a community, it’s a gift.
Remember this gift is always here for you: school, work, friends, nothing else will be. But wherever you go in this world, anywhere you go in this world, you will find a community who will welcome you into their midst, because you bear the name of ‘Christian’.
And remember, like every gift that is free, just because you don’t pay for it doesn’t mean it’s worthless: it’s priceless. But if you mistreat it, ignore it, or abuse it – well, we’ve already crucified Christ, I don’t expect that we’ll treat his body (which we call the church) any better. Ignore it, mistreat it, or abuse it – we will still love you. But the further you go from our midst, the darker the world around you becomes. Christ is the light of this community. Remember us, for we will remember you, and the Holy Spirit will always go with you.
But also remember that the Holy Spirit in your life does not bring you safety, prosperity, or affluence. It will bring you chaos, uncertainty, and trouble: but it will be chaos, uncertainty, and trouble in the Name of, and in the presence of, Jesus Christ.
And there is no life like it, in this world, or the next.
Remember: Christ chose you. In turn, this day, and on every day that follows – choose a community that actually means something in this world. Not a sports team or a club, but a community of people who will love you for you, wherever you go.
Let the people of God say amen.
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