Blame it on the Spirit

and then, as we heard last Sunday, to the unlikely foreigner, the Ethiopian eunuch, the Holy Spirit has been pushing the infant church out into the world.

And today's First reading from Acts brings us one of the most controversial moments in the New Testament, the reaction of the crowd and Peter to the conversion of the Roman centurion Cornelius.

What was this man doing in Jerusalem?

He was the officer in charge of the troops that had their boots on the necks of the Jews.

Pontius Pilate ruled Judea only because he was backed up by the heavy-handed fist of the Roman army.

Cornelius was thus not only a Gentile, but also a Gentile enemy military officer.

The first Gentile convert, our ancestor in the faith, is a man who wore the inscription on his uniform “Hail Caesar.”

The emperor who held Judah captive was worshiped as a god by his troops like Cornelius, the emperor's henchmen in the far-flung empire.

In the chapter that follows our reading today, Peter has some heavy-duty explaining to do about baptizing a man like Cornelius, not just an outsider but a military officer of the oppressor.

His fellow believers were really upset about it!

“Why did you go to these Gentiles and break bread with them?” they demanded to know.

They wanted to maintain separateness.

[It has been a very handy method for archaeologists to be able to guess whether a particular area was a Jewish or non-Jewish settlement by whether there were pork bones in the fireplaces or trash heaps!]

How did this togetherness happen?

Peter's explanation is simple:

blame it on the Spirit!

Peter told the questioning church authorities that no sooner had he told the story of Jesus to these Gentiles than the Holy Spirit descended upon them, so dramatically and decisively that he couldn't think of any reason not to baptize them.

The same Holy Spirit that empowers us, fills us with the love of Christ and enables us to work wonders in his name, that same Holy Spirit has settled even among the outcast, offensive, despised Gentiles.

It is a stunning moment in the history of the church.

The church marvels at the ability of the Holy Spirit to leap over all boundaries,

to embrace those who are on the outside and bring them into the household of God's grace, and to take the church places we would never have gone without the push and pull of the Holy Spirit.

In fact, one could recount the whole history of the the church including the history of this congregation, as the story of the prodding and pulling and coaxing of the Holy Spirit.

Time and again, when we have become fixed in our discipleship, when we have too rigidly drawn our lines around the church and built our walls to protect it, the Holy Spirit has grabbed us by the collar and pulled us out of our comfort zones and back into the fray, reminding us that Jesus so loved the world that he gave himself for the sake of the world and not just for the church.

Why has the church spread to every corner of the world, and every culture?

Blame it on the Spirit.

Why do we continue to offer the process called The Way each year for new and renewing members?

Blame it on the Spirit.

Earlier this year, a Methodist bishop in Alabama received a report that a pastor in his district had been seen regularly in a bar not far from his inner city church.

The bishop investigated, and was surprised when the pastor said the report was quite true.

“I'm in that bar two or three times a week,” he said.

“Why?” inquired the bishop.

“Haven't you noticed?” replied the pastor.

“”We've had six baptisms of adults in the past six months.

All of them came out of relationships with people in that bar.

If you can figure out a way to keep the Holy Spirit out of that bar, I'll stay out of that bar, too.”

Blame it on the Spirit!

A few weeks back the focus group from Lutheran Shared Ministry was listing some of the things that have been done.

We heard that the folks down at Redeemer got the idea to take their tone-chime group out to the sidewalk and play for the passing pedestrians and traffic.

This one and that one stopped to talk, some new relationships were begun,

they are going to do something in co-operation with the special education program up at St. Matthew Church, and... what else?

Blame it on the Spirit.

Perhaps some saw a recent billboard inviting persons to worship at Redeemer Church.

It came about because a particular member was inspired to contribute the $800 to make that visible witness possible for the congregation.

Blame it on the Spirit.

And this looking to the Spirit will not disappoint us.

Tom Bandy is one of those organizational/management type gurus, one of the experts in church growth.

In a workshop he was asked, “What do you do when you want your church to grow but you think your pastor isn't doing enough evangelism?”

Some thought he would say “Get another pastor” or “Insist that the pastor get busy” but he didn't.

What he said was “If you want to change your church, you need to go deeper spiritually, you will need to pray more and go deeper in Scripture.

You will need to get closer to the Holy Spirit.”

We'll never grow organizationally without growing spiritually, ...that is what the management guru is saying, and he is right.

Don't just nod heads solemnly; do something personally in one of our established groups or processes, or ask the pastor to establish something at yet another time of the day or week better attuned to your family schedule.

Blame it on the Spirit chasing after you.

Jesus doesn't command us to do things by ourselves; it is Christ's mission, Christ's church, not our program.

It's not our money in the congregation's bank account; we're only the managers charged to use it to best advantage for the sake of his mission.

Don't complain to me about complex decisions we have to make.

Blame it on the Spirit putting all of these opportunities in front of us and forcing us to select.

But in the middle of all of this complexity, listen to what encouragement we receive in our lessons today!

...his commandments are not burdensome, for whatever is born of God conquers the world....Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.[1 John 5]

...we will come to them and make our home with those who love me and keep my word. [John 14:23]

You did not choose me, but I chose you....

[John 15:16]

...the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word... [Acts 10:44]

Yes, we'll blame it all on the Holy Spirit, that wonderful, mysterious, elusive power of God to transform us into what he would finally have us become,

so that

A new creation comes to life and grows

As Christ's new body takes on flesh and blood

The universe restored and whole will sing Hallelujah! [LBW #189.4]

Christ is risen. HE IS RISEN INDEED. Amen.

Please note: The preceding sermon is provided as a resource for the thought, prayer, and meditation of the members and friends of St. Mark's. It is the residue of a verbal event, and thus it does not have academic footnotes and other details that would be expected in a written document. The writer gladly acknowledges the prior thought and work of many Christians before him.