PASTOR’S NOTES – MARCH 1998
“Then
they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near
Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city, they went
to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and
Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and
Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these were constantly devoting
themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of
Jesus, as well as his brothers…”
“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were
all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a
sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where
they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared
among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled
with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave
them ability.”
Acts 1:12-14, 2:1-4 (NRSV)
It has been said that there are many different reasons why a person first comes into a church, but there is one reason they stay: they build significant relationships with others there. I think you’ll find that to be the case with most at Avondale. For many of us, there is a long history (10+ years at least) of being together, and that creates a bond that does not easily break. However, it is not a kind of bond that transfers to someone who is new to the church.
Churches do not naturally grow. We settle into our relationships and how we spend our time. We don’t typically do things differently unless other things in life become unsettled (a move, job change, change in the family, etc.). Reaching out to new people is uncomfortable; we usually only do it when it is necessary.
Acts 1:12-26 tells us something of the disciples (what became the “church”) immediately after Jesus ascended into heaven. They began by working among themselves. It is very similar to the way churches operate most of the time. They first sought to fill the vacant “office” left by Judas. To fill it they look to those who share their common bond (“who have been with us since the beginning”). Outside the group, this is no news. Their “church business” does not get a lot of outside attention.
In Acts 2, however, everything changes when the Holy Spirit takes over. Suddenly now the people of God are directed outward to others and with courage they didn’t show before. By trusting in the power of the Spirit, the church is able to move forward even as it is personally uncomfortable.
For us it’s not much different. We don’t naturally look beyond the usual. We can force ourselves to reach out, as we do when our life is in transition. But then the passage suggests that the reaching out is secondary to the leading of the Spirit. Nonetheless, we can expect that the Spirit is likely leading us in directions that would be uncomfortable, even impossible, on our own.
And what might the Spirit be leading us to do? The finer details of this are beyond what I can say, but we know from the past that the Spirit leads us to proclaim Christ, and to offer our church to others as one of many places designated as His tool for bringing our walk in line with His will.
Now many of you have already done this at times. It can be discouraging. Because even as we tell others that they can join us at a place where:
1. The Word of God is proclaimed; the authority of the Holy Spirit is respected (we’re not perfect on this point, but we’re on that way);
2. There are many people here who will welcome you as if you are family (in the best sense of family) and will be true friends (again, we’re not perfect here either, but on that way);
There are the points that seem to be obstacles for us:
3. We are larger than most churches, but too small to have many programs and opportunities, especially for young adults.
4. We are located in a neighborhood with a lot of need, widely considered unsafe, and with little convenient parking.
It is true that some that might have wanted to serve Christ among us, and the third or fourth point turned them off. More likely, however, we failed to meet their expectations on the first two points. Last month I mentioned that programs and activities in a church are a source of dissatisfaction if they are not present, but they do not alone make a church attractive either. I have consistently found that many people will pass by large programs to be a part of a smaller one where they feel useful or needed.
Many of my colleagues suggest that the fourth point is our biggest liability. Some would suggest that if this church is to make a serious attempt at growth, it should first move to another location- on a main road, in an accessible multi-purpose building with a large parking lot, and probably out of the Franklinton area. They suggest that at least one of those would drastically improve our prospects.
No doubt, more traffic, accessibility, and parking spaces would reduce some frustration on our part. Still, however, these are not the things that make a church attractive either. Sometimes churches do move to other neighborhoods, when the congregation has mostly moved out. But though the majority of our members no longer live in the immediate neighborhood, more live in this area than any other area. It would be hard to decide where else to do ministry. It might feel like we have an extra burden placed on us by being here while churches outside the inner city don’t even think about it.
But being in Franklinton need not be a liability. It is our gift. I know it usually doesn’t seem like it. Still, we find ourselves in a place where there is a lot of obvious need. We understand that a positive changing of lives here not only improves life in this neighborhood but to a degree all of Columbus. We can even guess it’s the kind of area Jesus would have been spending most of His time.
I see in the phone book and in the newspaper churches that advertise “urban ministries” along with their other programs. Many people outside the inner city recognize the need for Christians to be stationed there and do Christ’s work. Of course, many get no further than occasionally remarking about how SOMEONE should be doing something there. Many will carry some guilty feelings about this all of their lives. They may dream of it, but we can do it, and we are doing it now (not as much as we could, mind you, but we’re on that way).
It’s time we recognize and affirm that our place in God’s plan has something to do with points #1, #2, and #4. I’m not sure about what else is involved. Our God is already working out His will in visible ways in places outside and around the city. I truly believe our Lord is especially concerned to see lives open to Christ here and in other communities struggling like ours. The only real obstacle to this is our willingness to accept the work Christ has given us.
So if we’re willing to be part of a church that clearly proclaims Christ, that seriously reaches out in friendship to others, and that is committed to present Christ where God has placed us, then I believe the Holy Spirit can work with us. It might not be in the same way as it happens in other churches; it might not appear to be as exciting or as glorious. But I believe that in the very worst of times, and in the very best of times, God’s work is still far more glorious than it appears. One day we’ll get a chance to see that.
Peace,
