Acts 2: 1–21; Psalm
104: 25–35, 37; I
Corinthians 12: 3–13; John
20: 19–23
A homily by Fr. Gene
Tucker, given at Trinity
Church, Mt. Vernon, Illinois on Sunday, June 8, 2014.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TIMES TWO!”
Happy
Birthday!
This
morning, we here at Trinity are celebrating two birthdays: The Feast of Pentecost, which has been called
the “Birthday of the Church”, is one birthday we are celebrating. And, this is
the day that Jillian is being baptized (in a few moments), so today is her
spiritual birthday.
Birthdays
are occasions for remembering, for celebrating, and for looking ahead at what
might be in the days that lie ahead of us.
The day
that a person (or an organization) is born is a day that changes us
forever. Remember back to the birth of a
child, or a grandchild, or a family member…that day was – most likely – like no
other day. What had been before that
event was different from what followed it.
As we think
of the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Feast of Pentecost, we look back as we
read Luke’s reporting of that event in the Book of Acts, recalling how God’s
power was known in the signs that accompanied the coming of the Spirit. The Church was born by the power of God,
through the work of Jesus Christ and through the work of the Holy Spirit.
We might
pause for a moment and reflect on the fact that a birth comes to be not because
the person (or the organization) chooses to be born. The gift of human life is, ultimately, a gift
from God, with the assistance of mom and dad.
It is God, working through our human parents, that results in our being
born.
So it is
with the organization we call the Church….it was born out of the initiative of
God.
So it is
with Jillian, and with each one of us, as we pass through the waters of baptism
and are given the gift of the Holy Spirit.
In baptism, it is God who is doing the work, work which results in a new
birth for each one.
So, we
celebrate in the new beginning that a birth signifies.
And then,
we celebrate as growth follows this new birth.
The early
Church celebrated as the Good News of God spread throughout the known
world. The Church grew in numbers, and
the Church grew in maturity. We, today,
are the inheritors of that growth.
Part of the
Church’s growth and maturity results from the individual births of those who
come to the Lord in faith, passing through the waters of baptism. Today,
Jillian begins a walk with God, which in the days that are ahead of us, will
bring spiritual growth and maturity as she gets to know God more fully and more
deeply.
Inevitably,
as we look back and remember birthdays, and as we witness and celebrate growth,
we will also wonder what the coming days and years will bring. We
will do this as we watch Jillian grow into the full stature of Christ. We do this with individuals we know in our
families and among our friends. We do
this with the Church. We do this with
our local parish, Trinity Church.
Today is
such an occasion of remembering, celebrating, and looking ahead for me as my
tenure as your Rector comes to an end.
I’ve been
doing a lot of looking back over my shoulder at the nearly seven years that
have now passed before us.
If my
observations are correct, there is much to remember with joy in the life of
Trinity Church during that timeframe. A
lot of spiritual growth has taken place here.
Much has been accomplished in the cause of making God’s power and God’s
love known, both within these walls and outside of them. This congregation has not only survived the
challenges that are a part of its recent history, but it has thrived in
overcoming those challenges, through the power of God to create and to
recreate.
Finally, as
my active role in this congregation comes to an end, what observations might I
make about Trinity’s future as the people of God in this place live out the
Good News of God?
Perhaps my
observations might be summarized this way:
I believe that Trinity is poised to do marvelous things in the days that
lie ahead.
Why might I
say that?
First of
all, because Trinity is blessed to have very capable, energetic, dedicated
Christians within its spiritual family.
Trinity’s people are wonderful!
And then also
because the Holy Spirit’s power to reach across differences that exist between
people – that same power we read about this morning as the Holy Spirit came and
bridged the gaps between people from all over the known world – that Spirit’s
power has united this parish church into a discord-free gathering of
believers. Few congregations can
truthfully say they are united in common witness to the Lord, and in common
concern for each other and for the world, to the degree that Trinity is.
And
finally, I rejoice in the prospects that lie ahead for this parish because of
its new clergy leadership. Fr. Ben is a
highly capable, highly intelligent, deeply dedicated Christian believer whose
love for God and for God’s people will prove to be part of God’s great gift to
this congregation. You are in wonderful
hands with Fr. Ben at the helm.
So, for all
of these reasons, I rejoice in the possibilities that lie ahead, as God leads
us in building the Kingdom of God here in Mt. Vernon.
Happy
Birthday, Church! Happy Birthday,
Jillian!
AMEN.
