Luke 16:19-31; 1 John 4:16-21; Genesis 15:1-6
In the Name
of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Today we enter the Trinity / Pentecost season of the
Church’s Year of Grace, otherwise known as “that long green season”. But
there’s a reason for the color green, for, green symbolizes growth, and the Time
of the Church is the time of the Church’s growth by the Holy Spirit sent on
Pentecost. For it is the Holy Spirit that grows the Church, not men, no matter
how pious or earnest, not evangelism programs, no matter how well intentioned,
not ecclesial bureaucracies, no matter how much they might appeal to human pride
and wisdom. And, providentially, for most of us in the Northern Hemisphere, this
time of the church year coincides with the Gregorian calendar in terms of
seasons so that we are in the middle of Spring approaching Summer and have
finally progressed beyond the last killing frost. Now is the time of sowing
seeds, of planting, watering, nourishing, fertilizing, weeding, of growing. There
is work to be done while the daylight is long and the conditions are good, the
work of spreading the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus’ death and resurrection of
the life of the world.
This time of the Church Year focuses and directs our
attention upon, and teaches the Church anew, how the Holy Spirit accomplishes
this work through the body of Christ, the Church. Now is the time in which the
Church remembers and learns anew Who She Is and why She is, that She exists for
the sake of the people Jesus died to save, that She exists for the life of the
world. But, it is the Holy Spirit’s work, the sowing, planting, watering,
nourishing, fertilizing, weeding, and growing, through the Church, while there
is yet time. For, the harvest is coming, today, tomorrow, or the day after.
Pray that when the Lord comes to reap His harvest, the Church may be found
actively leavening the world with the Gospel Word and Holy Sacraments.
But, the Enemy tempts the Body of Christ to grow
complacent, to become fat and lazy, lethargic, self-righteous. The Enemy lulls
the Church to sleep saying, “Your Bridegroom is delayed. Perhaps He’s not
coming at all. Take a little rest, you’ve been faithful in much, you’ve done
well, you’ve earned it. After all, those people out there, they’ve had their
chance to hear, but they’ve closed their ears and cursed you. You’re much
better than them. Take some rest, you deserve it.” Or, the Enemy tempts the
Body of Christ to take matters into Her own hands, believing that it is men who
must grow the Church. And, so, men create program after program and build
towering bureaucracies rivaling the Tower of Babel, treating the Church of
Christ like a business, utilizing marketing and strategic planning aimed at
selling a product to fickle and self-serving consumers. “If people aren’t
filling the pews and the coffers, then we need to redesign, repackage, and
remarket our product.” The questions become “What do consumers want?
What do consumers like?” Rather than “What do sinners need?”
In the first case, the Church becomes self-serving and
unconcerned with those outside Her walls. We become like the Rich Man in the
parable, feasting sumptuously on the feast of God’s Love and forgiveness in
Jesus, but greedily keeping it to ourselves, passing by and disparaging the
Lazarus’s outside our doors. But, as the Apostle warns, “If anyone says, ‘I
love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar.” Do not be deceived, every tree
that does not produce fruit will be cut off and thrown into the fire. The Time
of the Church is a time to be reminded and instructed anew who the
Church is and why the Church is. The Church is the Body of Christ
consisting of all believers, and She exists on earth today to proclaim the Good
News of Christ’s victory over sin, death, and devil for the life of the world.
This is the work of the Holy Spirit through the Church, through you, in your
divine vocations, to forgive sins, have mercy, show compassion, grace, and
charity, to love your neighbor, your brother, with the love of God, in Christ
Jesus, through the Holy Spirit. And, this work starts when you leave this place,
for, the Spirit goes with you, in you, and through you, that you might be a
leavening agent, a light, in this world of sin, darkness, and death. What
happens out there matters! We are not here to serve ourselves. You are not here
for yourself alone.
In the second case, the Church, again, becomes self-serving,
but, by being overly concerned with those outside Her walls. That is to
say, the Church becomes an end in Herself; the most important thing becomes,
not faithfulness to God’s Word, but the growing the institution. The bottom
line, numbers, is the Gospel of such a church, and, the bottom line is to be
increased by any means necessary. If the Name of Jesus is offensive, then it
must be removed. If liturgical appointments, altars, pulpits, crosses, liturgy,
hymns are offensive, then they must be removed. If the preaching of the Law is
offensive, it must be removed. If Sacraments are seen to be tired traditions
not relevant to today’s culture, they must be removed. Give the people want
they want, no mind to what they need. Entertain them, make them feel good, give
them the latest self-help advice, a practical do-it-yourself therapy, something
positive and self-affirming. If you build it, they will come…, for a while,
then it needs to be redesigned, repackaged, remarketed, “New & Improved”,
“the Church 2.1”.
This is a powerful temptation today. We look at the
empty seats and we wonder “Where is everyone? Are we doing something wrong?”
Add to this concern the financial concerns of the Church and we are tempted to alter
our message or change our ceremony, or develop some new program, marketing
approach, or whatever, to make people come to church. We become like Abram
who, in his old age, despaired that he had no son, no heir, that his line would
end with him. “What was it all for?” he thought. Even though God
promised Abram that he would have a son, an heir of his own flesh, and that his
descendants would be as numerous as the stars, he took matters into his own
hands and went into his wife’s maidservant Hagar, and she conceived and bore
him a son, Ishmael. The Lord made Ishmael into a great nation, but He did not
give Ishmael his blessing and much wickedness and strife came from, and still
comes from, the descendants of Ishmael. Church growth tactics, taken from the
business schools, may produce growth in attendance and money in the coffer, but
they are quite often at the expense of faithfulness to God’s Word and in
contradiction to, and denial of, the workings of the Holy Spirit in and through
the Bride of Christ, the Church.
For, the bottom line is this, the Church of Christ is
the Church of Pentecost, born of the Holy Spirit, birthing Christians by the
fiery Word of the Gospel and the watery womb of Holy Baptism, feeding,
nourishing, forgiving, and strengthening those born again of water and Spirit
with the flesh and blood of the incarnate Word of God Jesus Christ. By the
workings of the Holy Spirit, over three thousand souls were added to the Church
on the Day of Pentecost, and the Lord added to their number day by day those
who were being saved. And the Lord, by His Holy Spirit, in and through you, His
Church, continues to add to the number day by day those who are being saved.
In the + Name
of Jesus. Amen.
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