The Spirit Falls Upon Everyone

This past Sunday was, in modern church tradition, “Back to Church Sunday”! Much like “Back-to-School” sales, once you start hearing encouragement for you to “come back,” it can be exciting for some, anxiety-inducing for others, and further traumatic for many others. Some of us just got used to summertime leisure; others of us don’t know what we’re going to wear or how we will impress that cheerleading team captain (not speaking for myself, but somebody).

Some of us have been so hurt by the church that we don’t know if we care to give them another chance. If that’s you, then you and I may have been hurt by the same people. If I approach you in the church and you need to tell me, “Dude, Gavin, I’m not sure if I can be here or not, like, emotionally,” I will understand, and I will be honored that we are the ones that you decided to give a second chance. I will probably ask if you need a hug, or if you want to talk about what happened. It’s okay if you’re not ready yet, if you need to break down crying, or if it’s a “maybe later.”

We extend a wide welcome in our messages every Sunday, and we try to let you know that you, your family, your beliefs, your concerns, your voice, your identity, your gifts, and your love are all welcome with us.

I think a lot of people have been accused of being dirty, impure, unclean, perverse, abominable, detestable, etc. Our scriptures talk about the Holy Spirit as being our advocate, whom the Son Jesus would send for us. Jesus told us in Mark 7:15, “There is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.”

This flew in the face of what many of the religious elitists of Jesus’ time would have spent much of their lives enforcing in their communities. Then, in Acts 10:15, God tells Peter, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” Although this referred on the surface to foods outside of Kosher purity law, Peter and Cornelius came to realize that this also refers to people: human beings of whom the Temple Elders did not approve. Tax-collectors, prostitutes, tanners, Greeks, Romans, Ethiopians, Samaritans—all people to whom Jesus or His followers ministered and made disciples and evangels."

See, it isn’t the person accused who is profane, but the accusation. Jesus was repeatedly angry when people used religion as an excuse to exclude others or deny that God loved them. If someone has accepted Jesus Christ, then their sins, their “uncleanlinesses,”are washed away.

 Jesus was repeatedly angry when people used religion as an excuse to exclude others or deny that God loved them.

Yes, there is a place for correcting the behavior of another believer, which we engage through the instructions in Matthew 18, but there is a difference between going to someone in an outreach of love and telling them, “I love you, but what you are doing is hurtful,” and telling someone, “Who you are is wrong, and God doesn’t love you.” If anyone tells you that latter statement, then that is the kind of curse that Jesus says makes one unclean. Saying that God doesn’t love someone is greater profanity than any four-letter word. It is also a lie. We are, however, called to forgive that person as God forgives us.

If you haven’t been to church in along time because someone in church used this kind of profanity, minimized the importance of your concerns, or told you that you couldn’t minister to others, then I invite you to see what the church is up to now. Love is winning, and the kindness that the Holy Spirit puts into our hearts and actions is making the church a wider circle of love. If you have any ideas about how to make that love even more embracing or include more of God’s children, I’m sure we would all like to know how.

The Jewish believers who had accompanied Peter were surprised that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also, whom they could hear speaking in tongues and glorifying God. Then Peter asked, “What can stop these people who have received the Holy Spirit, even as we have, from being baptized with water?” - Acts 10:45b-47 (NRSVUE)

~Pastor Gavin Warren

If you’ve been away, if you’ve been hurt, or if you’re just unsure about church, I want to invite you to take one small step. Come sit with us for a Sunday. Share your story with someone you trust. Or even just reach out and let us know how we can walk with you. You don’t have to have it all figured out to belong here.

The Spirit is already at work making The Circle wider, and we want your voice and your presence to be part of it. How might God be calling you to help shape a church where love keeps winning?

If you’ve ever been hurt by the church, what is one thing that would help you feel safe or welcome again? Share your thoughts in the comments — your voice matters here.