"On the day of Pentecost all of Jesus' followers were together in one place.  Suddenly there was a noise from heaven like the sound of a mighty wind! It filled the house where they were meeting. Then they saw what looked like fiery tongues moving in all directions, and a tongue came and settled on each person there. 

The Holy Spirit took control of everyone, and they began speaking whatever languages the Spirit let them speak."

  -- Acts 2:1-4 (Common English Version)

  

What a way to kick-start the movement that would several decades later, for better and worse, morph into the Christian church! Think of it as comparable to a high-speed, high-powered means of booting up and configuring the system on a computer. For communities of faith, the Holy Spirit acts like the CPU (Central Processing Unit).

  

Decades ago at an Annual Meeting of a regional United Church Conference, I heard a sermonic lecture by Black American preacher Rev. Dr. James Forbes that has remained lodged in memory ever since. His title was "I Wish It Could Happen to Us . ? !" It was all about those punctuation marks.

  

"I wish it could happen to us." (Period) Oh, just let it be actually so. And to some extent in most all congregations I have served in ministry, particularly here at Marshall Memorial, it is so. One can sense and experience the presence and activity of the Holy Spirit in the midst of a congregation. You notice the variety of gifts that participants in the life of that community bring to the enterprise of sharing ministry and mission together. You feel the vibrations of those who pray often.   You often feel uplift and empowerment in the course of Sunday worship. Your heart can feel strangely warmed in countless ways.

  

"I wish it could happen to us?" (Question mark) And then .... Sometimes, the Spirit's presence isn't all that palpable in a congregation. Other lesser spirits, toxic ones even, crowd it out. The spirit of lethargy and exhaustion leaking from burned-out volunteers and pastors. The spirit of contentiousness when conflicts great or small erupt. The spirit of despair when fretting over surviving instead of thriving gets a grip on a community of faith. The spirit of chastisement when pastors or lay people lay on guilt trips seeking to whip the congregation into what they might view as "better shape".   The spirit of same old, same old that stifles change or growth or innovation.   The spirit of over-inflated pride: "We've got the best church around! Everyone should join us (which means become like us)."   And then ... are we really ready for, open to, or desirous of an onrush of God's Spirit in our midst? Wouldn't that be too hot to handle?

  

"I wish it could happen to us!" (Exclamation mark).   A much better prayer, don't you think? Imagine a broadly in-Spirited congregation - vibrant, energetic, engaged in community and world mission, with participants passionate about and eager to share their own stories of faith. Imagine a congregation where the usual percentages get reversed.   Instead of 20% of the participants undertaking the bulk of the ministry and mission, and supporting it with their givings as well as their energy and engagement while 80% kind of just show up, spectate, and contribute modestly or hardly at all, it switches!   Wow! 80% of the participants in a congregation are fully immersed and engaged in and supportive of its ministry and mission. The other 20% are comprised of those who may truly have done their share in days past and now cheerlead and pray from the sidelines, and those who are heavily engaged in letting their faith inform how they undertake their working life.