We prepare for everything.
We are raised by a family who teach us such things as manors, ethics and values. They send us to school where we are educated in the foundations of reading, writing, math, history and science. All of this to prepare us for adulthood. We participate in various extracurricular activities from sports to music where we practice and rehearse to prepare for competitions and performances. Many of us go to college and earn a degree to prepare us for work in a certain field. Some of us go further with education. We earn Masters degrees or further to prepare us for work in more specific professional fields.
We spend our lives in preparation for...well...life.
But, when it comes to the preparation required for the work Jesus calls us to do.
Jesus just says, "The Holy Spirit will come." Is that it?
Well, not necessarily.
So...what does this mean?
The Holy Spirit's work is a bit mysterious, and allusive. What we've come to believe is that the Holy Spirit's work is always to draw us to Jesus. So, where do we find Jesus today? We could, most surely, say just about anywhere. However, there is one place where Christ promises us we will find him...in the Church. St. Paul refers to the Church as the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit gathers us, baptizes us, and sends us as members of the body of Christ. Collectively, the Church is the living Lord today. There we hear the gospel in a way that is specific for us. We receive instructions in the faith. In other words, we are prepared for ministry by the Holy Spirit's work through the church.
I was in my final semester of seminary. I had passed all the exams, completed all the requirements, jumped through all the hoops. I had fulfilled all the criteria which demonstrated my readiness for ordained ministry when my faculty adviser asked me, "Do you feel prepared for ministry?" The answer he expected was an emphatic "yes". But, I decided to take the more honest approach. I said, "No, but thanks to my seminary and my Church I am confident that I know where to turn for help." He smiled a grin that told me I had answered correctly.
There is really no way to be fully prepared for what God puts in front of us. But, thanks to the Church, we know where to go for help. This gives us confidence and hope to face every challenge of life with God's grace. Jesus said to his disciples, "You will be my witnesses." But, keep in mind, they had been gathered together into the "first church" and had spent three years learning from the living Lord. They had seen him crucified and resurrected. Then, they received post-resurrection instruction in their new faith. They had been baptized, and worshiping at the feet of Jesus for three years before Jesus declared them to be his witnesses. Ascension Day was the disciple's graduation day. Were they prepared for everything their new life was about to throw at them? Nope! But their community of faith, "their church" was their primary source of inspiration and confidence. They may not have felt prepared to be Christ's witnesses, but they knew where to go for help.
The same is true for us today. The church is our primary source when we need to know where to go for help.
The Church...that's right...that institution that is treated as if it is unnecessary today.
Statistics show that, at least Western culture, is ready to discard the Church in favor of something more spiritual. Today, people see the church as incapable of bearing the burdens of a more pluralistic and individualistic society. Authors and scholars are writing like prophets predicting either a total collapse of the church or the emergence of a different kind of church that is on the horizon. Whatever the case, there are fewer and fewer people in our churches. Churches are closing every day. This means fewer people instructed in the faith, and fewer people teaching their children about this faith. Fewer and fewer able to face the challenges of life with the confidence of knowing where to turn for help.
The Church is NOT unnecessary. It may be a bit outdated. It may need a spiritual makeover. It may need to look beyond itself to the concerns of others a bit more effectively. But, it is definitely necessary! The problems with the church are far less essential than the gifts that the Church provides in spite of them. Today, more than ever, we are people who feel ill-equipped to face the challenges that are before us. It is no coincidence that this reality comes at a time when we've lost sight of the most essential source of preparedness for life--the blessings of the Church.
If you're reading this and you are trying to hold onto a kind of Christianity that assumes the Church is unnecessary to you---you might want to re-think that, and stop in the nearest church this Sunday. Click here to find a congregation near you: ELCA I'm recommending an ELCA Lutheran church, but I'm biased---very biased! :-)
Lord Jesus, send your Holy Spirit to gather your people to Christ, strengthen your church to bear witness to the a world that has lost sight of your church's blessing. Amen!
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