5-7-2023 “A Place to Grow” Easter V

The Rev. Dr. John Tamilio III

Human beings take care of their young longer than any other species. Not only do they rely on us to fulfill their every need, especially as newborns, infants, and toddlers, but we clothe, feed, and shelter them well into their teenage years. In fact, it really isn’t until they finish their secondary education that they venture forth on their own — and, even then, they regularly fly back to the nest for a home-cooked meal and to do their laundry. Some parents care for their children even longer than that. Maybe that’s a good idea. As Phyllis Diller once said, “Be kind to your children. They pick the nursing home.”

Even though children are raised by their parents in their homes, there are other places that help nurture their growth. School, of course, is one of them. It is where they learn the three r’s: reading, writing, and ‘rithmatic. It is also the primary way that they are socialized through forming relationships with their peers. Traditionally, the church was the place that fostered their spiritual growth. With less and less families going to church these days, it is no wonder why so many kids end up being adrift without a moral compass. The church needs to reclaim this important role.

It begins at the font in the waters of baptism.

Christian traditions that do not baptize infants (Baptists, for example) believe that baptism is a commitment each individual has to make on their own. You become a Christian when you accept Jesus as your Savior. It is then that you are immersed in the cleansing waters of Christian initiation. Although I respect that tradition immensely, we believe that baptism is the beginning of an infant’s journey as well. It starts at the font and follows her through the Christian education classroom and, eventually, to confirmation. But the journey does not end there. Christian spiritual formation is a lifelong process of theological maturation. The fact that fewer and fewer people attend church nowadays makes our task even more important. We are the ones who must not only evangelize, but also assist all believers in their spiritual growth once they decide to call this church their home. Whether you are a newborn or an elderly senior, whether you just spent nine months in the womb or ninety years on this planet, the ongoing formation of your spirit is pertinent.

According to Paul Pettit, “Spiritual formation…is the ongoing process of the triune God transforming the believer’s life and character toward the life and character of Jesus Christ — accomplished by the ministry of the Spirit in the context of biblical community.”[1] I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a better definition! Let’s break it down a bit.

First of all, spiritual formation is a process. It is ongoing, as Pettit says. It is also transformative, and it lies in the hands of the Triune God. It isn’t so much what we do. It is the work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in our lives. The goal of spiritual formation is to shape the life and character of each believer so that it reflects the life and character of Jesus. That old acronym WWJD (what would Jesus do) is a good way of understanding what this is all about. We ask what Jesus would do so that we may emulate him in every way. We are to love others with the same self-sacrificial love that Jesus had for all people. We are to trust that God will meet our every need. We are to have faith in the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

But the quote does not end there. It concludes, “accomplished by the ministry of the Spirit in the context of biblical community.” The operative phrase here is the biblical community. Spiritual formation occurs with other people. It does not happen in isolation. You can pray three times a day and read the Bible faithfully, but if you do so alone in your room you will only grow so much. The essence of spiritual formation lies in the fact that Jesus gave us the Church — his body on earth — so that we can fellowship with one another and be a reflection of God’s Triune life.

We were made to be in community with one another. We learn by interacting with others. We challenge ourselves and hone our levels of endurance by competing against one another. We love by being in relationships. You really cannot do any of this alone.

And it doesn’t happen alone here. This church is a great example of spiritual growth that happens communally. Think about our Bible Study. When a dozen (and sometimes more) of us gather in the Social Room on Tuesday evenings, the learning goes far beyond whatever any one of us knows. Think about the Senior Suppers. Rachel Rigoli and her team spend days and days preparing sumptuous meals that give elders in the community a place to socialize and fill their stomachs with a meal that they probably would not make for themselves. Think of our Outreach Team led by Allie and Pam, and the innovative ways that they not only allocate the dollars we provide specifically to missions, but the programs they bring to this class to educate us as well. Think about the members who do not get to worship with us regularly, because they are in the Christian education classroom while we are in the sanctuary — people like Donna Kendall, Susan James, Nancy Worth, and of course Rev. Dee. They are passing the torch to the next generation of believers who will lead this congregation one day. Think of the choir, under the direction of Dianne Bellissimo accompanied by Richard Harvey. They spend hours upon hours preparing the music that augments (I had to use a musical term there) that augments our worship. And then there are the Deacons — Gloria Gilson, Beverly Giordano, Elaine McClellan, and Carl Lindquist — who are here early every Sunday, often before the clergy arrive, to make sure that the sanctuary is set for the worship of the God who empowers all of this.

I could go on and on and on. If I omitted someone’s name, it wasn’t intentional. My point is that this community of faith is larger than our collective sum. Filled with the Holy Spirit we remain faithful to the biblical narrative in our quest to provide a place for people to grow. The promises you made to love, support, and care for Lila Margaret Falzone as she lives and grows in Christ were not empty promises. You meant it. And I know that Melanie and Steven (and Monica and Joseph) know that, too, which is why they are here this morning.

This isn’t a social club. This isn’t just a Sunday pastime. It is a family. It is a place where you are fed the Word and where you exercise your limbs with activities that will enable you (all of us) to grow into the fullness of Christ. This truly is a place to grow, to mature, to love, to encounter God, and to be encountered by the Good News of Christ’s everlasting love. Embrace it. Embrace it all, my friends. Amen.

[1] Paul Pettit, Foundations of Spiritual Formation: A Community Approach to Becoming Like Christ (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2008), 24.