6-5-2022 Dedication of the Chapel in the Glade “A New Morrow” (Acts 2:1-21)

Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor

Pentecost. The day the church was born. Jesus ascended to heaven and the disciples (and a whole host of other believers and nonbelievers) were in Jerusalem when they received the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus promised they would.

The Holy Spirit was always with the followers of Christ (and the Jews before them), but something was now different. As Laurence Hull Stookey writes, “Luke [who is the writer of the Book of Acts] — Luke is clear that the Spirit of God is ever active in creation. What is ‘new’ about Pentecost is that the same Spirit who has worked in many ways now constitutes the church of God.”

Everything was now going to be different. Everything was about to change. The disciples were used to following Jesus — listening to his teachings and witnessing his miracles and healings—but now they were charged with being the Church: tasked with proclaiming the Word, making disciples themselves, and ministering in Jesus’ name. Wouldn’t it have been easier if Jesus just stuck around and did all these things himself?

I think it is not only apropos, but it is perfect that we are dedicating our new, outdoor Chapel in the Glade today. Wouldn’t it be easier to worship inside? After all, there’s no pollen in the sanctuary. It is easier to share Communion that way. The grand piano and organ are far better than a small keyboard.

Pentecost asks us to step out of our comfort zones. It asks us to be open to the Holy Spirit at work in our life as a church. The Spirit is unpredictable — it will blow where it will. It challenges us and pushes us beyond our routines.

In the latest issue of The Congregationalist (the journal of the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches) I have an article about the need for the Church to remain rooted in preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ without compromise and not to give in to the latest fads that are such a part of the megachurch phenomenon. We need to keep preaching what we believe — not to give in to the whims of culture.

Culture seems to change daily. Trends come and go. Today’s fashions will be passé tomorrow. However, the Word of God remains firm forever.

That said, we should not be too comfortable in our ways. Christ (through the Spirit) calls us to bring his message of salvation in ways that people can hear it. Isn’t that what Pentecost is about? When the Spirit descended on those gathered in Jerusalem they began hearing the Word in their own language. This was a multicultural and multilingual gathering. Imagine, all of a sudden, that everyone in this church spoke a different language: French, Greek, German, Chinese, Italian, Lithuanian, whatever… Then, all of a sudden, we were able to understand each other as if everyone spoke in your language, or maybe some universal language. The point? Spread the Word in ways that people will understand it.

The church of tomorrow has many challenges. We also need to speak languages that people understand. I am not contradicting myself. I am not saying that we need to give in to the culture and coat the Gospel in a way that will be appealing. However, we do need to present it in a way that nonbelievers will understand it.

Here he goes — talking about Evangelism again! That’s right. It’s my favorite topic.

We have been using WEZE to get the Word out for the past couple of months. We have been sending letters to every new homeowner in the Canton area. I have been involved in town events offering prayers at town meetings and special events. I have been writing articles that appear in The Canton Citizen every other month. Our senior suppers will be starting up again soon offering sumptuous, nutritious meals (and opportunities for fellowship) to our older residents. Our outreach team — especially for a church our size — moves mountains in our community and around the world. In sum: we do what we do so that God can break into people’s lives in ways that they can understand.

So, today we are dedicating a new, outdoor chapel. We have been talking about this for a long time. I remember when Evan Lee first stood at the lectern saying that this would be his Eagle Scout project. I remember thinking that this was a huge task. I had no doubt that Evan could do it (with the help of other volunteers), but I did not imagine that the end result would look like this! What a blessing this chapel is. It has given us the opportunity to be creative — to offer services that are better suited for the outdoors. We now have three worship spaces: our sanctuary, our smaller air-conditioned indoor chapel, and now this: our Chapel in the Glade.

I believe the Holy Spirit is blowing in the life of our congregation. We are seeing the results: more visitors and people who will be joining our church shortly. People using our facility for a sundry of purposes. Innovative ways of doing mission work with our financial gifts and by rolling up our sleeves. And still, there are other areas where we can grow. As Paul writes in his First Letter to the Thessalonians, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thess. 5:16-19). This chapel is just one example of us as a church discerning how the Holy Spirit is challenging us to reach people in ways we have not even thought about.

I wonder what’s in store for tomorrow. I wonder how God will push us to be the church more fully and to spread the Good News to those who long to hear it.

Let’s be open to it my friends. Let’s not quench the Spirit. Let it push us into places we never considered going to it. It will certainly stretch us and make our spiritual muscles sore but remember that adage from the ‘80s: NO PAIN, NO GAIN. By moving with the Holy Spirit, rather than against it, we will be stronger as a congregation.

I have no doubt that the Holy Spirit is alive in well at the Congregational Church of Canton. I am thrilled to see what God has in store for us tomorrow. Amen.