{"id":821,"date":"2020-05-28T02:31:26","date_gmt":"2020-05-28T02:31:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/maybegoosefeathers.com\/wp\/?p=821"},"modified":"2020-05-28T02:31:26","modified_gmt":"2020-05-28T02:31:26","slug":"day-of-pentecost-year-cov-for-these-holy-houses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maybegoosefeathers.com\/wp\/?p=821","title":{"rendered":"DAY OF PENTECOST \u2013 YEAR CoV: \u201cFor thESE holy houseS\u2026\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Pentecost rolls around May 31st on the liturgical calendar, the end of May in 2020, 50 days after Easter.\u00a0 This week, catching up on On Being<\/em> podcasts, I heard Krista Tippett\u2019s interview with Ocean Vuong that aired on April 30th<\/sup><\/a>.\u00a0 However, the interview itself happened March 8th<\/sup>.\u00a0\u00a0 As she noted at the beginning of the program, how the world changed between when she interviewed him (at a festival gathering, no less!) and when the interview aired (at a time when large in-person gatherings are ill-advised).\u00a0 Timing is everything, it\u2019s said \u2026 and something Ocean Vuong said early in the interview caught my ear.\u00a0 Speaking of his fascination with the story of Noah\u2019s Ark, Vuong said:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the apocalypse comes, what will you put in the vessel for the future?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>When the apocalypse comes \u2026<\/em><\/strong> We use that word (apocalypse<\/em>!) so often; I do not think it means what most people think it does.\u00a0 In common vernacular it is has come to refer to some sort of cataclysmic event that completely up-ends, if not totally ends, the world for everyone.\u00a0 At this point, there\u2019s no way of knowing for certain that the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic will bring the end of the world as we have known it. (Stephen King is on record as saying \u201cNo, this is not The Stand<\/em>.\u201d)\u00a0 However, if we take the true meaning of the word apocalypse<\/em>, which is unveiling<\/em> or revealing<\/em>, we are indeed in an apocalyptic time.\u00a0 Underlying assumptions about the way things work (or should work) have been laid bare.\u00a0 Workers we regularly encounter, whom we frequently dismiss as being of little significance, have proven to be essential workers.\u00a0 Some of our essential workers are some of the least paid, least protected employees in our communities.\u00a0 There are glaring gaps in our healthcare system that have put certain groups and populations at more risk of harm in this pandemic than others \u2013 more than enough care for those who do not absolutely require it (see the layoffs from hospitals due to cancellation of nonessential procedures), not enough for those who need it (underlying health conditions are high in populations that do not have regular health care).\u00a0 \"\"<\/a>Business plans have been suddenly upended.\u00a0 People who never had to ask for help in their lives trying to navigate unemployment, food shelves, and housing assistance.\u00a0 More community services might be needed, but tax revenues to pay the workers are dropping rapidly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Churches \u2013 often regarded as something apart and disconnected from business and daily realities \u2013 are also impacted.\u00a0 Shelter-in-place orders have banned gatherings of over 10 people, especially indoors.\u00a0 Singing together is strongly discouraged in the wake of an outbreak among choir members in northwest Washington State.<\/a>\u00a0 Sanitation concerns discourage baptisms \u2013 certainly no basins with water (even blessed, holy water) should be out for people to touch.\u00a0 Communion practices are rife with exposure concerns.\u00a0 Many congregations have had to scramble for ways to sustain community and worship services without in-person gatherings \u2026 Zoom meetings, Facebook Live streaming, YouTube videos \u2026 it\u2019s been a steep learning curve for pastors and for congregants.\u00a0 It\u2019s also been a mixed bag \u2013 some people who haven\u2019t been able to attend in-person now have easier access \u2026 but others, who lack computers or internet or smart phones or even push-button phones, are being left out.\u00a0 Now that shutdown orders are being lifted, shelter-in-place guidelines are being relaxed, some groups are eager to regroup in buildings while others are holding back because SARS-CoV-2 is still very much active and will be among us for the immediate future.\u00a0 Our relationship to our buildings, as well as to each other, is being revealed in this time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Now that the apocalypse has come, what do we put in the vessel that carries us forward?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Sunday school teachers for generations have long taught children the finger play: Here is the church, here is the steeple, open the doors and see all the people<\/em>.\u00a0 But the same finger play could be done with words like: The church is not a building. The church is not a steeple.\u00a0 The church is the people!<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 Lutheran pastor, theologian, teacher Kelly Fryer made a splash almost 20 years ago when her doctoral thesis was published as a small book titled Reclaiming the “L” Word<\/em><\/a>. \u00a0Among other things, she challenged the conventional operating formula that:<\/p>\n

Church = Pastor + Building<\/p>\n

The church, she (and others of the missional church movement) argued is the people of God coming together as community to learn, nurture, and support one another in living as followers of Jesus in daily life.\u00a0 One of the things being revealed in our current situation is what is necessary for faith communities to be the people of God in this time and place \u2026 and what is not.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What do we put in the vessel that will carry us forward?…<\/em><\/strong> And that brings us to Pentecost, the celebration of the birth of the Church, and what it might mean in the current time and situation.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> Because Ascension Day, which marks the turn of the Easter season from the Resurrection of Jesus to the coming of the Spirit, falls on a Thursday I was struck by the contrast between what\u2019s envisioned for the Church as the Body of Christ on earth and what\u2019s actually reflected in our faith communities by a regular prayer.\u00a0 In a classic Lutheran Book of Daily Prayer<\/em>, the Thursday Morning prayer (in both weeks) focuses on mission, the task of proclaiming the gospel to those outside the faith community.\u00a0 The prayers focus on \u201cthose who labor for us\u201d in God\u2019s kingdom.\u00a0 Pastors, missionaries, teachers \u2013 even referred to as \u201cfrontline workers\u201d \u2013 are lifted up in prayer.\u00a0 However, the one offering the prayer is praying on their behalf \u2026 which suggests most people offering this prayer do not have any role in actually doing this \u2026 which is pretty much how people see things.\u00a0 Pastors and trained others study the scripture and communicate what they\u2019ve learned to others (who don\u2019t have the skill or knowledge base \u2026 or time?) to read and learn for themselves.\u00a0 The church building is the congregation\u2019s place of schooling where they gather to hear what the pastor has leaned \u2026which will help them be better people in some way (if only to assure them they are already good people).\u00a0 The people support the work of the pastor (and other frontline workers) with their offerings and also maintain a place to gather for learning and worship.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Yet, so little of this fits with what we see of the beginnings of the Church on the Day of Pentecost.\u00a0 The bulk of the narrative is in the early chapters of the Book of Acts: The disciples want to know if it\u2019s time to (finally!) have the messianic restoration of the Holy Kingdom.\u00a0 Jesus tells them to stop fussing about times and specifics, advising them simply to wait until they receive power from on high.\u00a0 Then Jesus ascends to heaven (or otherwise exits the scene).\u00a0 Angels tell the awe-struck disciples to stop standing around staring and get back to doing what Jesus told them.\u00a0 So, they start hanging out in the upper room (where they\u2019ve been hanging out for weeks by that point) and the temple, praying, remembering Jesus and his words and actions.\u00a0 Then ten days later, the Spirit comes to them in the rushing of a wind and flames of fire, and all heaven breaks loose in a chaotic scene of disciples speaking languages they don\u2019t know \u2026 and people in the area who do speak those languages being drawn near to hear what is being said.\u00a0 Whatever was happening, it was not happening in the temple \u2013 nor was it all happening inside the upper room.\u00a0 It was happening out in the streets, in the neighborhood around the disciples\u2019 hang out.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The truth of this came home (literally!) to me a couple weeks back when I was leading the Kyrie, a litany, in our congregation\u2019s Zoom worship service.\u00a0 Sitting in my own home, I read the line \u201cFor this holy house \u2026<\/em>\u201d and realized a number of things.\u00a0 First, yes, the house that I am in is holy; God is here and blessing this place and all who come under this roof.\u00a0 Second, looking at other congregants on the screen in their little display boxes, \"\"<\/a>I realized that they, too, were in their homes \u2013 houses just as holy and blessed as mine.\u00a0 And third, that the rest of the line applied just as much in this virtual Zoom setting as within the church building: \u201cand for all who offer here their worship and praise<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 So, I ad-libbed a bit: For these holy houses and all of us who are now gathered to offer worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord \u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The church has left the building now \u2026 and maybe it never really belonged in one.\u00a0 In the beginning, it was people, not a place.\u00a0 The upper room was borrowed (rented?) space, not the permanent possession of any one of those gathered in that upper space.\u00a0 When the Spirit blew through, out they all went \u2026 all of them, every single one of them \u2026 not just the special twelve \u2026 not just the men.\u00a0 Mary was there, too, along with other women who had been among Jesus\u2019 followers.\u00a0 Jesus\u2019 brothers were there, too.\u00a0 And the people who heard and responded swiftly joined in the group as well.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Are our church buildings \u201cthe vessel that carries us into the future\u201d? Are buildings something we should put in that vessel?\u00a0 It was a long time before congregations, gathered groups of Jesus-followers (Christians) had buildings \u2013 several centuries, in fact, before they could come out of hiding places (like catacombs) and people\u2019s homes (members well-off enough to have one) and have a public building.\u00a0 And yet, despite no building, the faith spread: believers were supported with teaching, prayers, worship, sacraments \u2026 children were nurtured in the faith \u2026 new believers were brought into full participation in the community.\u00a0 The congregation shared food and other goods, provided care to those unable to attend, gathered and scattered to live out the gospel in their everyday lives.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Buildings are beautiful things.\u00a0 There is much to commend them in terms of beauty and design that works to provide a sense of sacred space.\u00a0 Buildings can be places for vital ministry (like soup kitchens, shelters, food shelves) as well as for important community services (meeting spaces for recovery groups and other community needs).\u00a0 A lot of good things can and do happen because we have buildings.\u00a0 Virtual space is not a real substitute for meeting in person \u2026 and meeting in person requires sufficient space for the gathering.\u00a0 But maybe they aren\u2019t central \u2026 or \u201cmission critical.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>There\u2019s a lot of wisdom to be gained from the classic Orthodox icon of the Ascension.\u00a0 Most of us moderns (Protestants, especially) would be somewhat surprised (startled? \u2026 shocked??) that Mary is front and center in the image.\u00a0 She\u2019s certainly not named as present in the account of Jesus\u2019 ascension.\u00a0 But she is there and the central figure because, as Christ once dwelt within her body, Christ will now dwell within the body of believers \u2013 gathered together and even individually.\u00a0 Martin Luther hailed her as the first Christian and an example to us all for much the same reason.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What vessel will carry us into our future?\u00a0 Does it even have to be a physical structure?\u00a0 If we have the Spirit calling us together and sending us out, breathing in \u2026 breathing out, what more do we need?\u00a0 God\u2019s love is the vessel that carries us into the future, as surely as it has carried people of faith in the past. As Lady Julian was told, as God showed her all that is made as something small and round like a hazelnut and she marveled that it survived at all, \u201cIt lasts and will go on lasting forever because God loves it.\u201d\u00a0 We have the witness of those gone before us \u2013 and out own experiences \u2013 of the mighty deeds of God, how we have seen and experienced God bringing new life from dead ends.\u00a0 We have the voice of the Spirit speaking all around us in all kinds of ways \u2013 through Scripture, through each other, even through people who might surprise us and the world itself around us.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Now the Lord said, \u201cChurch, you better love<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2018cause it\u2019s a wounded world that needs a healing touch.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

And he gave us a promise and he gave us a job;<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 he\u2019ll be with us but the work is up to us \u2026 <\/em>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 it\u2019s up to us<\/em><\/p>\n

~Rich Mullins, Allrightokayuhhuhamen<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the people of God, and the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord \u2026 Kyrie Eleison<\/em><\/p>\n

For these holy houses and all who dwell in them, offering up their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord \u2026 Lord, have mercy<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pentecost rolls around May 31st on the liturgical calendar, the end of May in 2020, 50 days after Easter.\u00a0 This week, catching up on On Being podcasts, I heard Krista Tippett\u2019s interview with Ocean Vuong that aired on April 30th.\u00a0 However, the interview itself happened March 8th.\u00a0\u00a0 As she noted …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/maybegoosefeathers.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/maybegoosefeathers.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/maybegoosefeathers.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maybegoosefeathers.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maybegoosefeathers.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=821"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/maybegoosefeathers.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/821\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":839,"href":"https:\/\/maybegoosefeathers.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/821\/revisions\/839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/maybegoosefeathers.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maybegoosefeathers.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maybegoosefeathers.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}