some thoughts (organized and random) from pentecost sunday

yesterday, charles preached a very encouraging sermon about the church, using john 20:19-23. in this text, we see the disciples huddled together behind locked doors. they had watched the crucifixion of their leader only a few days earlier. now, they likely awaited the sounds of soldiers' feet coming to arrest them. in this moment of fear, though, the resurrected jesus made himself known to them. standing among then, he ministered to their fears, saying, "peace by with you. peace be with you. as the father has sent me, even so I am sending you. receive the holy spirit. if you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld." in this room where fear weighed heavily in the air, the church began as christ came and fellowshipped with his disciples. charles's words reminded me vividly of similar words from the writings of d. b. knox. in his essay, "the church, the churches, and the denominations of churches," knox also locates the church within the presence of christ and the fellowship believers share with each other as a result of this presence. "Being in Christ's presence, through his Spirit present in them, naturally draws Christians into each other's company," writes Knox. "They meet together in his name," he continues, "and Christ is there in each. Thus the local church forms spontaneously as an expression, in the sphere of time and space, of the eternal reality of fellowship with God which each has, and who is in each. Christians are never exhorted in the New Testament to become members of the church, for that is synonymous with being Christ's. But they are exhorted to give expression to their membership by being present in the local church, or gathering, of Christ round himself." gathered round the resurrected christ, the disciples, despite their fear, experienced the communion only found in christ's church.

randomness sets in. a few statements charles made yesterday remain with me. a first statement: when explaining the state of the disciples hiding in their little room, he compared them to the church. "Without the presence of God," he remarked, "this [a frightened group of disciples] is all we are." a second comment: "Left to our own devices all of us churches are nothing."

more randomness. from the first of last night's two new episodes of "the simpsons." as the simpson clan (sans maggie) leaves the showing of a foreign film, bart proudly displays the ponytail he snipped from the 30-year-old grad student seated in front of him. correcting her son, marge chides, "bart, don't make fun of grad students, they just made terrible life choices."