Scripture: Joel 2:28-29
God’s Spirit Poured Out
28 [a] Then afterward
I will pour out my spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
29 Even on the male and female slaves,
in those days, I will pour out my spirit.
Sermon: “From Insider to All”
When I was a kid, growing up in Revere, Massachusetts in the 60’s and 70’s, everyone in my neighborhood was a member of a religious congregation--either of the Catholic Church down the street or the Synagogue in Chelsea or, in my case, a Baptist Church in Boston. And we rarely set foot in each other’s houses of worship. In fact, one of my Catholic friends told me that her grandmother had told her that she’d go to hell if she went into my church. I was disturbed by this comment and told my mother about it, and to my surprise, she laughed. And my mother said to me, “I was told that, as a Baptist, I would go to hell if I set foot in a Catholic Church! It’s not true,” she said. And then she continued with words to this effect: “None of us is going to hell. God is with us all.” I was much relieved.
The Prophet Joel, writing to the ancient Hebrew people sometime between the 9th and 5th centuries B.C.E. said something similar to what my mother told me. In today’s Scripture Joel tells us that God says, “I will pour out my spirit on all flesh.” Emphasis on the “all.” And in case the people didn’t get it, Joel spells it out a bit further for them: God has chosen to gift God’s Spirit on all people, even on those whom society granted no power. Old people (you know, those whom our society calls “geezers”); young people (folks we may call “naïve idealists”); daughters (the gender whom Joel’s society actively discriminated against); slaves (people whom the ancient world barely recognized as people.) God has chosen to pour out God’s Spirit on all of them, particularly on those whom society deemed as unworthy.
Interestingly enough, however, from the context of the whole Book of Joel, it’s clear that “all flesh” to the Prophet Joel meant “all of ancient Israel”--NOT including Israel’s enemies. For Joel, the coming of the Day of the Lord when the Spirit will be poured referred to a time in history not yet arrived when “God will do away with all enemies and usher in a final Kingdom of Goodness and Peace” for Israel. (NIB, Vol. VII, p. 327) The outpouring of God’s Spirit was good news for everyone in ancient Israel, not just the privileged in Israeli society, those with power and ability to control their own destiny. Yet, according to Joel’s understanding, the outpouring of God’s Spirit did not extend beyond ethnic, racial and national boundaries. So, the coming of the Day of the Lord was thought to be very bad news for everyone else other than the ancient Israelites.
Not so in the days of the early church. In the late first century, when the Apostle Luke (or someone from his community) was writing the Book of Acts (in the New Testament) he quotes this passage from Joel, and Luke’s understanding of the people on whom God’s Spirit was poured out, people whom God deemed as worthy, has expanded exponentially. As we see from the stories included in Acts, Luke and the other early church leaders understood that when this passage said “all” it meant that God was pouring out God’s Spirit on Jews and Gentiles, people from all ethnicities, races, nations, and genders who repented of their sins and were baptized into the name of Jesus--both the privileged and those whom various societies deemed as unworthy and granted no power. And Joel’s prophecy was not seen as something that would happen at some point in the future, it was seen as something that had already started happening, beginning with the resurrection of Christ and his giving of the Spirit--and continuing on into the future. (NIB, Vol. VII, p. 327.)
Over the centuries of Christian history, this passage from Joel has been interpreted many times. And usually it was understood to mean that God’s Spirit was poured out only on a particular denomination of Christians, and which particular denomination depended on your viewpoint. If you were Roman Catholic, you believed that God’s Spirit was poured out only on Catholics. After the year 1054, when the Eastern Orthodox officially split with the Roman Catholic Church, if you were Eastern Orthodox, you believed God’s Spirit was poured out only on other members of the Eastern Orthodox brand of Christianity. And after the Protestant Reformation, which began in the 16th century, when various other brands of Christianity began to arise, most people believed the Spirit “belonged” only to their own brand--be that Lutheran or Congregationalist or Baptist or Methodist or Presbyterian or whatever, and not the others.
In the 1800 and 1900’s, thankfully, that understanding began to change. In the early 1800’s, the Unitarians split with the Congregationalists and emphasized One God and the universal “salvation” of all of God’s followers. Later, within Christianity, there was also an ecumenical movement, and people of our parents’ generation began to see the similarities in the various brands of Christianity and began to understand that God’s Spirit was not poured out exclusively on any one brand.
And now, nearly 2000 years after the church began, we are reinterpreting this passage yet again, and more and more people are beginning to believe that God’s Spirit isn’t being poured out only on people who call themselves Christians--or even on people who are particularly religious. More and more people--particularly those whom this book, Weird Church, describe as belonging to the green, yellow and turquoise value systems--are calling themselves “spiritual but not religious”--and it is the author’s understanding that God’s Spirit is being “poured out” on them as well. (For an explanation of the various value systems described in this book, please refer to the spiral dynamics handout sheet, which is also accessible through the Thursday e-blast, which you can also find on the church website in the email section.) In the words of this book, “The doors have been blown off [churches and religious institutions] and the sheep come and go as they will.” (Weird Church, p. 45)
Which is a wild concept, isn’t it? In some ways, it is incredibly exciting. God’s Spirit is available to all, and new connections can form between people who in previous generations have not had much to do with each other. But, in other ways, it is rather unsettling. The “spiritual but not religious” folks are not joining religious institutions because they see no need to do so, which means that religious institutions are not taking in many new members, which also means that the institutions as we have known them are not sustainable. We have to get creative if we want to sustain our religious institutions.
And we will talk more about ways we can get creative like that in later sermons in this series on the book Weird Church.
But right now I want to make something very clear. Jesus did not call his followers to sustain religious institutions. He called his followers to be receptive to God’s Spirit. To listen to God’s voice. To be filled with God’s Love. To dream dreams. To catch a glimpse of God’s Vision for the world, which is a world in which those on the margins of society have as much “say” in how people are treated as those in positions of power and privilege.
The chapter in Weird Church that talks about this Scripture is entitled “from Insider to All” and it describes a ministry shift that the church needs to make in the twenty first century. We need to shift our focus from those who are “insiders” in our institutions to those who are not members. And not for the purpose of making them members. (Of course, some of them may become members, and that’s fine, wonderful, even, but seeking members should not be our purpose.) Our focus on non-members should be for the purpose of listening to them, learning from them, hearing God’s voice in them, and growing with them in love and service.
How many times have people told us, “I’m spiritual but not religious”? I’ve had 2 people say that to me in the past month. I bet you have as well. Some of our neighbors, our friends, even our own children and grandchildren have uttered those words. What do they mean by them? Have you asked them? Have you listened to their answers? I’m not sure I’ve listened closely enough.
As part of our recent Vision Process here at Franklin Federated Church, you articulated your Purpose as being “A Community of Abundant Welcome to All, Growing Together in Christ, and Serving with Love.” One way we could grow in Christ would be by intentionally having conversations with people who are not members of FFC and listening for God’s Spirit speaking through them. What do they have to tell us? What values are they living out that Jesus preached? Have they found ways to love and serve their neighbors that we haven’t thought of? Could we partner with them in those ways?
If I could give you--and me--some “homework” this summer, it would be to continue to engage in conversations with people who are not members of our church. Next time you are walking around the farmer’s market or are at a cookout with your family, pray for an opportunity to engage in conversation with someone who identifies as spiritual but not religious. Think of questions you might want to ask them ahead of time, and remember to listen to their answers. Remember that God’s Spirit has been poured out on them, and pray that they will share something with you that you need hear.
And remember, our goal in engaging people in conversation is to build connections and learn from them. May God be with us in our welcoming, learning and growing this summer.
Let us pray.
Loving God, we thank you for the words of the Prophet Joel and his expansive thinking that leads us to understand that your Spirit is poured out on all people, even those whom society grants no power. Help us to form more connections with people around us. Draw us into more conversations with people outside the four walls of our church, and help us to learn from them. Lead us into the future that we might learn and grow and shine the light of your love in our community and beyond.
And, God, Hear now our prayers for our community and our world…
- for people in Germany, France, and Belgium experiencing terrible floods. We ask your blessing on the recovery effort. May people receive the resources they need to survive and rebuild in ways that are safe. Bless those who are grieving the loss of home and community and loved ones. Give them comfort and strength …
- In the wake of a Federal Judge’s recent decision on DACA, we pray for Dreamers, who were brought here illegally as children. Bless them as they face an uncertain future. Keep them safe. Help our congress to work together to come up with comprehensive immigration reform.
[LOOK AT PHONE]
- Moment of silence…lifting up in prayer those we hold in our hearts.. others in this room and in our livestream… [PAUSE]
- O God, bless the sick… those who are struggling… those who are grieving…caregivers… Give them strength and healing…. In Jesus name, Amen
PLEASE JOIN ME IN THE LORD’S PRAYER
- Our Father, who art in heaven
Hallowed be Thy Name
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven
- Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our debts
As we forgive our debtors`
- And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. AMEN
Rev. Dr. Marlayna Schmidt
Franklin Federated Church
Franklin, MA