Happy Birthday!
The birthday of the Church
50 days after Jesus’ resurrection, the church was born when the Holy Spirit filled the hearts and lives of his first followers on the day we know as the Day of Pentecost. The birthing room was in an upper floor space known as the upper room in Jerusalem. A few days earlier, on the day of his ascension to heaven, Jesus had told his followers to wait in Jerusalem for a gift that would be given them. 120 of them waited, crammed into that upper space. Most of the time they prayed. And waited.
And, unexpectedly, the gift was given, just as Jesus has promised. Here is the story of that moment:
This moment is birth of the church. The souls of those men and women in that upper room became a spiritual sanctuary. Previously, they had faithfully gone to the temple in Jerusalem to be in a sacred sanctuary. Now the sanctuary was no longer in a building with marble pillars, stone, and beams. Now they were the sanctuary, the presence of God in the world. As they lived into the reality of what had happened, it dawned on them that no longer did people have to travel to Jerusalem to find the Presence of God. This upper room gathering had it, not as a possession they owned but as a gift they had received, and they began traveling to the ends of the world, taking the Presence of God into places that had previously been filled only with darkness, despair, and alienation.
The date of the first time the church began to celebrate this Day of Pentecost birthday of the church is uncertain. But it is mentioned in a 2nd century document called the Epistola Apostolorum. Later, two prominent African theologicans, Origen and Tertullian, write about the Day of Pentecost.
While I hope you enjoy some historical background to understand that the church is not a recent invention nor a product of our genius—both realities that might inspire us to hope for the church!—enough with the past. What occurred on that delivery day in that upstairs chamber sparked something major. All of God is making a power move, reclaiming hearts and culture and fighting against what Paul called, those “rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world, and spiritual forces of evil in the higher realms” (Ephesians 6:12). In recognition of the fact that God is holding nothing back, next Sunday is called Trinity Sunday. If we miss these days, we may remain oblivious to the massive transformation that is underway.
HERE’S THE INVITATION
First, enjoy this birthday prayer for the church.
It’s written by the church’s pre-eminent theologian, who it turns out, also prays. I say this with only a partial smile on my face because not every theologian prays, and not every one who prays is as concerned with truth as was Augustine. But that is another matter. This prayer is a great prayer for the Day of Pentecost:
Breathe in me O Holy Spirit
that my thoughts may all be holy;
Act in me O Holy Spirit
that my works, too, may be holy;
Draw my heart O Holy Spirit
that I love but what is holy;
Strengthen me O Holy Spirit
to defend that is holy;
Guard me then O Holy Spirit
that I always may be holy.
St. Augustine of Hippo (AD 354-430)
Second, take advantage of resources to fill your heart with God.
Here is what you’ll find: readings, prayers, context, and exercises to help you get in on the transformation that began on the Day of Pentecost.