Birth of New Life

I remember the day when my daughter Marley was born. She’s 22 now, but I’ll never forget being in the delivery room that morning. At the last minute, they discovered she was in breach and they had to do a cesarean section. It was pretty scary. I got to go back into the operating room, but I couldn’t see what was going on. But I remember at some point the doctor said, “Do you have a name for the baby?” And I said, “Yes. If it’s a girl, her name is Marley.” The doctor said, “Say hello to baby Marley.” At that moment, just as he held her up, she cried, “Waaah…” It was this moment of sheer awe.

If you’ve ever been in the room when a new life enters it as a baby, it’s powerful.. And if you had the wherewithal to contemplate it, the wonder… the potential… what will this child be like? What will she do? What will she become? It’s all there before you – new… possible…

Yesterday was Pentecost, and in many churches, we read the story from the book of Acts, chapter 2. We hold up as the story of the birth of the church. Like all births, it was messy, risky, and maybe even a little nerve-wracking. Chaotic might be a good word.

You may remember the story. The disciples gathered in the upper room. And just as Jesus promised, his Spirit comes upon them in a mighty way. Acts tells us: “…suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire appeared among them…” 

Somehow in the midst of all this, the disciples are given the ability to speak other languages. And they begin doing what the church will do – They begin telling the story of what they’ve seen and experienced – God’s moving in their lives.  

We hold this story up as the birth of the church. It’s really the birth of a movement. It is a movement of people called to follow in Jesus’ footsteps – feeding the hungry, caring for the sick and the suffering… teaching grace, mercy, love… 

And if you think about it, in that moment, if the disciples had the wherewithal to contemplate it, the wonder… the potential… what will this church be like? What will she do? What will she become? It’s all there before you – new… possible… Alive with the fiery energy of the Spirit…

At this chaotic time in history, the question becomes: Can I trust that the same Spirit who gave birth to the stars and love and fellowship, the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead, the same Spirit who blew life into the early church on that first Pentecost, can that same Spirit birth something new in me, in my family, in my church, and in the world?

Let us pray: Holy God, help us to look for your Spirit at work in the world, to let go of fear, and to trust. Help us to trust that the fiery energy of your Spirit is still alive and at work, even now, making all things new. Amen.