November 4, 2001
Leviticus 19:11-18
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Matthew 18:10-20
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"The Power of the Presence"
Rev. Dr. Douglas L. Lobb

Congregationalism came to America with a dream.  The early Pilgrims and the later Puritans came, hoping to set up in this new wilderness a new way of doing-and-being Church.  They wanted to create the “beloved community” based on the words from Matthew.  They wanted a fellowship of two or three, meeting in the name of Christ, because when that occurred, they were convinced that the Holy Spirit would be present in power.

Today we, here in Wauwatosa, are their spiritual heirs, and we would do well to consider their dream, the evidence of the early Church and how well we are doing in being their heirs.

The early American Congregationalists and hopefully, we latter-day adherents, held to the New Testament understanding of the Church as gathered bodies of believing people, so empowered by the presence of the Spirit that they became communities of love, to quote Arthur Rouner.  Pentecost became the authenticating evidence of the presence and the power of the spirit.  Pentecost also was, the birthday of the Church.  It ought to be one of the truly great and celebrative Sundays in the life of every Church, but sadly, it receives poor press in many congregations.

The belief of the early Christians is that the gifts were given at Pentecost, enabling the basic loving work of the Church to be done.  What that means to you and me today, is that if we are to truly be a Church in this place, we will be free in calling upon the presence of the Spirit to be with us in all our deliberations, so that we are the community of the beloved, united in love.

Our English forebears –– the Separatists, the Puritans and the Pilgrims –– were seized by the notion, in both the Old and the New Testament, that little companies filled with the “presence from on High” were the true worshipping entities.  They believed they were privileged to come together and to live as individual congregations because where two or three were gathered in the name of Christ, there Christ was in the midst of them.

We thus have a measuring stick.  If we are not a community of the beloved –– if love among our membership is not present and visible to those who come here, then we are not following our Lord sufficiently and not invoking the presence of the spirit.

Still, why does the Congregational Way continue?  What are the strengths that hold together a group that is inefficient in its operation and unpopular among the world of denominations?  My golfing friend in Toronto, the late Howie Mills, was General Secretary of the United Church of Canada.  He used to say, “The biggest problem that the United Church of Canada faces, is creeping Congregationalism.”

That pretty-well sums up the attitude of most denominational leaders, because Congregationalists are not efficient in the eyes of denominational organizations, and a hierarchy cannot control autonomous Churches.  Once again, we see that the major force in organizational life is control.

Another friend in Toronto was the Right Rev Terry Findlay, Bishop of the Anglican Church; we call it Episcopal in this country.  A great guy, Terry used to say, “The Holy Spirit is most present in the deliberations of the elected Bishops and their assistants.”  Episcopalians are proud of that heritage and it is a source of unity for them.

Congregationalists hold that the Spirit is present within the congregation.  People, we insist, are the most important ingredient, but –– and here is where the system breaks down –– the people meet in the name of Christ, invoke the presence of the Holy Spirit, to arrive at decisions which are in the best interests of the Kingdom of God in that congregation.

American Congregationalism has a huge potential flaw.  We have emphasized the freedom of the individual, to believe what he or she must, to the point that we have neglected the reason for the freedom.

All too often, we have people who know every reason why they do not believe as others believe, but they have never taken the discipline, hard work, and prayer –– searching to find out what it is that they DO believe.

Our forebears held that we, as humans, as free from creeds and stated doctrines, in order to be bound to God, through Jesus Christ.  Without that bonding, freedom would be spiritual anarchy.  When members of a body of believers are bound to Christ, they next seek the presence of the Spirit and meet to arrive at decisions that are in the best interest of that body or that congregation.

In this manner, you see, there are no winners or losers.  Under the guidance of the spirit, issues are discussed, even debated, until there is virtual unanimity.  Decisive actions do not take place until there is peaceful resolution.  Many religious bodies, anxious for action, call that “inefficiency.”  Congregationalists call that “seeking the mind of Christ.”

Rightly understood, our way of worship and work is a bridge between many of the great traditions of our day.  Our way is a bridge between the Reformed tradition of valuing the scriptures, and the Pentecostal tradition of valuing the Spirit of God.  And while it is a bridge, it also incorporates the element of reason and individual thought fortified by prayer –– seeking God’s guidance on any decisions made.

Congregationalists get themselves into trouble when decisions are made on the basis of, “I like that idea” or “I don’t like that idea,” and not “What is the best thing for the Church as a whole under the guidance of the Holy Spirit?”  Unless there is a willingness to seek the presence of God, so that decisions are made in the spirit of Christ, the system breaks down, and decisions might as well be made by outside intermediaries.

In the 12^th chapter of First Corinthians, Paul states the gifts of the spirit.  He states, “Now there are varieties of GIFTS, but the same spirit, and there are varieties of SERVICE, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of WORKING, but the same God who inspires them all in every one.  To EACH is given the manifestation of the spirit for THE COMMON GOOD.”

That’s the key to our way: for the common good.  That is also where it breaks down in many Churches.

What are these gifts, which Paul says, are in every Congregation?  They are “wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, working of miracles, prophecy, ability to distinguish among the spirits, various kinds of tongues and interpretation of various kinds of tongues.  All these are inspired by one and the same spirit who decides which gift will be given.”

Look at this Church. We have every one of the gifts that Paul mentions.  We have the potential to be a truly great Church, and all that is required for that to happen is for us to remember that, just as our bodies are made up of many parts, so is our Church.  When all of the parts of a body are working together, the body is healthy.  That is also true of the Church.

This entire section about individual gifts is written to show that no gift is superior to another, if the gifts are used in the service of God.  Paul highlights that thought by writing his strongest chapter immediately following this.  We call it the love chapter, 1st Corinthians 13.  Without love, in everything we do as a Church, WE ARE NOTHING.

Listen to the qualities of this love, which is what Church members should have, IF their lives are linked to Christ and IF they are seeking the presence of the spirit.

“Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude.  Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrong, but rejoices in the right.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things; love never ends.”

When we believe in the power of the presence, a Congregational Church is a powerful and cohesive body.  When we fail to seek God’s presence, we become an ineffective and inefficient group of battling fiefdoms.

The scripture of the morning recognizes the issues that must be addressed.

Matthew is talking about how the presence of Christ; it follows right after the section on how to deal with conflict.

Here is Matthew’s solution. “If one of my followers sins against you, go and point out what is wrong. But do it in private, just between the two of you.  If that person listens, you have won back a follower.  But, if one refuses to listen, take along one or two others.  The scriptures teach that every complaint must be proven true by two or more witnesses.  If the follower refuses to listen to them, report the matter to the Church. Anyone who refuses to listen to the Church must be treated like an unbeliever or a tax collector.”

“I promise you that God in heaven will allow whatever you allow on earth, but God will not allow anything you don’t allow.”

“I promise that when any two of you on earth agree about something you are praying for, my Father in heaven will do it for you.  Whenever two or three of you come together, in My name, I am there with you.”

What a powerful statement!  But there are conditions.  Decisions, actions, programs, governance, even worship, must be done in the name of Christ, imploring the presence of the Spirit of God –– or God’s blessing will be lacking.

The growth and happiness of a Congregational Church does not come about by tinkering with the machinery.  The blessing, service and cohesion of a Congregational Church comes by seeking the presence of the spirit of God, so that the body can operate in the spirit of Christ.  Every Church in the land needs to, continually, have a spiritual checkup.  It’s as necessary to the body of the Church as a physical checkup is necessary to your body and mine.

I close with the words of Dr. Harry Butman, well known to many of you.  These words were written for his Church in Los Angeles, many years ago. 

I have changed only the Church’s name, so that I can use the name of First Congregational Church of Wauwatosa.

“My dream for First Congregational Church of Wauwatosa is that it will be a Church indifferent to status, wealth or any currently desirable image; seeking rather the Kingdom of God, that inner space alone wherein humans can live in peace, power, creativity.

“Let ours be a Church free from the reactionary gloom of neo-orthodoxy, the dead letter of ultra-conservatism, and the too blithe spirit of humanism; a Church in which science, and that combination of science and art we call psychology, are pressed into the service of the soul; but still a Church, not a school or a cult.

“If, in times past, we have been a Church where the intellectual could find a home for his soul, a worshipping assembly where men and women could thoughtfully and honestly face the enigmas and tragedies of life, I would covet for us, in the future, the power and grace to be a Church where the whole personality of questing humans –– body, mind and spirit –– can find meaning, strength, joy, peace, focus and direction; a Church which helps men and women to relate to themselves, to others, and to God, in an age and place of psychic fragmentation and isolation.

“May First Congregational Church be a Church with way-stations for those who do not wish to travel too far or too fast, but ready with signposts and maps for those who are daring in pilgrimage.  Yet, in our explorations and usings of the deep doctrines of Christ, may we never forget nor fail to be a Church where the good things of common life are abundantly experienced: worship, work, fun, friendship; a loving and serving Church, blessed by God in its task of bringing humans nearer to Him.”

Let that be our aim dear friends and may we understand that it can be ours if we will seek “The Power of the Presence.”