Another Year Older

Reflecting on the Birthday of the Church

On the first birthday of the church, they didn’t know what it would be yet. They just knew that something was different. Something had changed.

Perhaps even they had changed from whatever they had been. They could no longer engage in the same way. The winds had changed. New and different voices inspired and challenged them so that they knew that the Holy Spirit was with them.Eventually, though immediately, this awareness led the apostles to create the church.

This was that first spark of awareness. This was the moment they could look back upon and reflect that this was when something changed. This new awareness allowed something new to be born.

Photo by Richard Burlton on Unsplash

Since the global pandemic, we have heard echoes of change within and beyond the church. We are again aware that something is changing though we might not all have the same galvanizing experience. There are many stories that are deconstructing faith and increasing the number of religious ‘nones.’ Church is changing and we don’t yet know what will come next. No one knows what will emerge but most of us are embracing this moment to consider what it means to be connected to this deeply flawed institution. These are questions I’m asking myself this Pentecost and so I invite you to share in the pondering.

I first heard of birthday questions from Cosmopolitan. I allowed myself to purchase a copy for a flight and read this article about a “Birthday Check-In” in the month of my birth. It got me thinking about what it was that I wanted for the next year and perhaps more importantly it reminded me to savor the gifts of the past year.

Savoring is one of my favorite things in spiritual direction. It is the permission to relish in the experience of something delicious from our lives usually offered by the director to the director. It comes when something important is shared and it feels worth relishing with all our senses. For me, this “Birthday Check-In” gives me that permission to pause and reflect on why church really matters to me. I definitely do not think it has always lived up to my ideals but I still have this story of when I believed in the fullness and wonder of this thing that began on Pentecost. I’ve shared a little bit of that story here and I hope you’ll consider what your story is through these questions in your journal, in the back pew, with a childhood friend or on a long run as your feet hit the pavement. Use these questions as an opportunity to check in and reflect on what value the church may hold in your life right now.

As you feel able to share your story, I would love to share in the holy threads of your experience. Most of our stories feels knotted and tangled and we bless each other by sharing something real and true.

Whether or not you find that sweetness, I hope you’ll receive this blessing from the wonderful Jan Richardson. I pray that it offers you a little taste of sweetness.