It is well known that the birth of Jesus is celebrated at Christmastime, but did you know that the Christian church has a birthday, too? The Day of Pentecost is often called the birthday of the church, celebrating an event that happened about six weeks after Jesus was crucified, where his followers were gathered and the Holy Spirit descended on them like a great wind. From that moment on, the church began to grow. (Acts 2:1-42)
The church continues to grow today, currently mostly in the Global South and East Asia. Of course, while church origins may come from the Holy Spirit, individual churches are human institutions, and being human, are subject to divisions, failures, and disagreements. Since that first Pentecost nearly 2000 years ago, the one church has splintered off into many: Catholic, Orthodox, and a myriad who fall under the Protestant umbrella. But perhaps this just reflects the diversity of humanity, rather than being a flaw.
Pentecost follows a lunar calendar, so the date changes each year; anywhere from mid-May to mid-June. This year it falls on June 8, which happens to be two days before the 100th birthday of the United Church of Canada. At Castlegar United Church, we will be having a double celebration that Sunday.
On June 10, 1925, the Methodist, Congregationalist and Presbyterian churches in Canada got together to try and reunite Christians in one big denomination. This wasn't easy, not every congregation agreed, and one-third of the Presbyterian congregations refused to join. But in the end, through an official Act of Parliament, the United Church of Canada was born. It is a uniquely Canadian institution.
In this time of social and political divisions, it feels good to be celebrating some form of unity. It feels good to see churches of all different types doing their best to be faithful followers of Jesus, each trying to share God's love in their community through acts of caring and grace, in their own tradition. Yes, we mess up. We get so caught up in our own ways, we sometimes fail to respect the ways of others. But birthdays are a time for celebrating what is good.
So, I celebrate the diversity that we see across the different Christian denominations and within the United Church. Like Canada, we can be both united and diverse.
And since my church is celebrating two birthdays, we need two cakes! Right?
Robin Pengelly is the pastor of Castlegar United Church.
