Sermon December 1st 2013 Advent 1 Rev. Aaron N. Schnell St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Spruce Grove Page � of � 1 12

Second Reading: Romans 8:22–27 22We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; 23and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? 25But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. 26Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. 27And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Gospel: John 15:26–27; 16:4b–15

The gospel is announced. The holy gospel according to _____________. Glory to you, O Lord.

When speaking to his disciples before his death, Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as "the Helper" and described the difference the Spirit would make in their lives and in the world.

26When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. 27You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning. "I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' 6But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. 7Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9about sin, because they do not believe in me; 10about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; 11about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. 12I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. The gospel concludes: The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.

Sermon December 1st 2013 Advent 1 Rev. Aaron N. Schnell St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Spruce Grove Page � of � 2 12

Congratulations! You are going to have a baby! (Slide 1 - pregnancy test) Perhaps you weren’t expecting this! Don’t be surprised! God has worked in the past through unexpected pregnancies: (Slide 2 - Abraham and Sarah)

Abram & Sarai - Isaac, laughter - they were OLD Abraham and Sarah - nation will grow. Gomer & Hosea - Neat story about how God marries what is evil to redeem it, heal it, and make it bear fruit. powerful story - yet surprisingly, Gomer hasn’t caught on as a popular child’s name. (Slide 3 - Hannah)

Hannah - prayed and prayed for a son - the priest thought she was drunk - blessed her She had a baby - Samuel. God provided, through unexpected birth.

(Slide 4 - Mary and Elizabeth) Elizabeth - John the Baptist Mary - Jesus Christ She had no say - except she did say: I am the servant of my God, I live to do your will.

Sermon December 1st 2013 Advent 1 Rev. Aaron N. Schnell St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Spruce Grove Page � of � 3 12

What if the church is pregnant? What if Christianity is pregnant? (Slide 5 - I didn’t know I was pregnant)

Maybe you’ve seen the TV show “I didn’t know I was pregnant?” I remember thinking that all of those moms must know how pregnancy happens. How do you not notice 3 months of morning sickness?

Make an Educated guess - even Abraham & Sarah - Hannah, Gomer, - had some biological understanding of how children are made. You know, When a mommy and a daddy love each other very much, the birds and the bees happen. These biblical women - Mary excluded, were trying to get pregnant! they were working at it, it wasn’t working - but God intervened.

Sermon December 1st 2013 Advent 1 Rev. Aaron N. Schnell St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Spruce Grove Page � of � 4 12

(Slide 6 - Brian McLaren) Brian McLaren: one of many excellent presentations at Festival of Homiletics in Denver. 1

Good News: Christianity is Pregnant & Pregnancy as a Christian Future Many of the ideas I’m offering in this sermon are his, so if you don’t like it - I’ll refer you to brianmclaren.net and you can let him know.

For many in the church - for many Christian’s - Just Like the TV show, we are pregnant and don’t even know about it. For others in the church -

https://www.festivalofhomiletics.com/speakers.aspx?speaker_id=24 Presentations Given 1

Thursday 05/14/2015 at Central Presbyterian Church, Denver Co.

Sermon December 1st 2013 Advent 1 Rev. Aaron N. Schnell St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Spruce Grove Page � of � 5 12

we have been trying to get pregnant for some time. So is the church pregnant? (Slide 7 - signs of pregnancy 1) Let’s look at signs or side-effects of pregnancy - you tell me if the church is pregnant: Discomfort Fatigue Exhaustion Nausea Cramping Hormonal changes Moodiness. Emphasis on your own comfort (Slide 8 - signs of pregnancy 2) Food cravings Enlarged stomaches

Yes - it looks like the church is pregnant. (Slide 9 - pregnancy test) Pregnancy comes with risks - but pregnancy brings about new life. Pregnancy is hope-filled - wonder filled - what will this child look like, be like, act like?

I’m joining Brian McLaren in saying that It is time to stop saying that the church is in decline, and time to say that the church is pregnant! (pause)

I Want to acknowledge that this metaphor for understanding the church is difficult for many, especially women who have had miscarriages, or abortions, or who are unable to have children, or other significant issues associated with pregnancy. As light as I’m being here, I acknowledge that Pregnancy is not something to be taken lightly - If indeed the church is pregnant - and I believe it is,

- we ought to take seriously various implications.

I also want to acknowledge - for the men -

Sermon December 1st 2013 Advent 1 Rev. Aaron N. Schnell St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Spruce Grove Page � of � 6 12

you really don’t want to be pregnant. (Slide 10 - Junior Movie) I’m a big Arnold Schwartzenegger fan, but even I couldn’t watch the movie where he’s pregnant. I think it’s time for men to become friends with their feminine side -

When people ask my wife if she wants to have another baby, she often tells them it’s my husbands’ turn to be pregnant!

It’s true - Many women just don’t want to be pregnant. (Slide 11 - stages of pregnancy) Mothers among us know what pregnancy is like, and it has its stages, beginning with Woohoo! I’m pregnant

to “I really wish I could have a glass of wine” to “I will cut you!” and don’t forget the stage “Get this baby out of me right NOW!”

Men don’t want to be pregnant. Many women don’t want to be pregnant. Well, Like it or not, the church is pregnant. So now what?

(Slide 12 - Labour) It is pretty common for pregnant women, upon going into labour ask for an epidural or other kind of pain medicine because the pain is intense.

Men - If you think your wife squeezing your hand

Sermon December 1st 2013 Advent 1 Rev. Aaron N. Schnell St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Spruce Grove Page � of � 7 12

while giving birth was painful - mothers will tell you that you have no idea. It has been suggested that to experience labour, men should try pushing a watermelon through your nostral, then you’ll have an idea of what giving birth is like.

A woman asked her female doctor: my childbirth instructor says it's not pain I'll feel during labor, but rather pressure. Is she right? The doctor said, Well, Yes, in the same way that a tornado might be called an air current.

One article says that the human body can handle 45 DELS or DOLS of pain - a DEL being a unit of pain measurement. While giving birth, mothers can experience up to 57 DELS of pain - which is equivalent to 20 bones being fractured at one time. Talk about intense! Other articles say you cannot accurately measure pain - but you get the point. 2

Pregnancy is painful. Giving birth hurts, there is lots of pressure. And Mothers can attest that pregnancy, labour and delivery can leave stretch marks - a mother’s body is never the same after giving birth.

A woman asked - Since I became pregnant, my breasts, my rear-end, and even my feet have grown much larger. Is there anything that gets smaller during pregnancy? The answer is ~Yes, your bladder.

Mothers among us know that, once you’ve been pregnant, there is no returning to the glory days of your 20’s - Your body is changed, forever.

The church is changing - rapidly - and like a pregnant mother - we too can expect some stretch marks -

http://factsfromfiction.blogspot.ca/2012/05/human-body-handles-45-dels-units-of.html2

Sermon December 1st 2013 Advent 1 Rev. Aaron N. Schnell St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Spruce Grove Page � of � 8 12

we can expect the body to never quite look the same after giving birth. I can’t guarantee that the body will swell up - but I do guarantee that the church’s glory days of the 1950’s are over.

The church is pregnant, and with her pregnancy, a new, different, and beautiful body is emerging. What a privilege it is to be part of the church in this time and place where God chooses to bring about something new, in and through us!

In the delivery room, especially with a woman’s first pregnancy, it is quite common to hear her shouting: “I don’t think I can do this, I don’t think I can do this!” Odd’s are there are some choice 4 letter words accompanying it - but the pain and discomfort is so intense that mothers either say aloud or to themselves “I can’t do this!”

Inevitably - the baby is born, and Mothers can attest - they could do it. Many do it without an epidural or pain medication.

Sisters and brothers in Christ, with or without pain medication, The church is changing, you are pregnant by God’s Spirit, and by God’s grace, You can do this! We are the servants of our God, We live to do God’s will.

(Slide 13 - Church light bulb) Do you know how many Lutherans it takes to change a light bulb? None, Lutherans don’t like change!

It is true - often we don’t like change. Change is happening wether we want it or not, and You can do this!

You’ve heard the stories today

Sermon December 1st 2013 Advent 1 Rev. Aaron N. Schnell St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Spruce Grove Page � of � 9 12

of the birth of the church at Pentecost. (Slide 14 - Pentecost) Divided tongues of fire resting on Jesus’ followers. God’s Spirit gave them ability to speak in new languages - to talk to people in their native tongues about Jesus - and the church was born. God’s Spirit had something new in mind - and the believers gave birth to a new church,

You’ve heard Jesus promise the Spirit of truth, who will guide you into all the truth. We are not left orphaned, but rather, in baptism, we have the gift of the Holy Spirit in and with us, always.

You have heard the message from St. Paul: We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; 23and not only the creation, but we ourselves. God gives the church new life. God gives us hope - the hope of a mother who longs to be pregnant, and finally gives birth.

The church is experiencing signs of pregnancy, and not just enlarged midsections. many are uncomfortable, many experience sickness, moodiness and fatigue when it comes to the church. Many who love the church feel hopeless, helpless, and weak, and can’t look past church decline. Remember that God’s Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs

Sermon December 1st 2013 Advent 1 Rev. Aaron N. Schnell St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Spruce Grove Page � of � 10 12

too deep for words. God’s Spirit is interceding. God hears your cries - for yourself, your loved ones, and for your church.

Pregnancy is Risky. The church being pregnant is risky, but only because we are the ones who are at risk. The church pregnant is about Christ being born in us - new life in the Spirit emerging from the womb, the old self dying, and a new person, Christ in us, emerging.

So what do we do now? We have a couple of options.

We can deny that we are pregnant - and some of those symptoms will go away, but other symptoms will emerge. if the church is not pregnant - then you can bet that decline wins, and when we go back to blaming each other for the church’s decline, that blame will act like a mighty contraceptive. New life will not emerge.

We could respond with a conservative resurgence, maintaining a 1950’s type of church for a next generation of people who do not want that kind of church, and don’t care about the questions it answers. (Slide 15 - Changing church)

Or we can respond by acknowledging the church as it is - which is giving birth to Christianity for the next generation. This means, not trying to predict what will happen next, and adapt, but rather to determine those things that are needed the most, and dedicate our energies to it. We’ve already started this at St. Matthew’s. We believe God is calling us

Sermon December 1st 2013 Advent 1 Rev. Aaron N. Schnell St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Spruce Grove Page � of � 11 12

to Join in God’s Work and Share God’s Love. to be a Christ-centered community,

to be a community where all are

welcome, invited and

valued, to build and cultivate relationships,

to be a people that celebrates our faith together in worship and prayer, to be a people who are good stewards of God’s creation.

Being pregnant means focusing our energy on these things that matter most.

Being pregnant doesn’t mean asking “how can we keep people coming to our buildings or contributing to our budgets," and not "how can we preserve the religious industrial complex we have created.” But rather, being pregnant means asking “How can we prepare people to go and live a regenerative life of love in our world in the Spirit of Christ?” 3

It means asking “How can I Join God’s Work and Share God’s Love?”

This might mean we need to stretch a bit. It might mean some pain and pressure letting go of what once was.

http://brianmclaren.net/archives/blog/q-r-church-futures.html3

Sermon December 1st 2013 Advent 1 Rev. Aaron N. Schnell St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Spruce Grove Page � of � 12 12

It might mean some stages of joy, and other stages of “Get this baby out of me now!” And I’ll admit, I have no idea what stage of pregnancy we’re at.

On this Pentecost Sunday - the day which many people call the birthday of the church - I hope you’ll join me in celebrating new life - in celebrating what God’s Spirit is doing in this place - calling us to Join God’s Work & Share God’s Love - calling us to be God’s people. Some say the church is in decline? How about Instead, We start sending out birth announcements, and invite others to celebrate what is here now, and what is to come. And let the church say, Amen! Thanks be to God!