St John the Baptist, Coln St Aldwyns

When institutions grow old and out of touch with the world they need to be renewed.

That’s as true for the Church as for any other institution.

This week I have been struck by the controversy surrounding the rehanging of the Tate Britain collection. The press coverage has been very mixed, some hate it others see it as a necessary and exciting rebranding of a tired art gallery that has lost its way.

You could say much the same about the Church, tired and out of touch with the real world, desperately in need of renewal, if not rebranding! I wonder whether there are any parallels between the church and the art gallery?

The first thing that can be said, without fear of contradiction, is that any change is bound to be controversial. It will sandalise some and enthuse others.

The Tate Modern has been rehung not chronologically but thematically to reflect the changing culture of Britain over five centuries of British art. Gainsborough’s portrait, above, of the Baillie family is placed not in the context of 18th century portraiture but of slavery. James Baillie’s wealth came from the Grenadan and Guianan plantations he owned and passed on to his children.

Other themes reflect the age of industry, the age of immigration, the age of elegance as well as art by women and art by black artists. It’s a bold attempt to put art into its cultural perspective, but many would say that this is a betrayal of art’s true purpose. Art should be appreciated for its value as art not as cultural artefact.

The same observation is often made of the Church. It is timeless and and unchanging, and attempts to appear relevant or socially engaged end up turning the Church away from its true role as a spiritual home. When we look at the events of that first Pentecost maybe we can find a balance between engagement with the world and the silence that is at the centre of its being.

Pentecost celebrates the day on which the church burst out from behind the locked doors of the Upper room into the world, but it began in silence.

Waiting: ‘ When the day of Pentecost came they were all together in one place’ Act 2:1.

It all started in silence as they waited in the Upper room as they had been commanded by the Lord before his Ascension. (Luke 24:49) The waiting is very important! The secret of the Church’s energy and enthusiasm is not its busyness but its silence. The church needs to wait on God in order to be busy effectively.

Receiving : ‘All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.’ Act 2:4.

Out of that silence an amazing variety of ministries emerged, the variety of tongues points to the way in which the church was enabled to express herself in the culture and language of the many different nations that were present that day, bearing witness to God’s love in a way that is owned by all.

Telling : ‘Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, and raised his voice and addressed the crowd’ Acts 2: 14.

Pentecost was a significant festival for the Jewish people. It marked the giving of the Law by Moses. It was the Law that made them a special people. Peter now speaks of the promise of God through the prophet Joel to pour out His Spirit on all people. In the age of the Spirit all cultures and ethnicities are called to be God’s people.

Doing: ‘They devoted themselves to the Apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer...and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the Apostles’ Acts 2:42.

Like the people of the Old Covenant, the people of the New Covenant are called to be a distinctive community. They are set apart however not to be a ‘Holy huddle’ but to serve the world in which they live.

Sharing: ‘All the believers were together and had everything in common.’ Acts 2: 44.

Pentecost marks the birth of the Church and as Jesus had commanded they began their life together by demonstrating their unity. The sharing of goods and property was to be a sign of that unity which brought together men and women, Jews and Greeks, Slaves and Freemen, rich and poor. Our lives together are to be a demonstration of the love of God in action.

Growing: ‘And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.’ Acts 2: 47.

The growth and renewal of the Church is seen to be the gift of God. It is not the rebranding of the Church so that it merely reflects the mores of society, it is the work of God not of clerics or, for that matter, curators! At its heart the Church must wait on God in silence until He moves, and only then can the Church be renewed. Today we celebrate the outpouring of God’s Spirit on those who waited on Him.

Rev Simon Brignall

St John the Baptist, Coln St Aldwyns

The day of Pentecost. Acts 2:1 – 11/ John 20: 19 - 23

To Know the Shepherd. John 10: 1 - 18/1 Peter 2:19-end

The road to Emmaus – meeting Christ as Judge and Saviour

Thomas the Doubter. John 20:19 – 3