THE KIRK OF KILDAIRE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

CARY, NC

www.kirkofkildaire.org

A sermon preached by Joseph Welker, Jr.

The Acts of the Holy Spirit

Acts 2:1-13 and 14-21

May 27, 2007

Almost 30 years ago, when Cary was a town of about 18,000 people, eight people gathered to meet after a notice was placed in the Cary News to begin a journey that would lead to the Kirk of Kildaire. Think about that-eight people showed up-that might have discouraged some people-but then you may know know about Fred Manley and Leon Gabriel. Fred and Leon had been wondering if it was time to start a new congregation in the Cary- Apex area. They met with representatives of our Presbytery to discuss this vision.
A vision that led them to keep going even though only eight people showed up at the first meeting.

But things looked up. At the next organizational meeting, thirty people attended and later that year they held their first devotional meeting and business meeting at the MacGregor Downs Youth Center. Long story short… two and a half years later - the Kirk was chartered and born with 92 charter members, and about 11 are still active.

Almost every time I go up into the activities building and see where it all began-with a group of people committed to gathering in a Real Estate Office for the worship of God… I am amazed. It may not be a manger or a stable… but they are humble beginnings.

Now almost 30 years later--- here we are with 1100 members… a community of faith that has members from all over the world-when I say in the communion service that we gather from east and west and north and south… I can mean it here. We gather from Ethiopia, Bosnia, Chile, South Africa, Scotland, the Netherlands, Thailand… from far off places like Florida, Georgia, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, California-all over the place. This church is filled with Refugees and Immigrants from all over the United States and the world. And yes, there are a few natives around here too-from North Carolina.

I don't know of many churches like this one in the South. It's quite an amazing thing that we gather here. I wonder if that group of eight who gathered 30 years ago could even imagine where that meeting was headed. That they would become a midwife to a congregation that would lead five of it's youth to pastoral ministry, several others to seminary… and many others to discover their Christian vocation in the secular world.

I wonder if they could have even imagined that we would become the home for people escaping hardship in other countries… or we would become a mission outpost for service to the hungry, the homeless and the poor in our own community or in Appalachia and maybe in Pala, Guatemala.

Did they know this would lead to a pre-school that has nurtured more kids in our community than we can count? Did they know that a Hispanic community would grow up around this congregation and we would have opportunities to reach out to the poor who actually do live in Cary? Did they know that more than begin a congregation where we would develop a ministry to children and youth that would not only nurture our own kids but kids from around the world… did they know just what was going to happen here?
Maybe they hoped… but did they know?

And did they know that on the way to that vision there would be some obstacles along the way that might have put an end to the dream.

One minister had to resign due to some indiscretions and personal failures which in a young congregation could have been the death of it. But not the Kirk. Did they know that there would be such growing pains that would occasionally bring tension and conflict to this young church?

Well, they might have had a hint were they students of the book of Acts. It's the story of another young church started by 11 people. It's the story of a young church that had some exciting moments- like the day when people from all nations gathered and had a powerful experience of God in their lives… so that they felt a unity and closeness they had not felt before in a divided world. It's the story of a young church where Luke says 3000 people joined in one day… (and we thought our new member classes were large) -where many of them gathered regularly in small groups for prayer, meals, study and fellowship.

It's also the story of a church that experienced great conflict. When the gentiles-people from other nations with other customs and habits wanted to join their new church-the charter members from the Jewish tradition just weren't too sure. These were outsiders. These people were not of Jewish heritage… they did not know the traditions of their new church family. They weren't God's chosen people.

These new members brought strange foods and customs with them. Who ever heard of such a thing. It's like Presbyterians offering wine for communion. Just because Jesus drank wine at the last supper, doesn't mean we should! My Momma taught me better! They ate food offered to idols. They weren't circumcised.

Read the books of Acts and you will see the church fight of church fights over inclusiveness. Read the story without knowing the ending and you would indeed wonder if this young church had a chance.

But read the story and you soon know the answer. Of course it had a chance. More than a chance. Because you see, the story is not a story about the church at all. It is a story about the Holy Spirit.

Did you realize that? And though your Bible has given this story the title, "The Acts of the Apostles," I think Luke would offer an editorial correction… No, it is the act of the Holy Spirit. Luke is very clear that from day one… the church was born by the Spirit. That's why Pentecost is known as the birthday of the church. The church was God's idea, not ours.

And we said as much on our 25th anniversary. I think it was Fred Manley who said, "I believe that the birth and rapid growth of the Kirk is a story of the providence of God! Further, it is the working of the Holy Spirit in many persons during the past 25 years….

This is a Pentecost perspective on the life of the church and the life of the Kirk. God gave birth to this church through the work of a Presbytery and through a vision God gave to eight people over 30 years ago.

In that first story and in our story we see the signs of the Holy Spirit very much at work. In some ways the story of the Kirk is the story of one congregation acting out the story of the early church. It is a story that testifies to the presence of the Holy Spirit among us. When the Holy Spirit came…. They heard people from all over the world in their own languages -- speak of the deeds of God's power. Peter quotes the prophet Joel who says that when the Spirit comes upon all flesh this is what you will see:
"your sons and your daughters shall prophesy
Your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams
Even upon my slaves! Both men and women, in those days I will pour out my spirit…"

Think about what Peter just said to this male dominated, socially divided world. The Spirit will not only cause sons, but daughters to prophesy… young men… when even they will stop thinking about the present moment and what's in it for them… they will have some visions… .and old men… who have sometimes been known to live in the past and in their memories…well, they will be dreaming dreams. Dreams about a day they will never live to see. Even slaves… slaves-even women slaves will have the spirit.

Which is to say, when the Spirit takes a hold of a church - you better watch out. Something bold and new might take place.

These are days at the Kirk where it seems to me that God is about to do some new things. I hear lots and lots of dreams at the Kirk. I hear lots of visions floated around here. I am listening to exciting dreams for music ministry and small groups… dreams for a midweek ministry that brings us together in new and powerful ways… dreams to reach out in new ways-perhaps even start another campus of the Kirk in Apex…. dreams for mission- there is a dream on the table to create a $1 million endowment for mission. I never heard of such a thing. Some of us are wondering if God is leading us to develop a partnership with some Christians in Pala, Guatemala. I mean, two years ago had any of us even heard of Pala? Now, there is some energy building to form relationships of mutual support with people like Noe and Francisco and others. Who knew? Well, maybe the Holy Spirit knew.

Where this all leads only God knows of course. I do wonder when I come back for a 50th anniversary of the Kirk and I am 71 years old… I do wonder what the Holy Spirit will have done with us.

Truth is, we don't know. We can't know anymore than Peter and Barnabus and Mark and Silas and Paul could have known how the Holy Spirit might bless and lead this young church. Shoot, they didn't even know there was such a thing as America-we hadn't been discovered yet. We hadn't even immigrated here yet. How could they have ever known where it would all lead?

How can we? Maybe all we can really know is that God has called us together to be his church in Cary... that God wants to lead us into a future so that as we have been blessed, we can be a blessing in the lives of all those God leads to us and in the lives of all those we meet as we reach out in his name.

What we can know for sure is this-no matter where our journey leads… God has not left us on our own to figure it all out by ourselves… God has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit. We can be sure that the Spirit who faithfully led us in the past, will be there to lead us in the future. For as one wise person put it,
"We may not know what the future holds, but we know who hold the future."

And that, it seemed was enough for Peter and those early apostles. Perhaps it can be enough for us as well. Amen.