An old preacher’s story tells about a church burning down. Naturally it drew a large crowd of curious townspeople who gathered to watch the blaze. The pastor was there, too, and he ruefully noted to himself that he had never seen that many people around the church before. His feelings got the better of him and he asked one man standing there: “I don’t believe I have seen you at our church before, have I?” To which the man replied, “No, and I haven’t seen your church on fire before, either!”

There’s more sad truth than fiction in that story. Most churches these days are like Pilgrim Church with plenty of empty seats in the sanctuary Yes I know, the mega-churches we see on television always seem to be packed but they represent a small minority of churches in America.

Of course, there was a time in the 1940s and 50s when most of the seats in our sanctuary would have been filled on Sunday mornings. Those were the “good old days” of Pilgrim and other “Mainline” Protestant Churches that some of us are old enough to remember. When I was the Senior Minister of the Congregational Church of San Mateo, I invited the former pastor who had served in that era to return as a guest preacher. He was remembered as a great preacher who had built the membership up to some 2,000 people. Frankly, I didn’t think his sermon was all that outstanding. After the service I asked him what had happened in the church forty years before. With complete candor, “Ben” told me that attending and joining a church were the things to do in those days. “I would have had to stand in the door of the church and beaten them off with a club to stop them from coming in!”

I don’t want to be cynical. I am sure that many of those people were sincere in their Christian faith and dedication to the church. But Church historians say it was “the high water mark” for our kind of Christianity – moderate, liberal, progressive. So what happened? Many things, but I believe that over time there was a loss of enthusiasm. People simply didn’t care as much as they had before.

Truth to tell, this is nothing new in Christian history. The Church has always had its ups and downs, periods of great enthusiasm and dedication followed by times of disinterest and apathy.

Later in this service we will sing the tune (though not the words) of a very familiar hymn: “Onward, Christian Soldiers.” You remember how it goes…

 “Onward, Christian soldiers, Marching as to war,

 With the cross of Jesus going on before…”

 Then later come the words…

“Like a mighty army moves the Church of God;

 Brothers we are treading where the saints have trod…”

When Sabine Baring-Gould, an Episcopal priest, wrote those words in the mid-nineteenth century, it seemed as though that might be true. The great church historian, Kenneth Scott Latourette, called the nineteenth century, “The Great Century” of the Christian Church. Some thought it was possible to evangelize the world for Christ in their lifetime. Of course, that didn’t happen and a few years later the churches drifted into apathy and indifference.

As I said, this has happened through all Christian history. We sometimes think of the first century of the Christian Church as an example of what the Church ought to be, a Church of incredible commitment and enthusiasm. That is certainly what the Book of Acts describes was true on the first Pentecost, the birthday of the Christian Church.

You can read the story as history if you wish. I see it as a powerful spiritual, not factual, description of what it must have felt like to have been there. The people and leaders were all fired up. They were shaken by the power of God’s Spirit that came among them. Their enthusiastic faith was so great they just had to tell other people about it. They preached the Good News to everyone regardless of their nationality, race, gender, faith. All people – without exception – were invited to share equally in the Christian Church. Because of this, three thousand people became Christian on Pentecost. What an incredible time it was for those first Christians.

Sad to tell, the enthusiasm didn’t last long. Within forty years the fire had begun to go out. When John wrote his pastoral letter to the seven churches he had served in Asia Minor – the letter we call the Revelation to John, few of the seven churches were without criticism. The Church at Ephesus was no longer as committed to Christ as they had been in the beginning. The Church at Smyrna had been through hard times and claimed that poverty was holding it back. Poverty? I hear that around here from time to time. How can a church with $200,000 in the bank claim to be near bankruptcy?

The Church at Pergamum was divided by different opinions and theologies. That’s the problem of Liberal Churches today. We are so busy respecting diversity of opinion we sometimes forget what should be uniting us: a common commitment to love God and follow Christ. The Church at Sardis was a small church and John urges them not to worry about that. Friends, then and now, the size of a church is not as important as the faith of its members. If one person and God are a majority, then the 200 members of Pilgrim Church are more than enough to do God’s work. John commended the Church at Philadelphia for the love members had for one another. Friends, a church that loves not only its members but also the community will never be a dying church.

I saved the worst for last. John condemns the Church at Laodicea for being lukewarm, neither hot nor cold. Is there anything worse than a lukewarm cup of coffee? If we could we would spit it out. That’s what God says to the Laodiceans: “You are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were one or the other.” A cold Church knows it needs to be on fire again. A hot Church can stand the heat of enthusiasm and change. A lukewarm church is worth little or nothing.

If you have hung in there up to now with me, I hope you may be asking yourself: “How can Pilgrim Church be a Church on fire?” I think there are three crucial things that have to happen:

First, like the Church on Pentecost, we, too, have to be “all together in one place.” Yes, there should be plenty of room for difference of opinion, different ways of believing, different ways of being Church, but our differences should strengthen us, not divide us. We must have unity, not uniformity, if we are to be set on fire for God.

Second, we must be ready, willing and able to receive God’s Spirit. Let me put it this way: The Spirit is God-given, not man-made. Too many churches today are filled with artificial fire and enthusiasm. In every part of our church’s life we should be asking ourselves not what do we want but what does God want us to be and do as Pilgrim Church. That will require deep prayer from all of us, including your Pastor.

Finally, like the first church at Pentecost, we must be willing to accept new ways of work and worship even if they are very different than we have done things in the past. You all know the seven last words of the Church, don’t you? “We never did it that way before.” A living Church is not afraid of change, of experimentation, of ground-breaking and risk-taking worship and service.

Friends, in a few months we will begin to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the founding of Pilgrim Church. How shall we do it? With memorial services remembering the “good old days” of Pilgrim? Or shall we celebrate the new life that God is pouring into our church right now? I believe, I truly believe, that God’s Spirit of renewal and creativity is already at work among us. The fire of God is already descending upon us. Set this Church on fire again, O God. Set this church on fire! May we burn brightly for you!