During congregational prayers this past Sunday, one of the older men said he wanted to pray for a revival of the church. He of course meant the church that he remembered from his youth, probably 1950’s or 1960’s. In his memory that was when the church was really good, when his social life revolved round youth groups, sports groups, dinners, choir, Sunday school, and regular worship.

I don’t think he appreciated how I actually prayed about that revival, about how in a post-Covid world, it would look different than church revivals of the past.

Many of the older members of our congregations look back at the church of their youth with fondness, nostalgia really, and wish they had that again. But nostalgia is a trap, and what they remember is probably not what it was really like: women being denied leadership, no one of ethnic difference being welcome, only one or two socio-economic levels represented. And judgy…

Over our 2000 years attendance at church has ebbed and flowed, more attendance in the hard times, less in the good times. Every generation has had a new way to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. For many people today, finding their faith happens outside the traditional institutional church, not inside.

We have to give up the idea that revival means filling church buildings on Sunday morning. Our commission is to help people discover and understand that Jesus shared love with everyone. Jesus never asked us to fill church buildings. Jesus asked that we share the Good News that we can build a new world by caring for each other and working together.

So sure… we prayed for revival, but we can’t control how the Holy Spirit moves through people. The only thing we can do is accept that when revival does happen, it won’t look the way we imagined it.