by Pastor Dan Baumgartner

“Psst? I hear you are from Bethany Presbyterian in Seattle…is that the church where people raise their hands during worship…and did I hear right that people speak in tongues?”

I love these questions. I frequently get them at gatherings of Presbyterian pastors. Usually my answer is “Well, some people do. Sometimes.” It’s vague enough to keep the conversation going about the presence of the Spirit in worship, which is usually my goal. And that’s a conversation we need to be able to have easily at Bethany. In this article, I just want to reflect a bit on our worship experience at Bethany and desire to be open to God’s Spirit moving in our midst.

While Bethany’s style of worship is very subdued and contemplative compared to many churches, we do incorporate a number of elements that are much more unique among mainline or Reformed gatherings. These include things like “open” times of prayer, regular times of silence, an extremely wide assortment of music styles, and the very regular leadership of laypeople in worship. In addition, there is an openness to some of the “charismatic” gifts that the New Testament talks about.

The word “charisma” actually means “gift” in Greek, and often is used to refer to the lists of “spiritual gifts,” as in I Corinthians 12: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment of spirits, speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues. When we hear the word “charismatic” as relates to corporate worship, it usually means speaking in tongues (words from God in an unknown tongue), the interpretation of tongues (the words of God interpreted into English), and prophecy (not so much the prediction of the future, but words from God expressed directly in English).

What’s it look like at Bethany? On May 3rd, as we often (but not always) do, we had a time of waiting on the Lord near the end of the service. It (gasp) wasn’t in the bulletin. But it seemed that God’s Spirit was palpably present, and I invited people to remain standing and to share anything God had put on their heart- word, scripture, prayer, tongue, interpretation or song. At both morning services, the Lord led someone to share in tongues. This isn’t unusual at Bethany, perhaps happening once every month or two.

The occasional use of the charismatic gifts in worship at Bethany dates back into the 1960’s when the “Charismatic Renewal” movement was sweeping across denominational lines and across the country. Some of the leadership of this movement came from nearby St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Ballard, and Dennis and Rita Bennett.

The movement was controversial, mainly because of some of the erroneous messages that people picked up: “If you don’t speak in tongues, you are not a born again Christian. If you don’t receive specific gifts of the Spirit, your faith is inferior.” Many churches split over the whole issue. In general, people at Bethany weathered the storm.

There was, and remains to this day, a recognition that the gifts are not about superior or inferior. They are, after all, gifts for the upbuilding of God’s people- “for the common good.” People who feel the Spirit nudge them can share without feeling either inhibited or superior. People who haven’t experienced such things can still welcome the expressions in appropriate times of worship and acknowledge them as part of the broader Christian experience.

The Spirit of God is not just about the charismatic gifts. Often, our times of unplanned waiting on God in the sanctuary result in someone starting a song where we all join in. Or speaking a scripture God has placed on their heart. Or voicing a moving prayer of praise. Many folks particularly appreciate the spontaneity of these times, and inevitably our community is drawn closer to God.

When someone is led to share a word of prophecy (in English) or a tongue and interpretation occur, we also stand on holy ground. But of course, there is more mystery around these things. Often a word shared from God is in the first person: “My people, do you know how deep my love is for you?” An interpretation of a tongue usually sounds similar to this.

What are the questions that arise? Here’s a few I hear frequently:

How do we know this is from God?
Well, those in our community who know the individual who receives the gift can help discern the motive in sharing. We also compare the word spoken to the scriptures- is it consistent with God’s character? With God’s Word? God will not contradict Himself.

Why is a tongue sometimes much longer or shorter than the interpretation?
These are things of the Spirit, and they move in realms beyond our verbal articulation. But we also need to remember that an interpretation is not a translation. That is, it’s not a word by word comparison. Rather, it is a revealing of God’s heart and message to us.

What if there is a tongue but no interpretation?
It’s okay. Again, there’s lots of mystery here. If no interpretation was forthcoming, we would just continue on in worship. My experience, though, is that God always provides an interpretation. But sometimes we miss it.

If there are no charismatic gifts, does that mean God didn’t show up?
Of course not. God’s Spirit is with us when we gather, infuses the scriptures, receives our praises in song, prompts us to confess, gathers our prayers, meets us in the Lord’s Supper and baptism and many other places. There are many, many expressions of the Spirit’s presence, and we want to be open to all of them.

Aren’t the gifts of the Spirit sheer emotionalism that we should beware of? Well, certainly many things in authentic worship involve our emotions. We are, after all, created as whole people with bodies, minds and emotions. It would be odd if we could not bring emotions to our worship of God. But the movement of the Spirit goes beyond just emotions.

When someone receives a gift, do they foam at the mouth and writhe on the floor? Clearly, no. Usually the Spirit is persistent but not demanding. So on May 3rd, a tongue was spoken at the 9am service. Immediately two words came. One was a sort of surprising message for men, regarding their attitude in honoring women and not treating them as objects. The other dealt with the idea that we need not be afraid. Were they both interpretations? They both seemed consistent with scripture and from spiritually reliable people. Was one an interpretation and the other a word? Quite possibly. Later that week I received notes from other people who felt that these words were spoken directly for them by God.

At the 10:45 am service, we again had a time of waiting on God, and again received a word in tongues. No interpretation was immediately forthcoming. After waiting a bit, I extended our waiting time- not to pressure, but to give opportunity even if someone had not interpreted before. Several people spoke, including one scripture and one prayer. I wasn’t sure we had received an interpretation, but it was clear God’s Spirit was moving and there were lots of teary eyes.

Later that week I learned that two different people had been overwhelmed with the sense that God was giving them a phrase or interpretation to speak, but had never experienced such a thing, weren’t sure- and were scared. They even experienced sweating, rapid heartbeat or nervousness. Of course! We’re in God’s presence. But it is safe to lean into God, and I encourage you, experienced or not, to be open to the Spirit moving in you.

“Psst? I hear you are from Bethany Presbyterian in Seattle. Is that the church where people raise their hands during worship…and did I hear right that people speak in tongues?”

Some people. Sometimes. As the Spirit leads.