Gracious God - bless now the words of my lips
and the
meditations of our hearts. Breath
your Spirit into us and
grant that we may hear and in hearing be led in the way you
want us to go. Amen.
Breathe your spirit into us. What does that
even mean.??
today is a significant day -
this is the day
on which the first believers came alive in their faith,
the day when
the Rock upon which Christ planted his church began to
support and
uphold an incredible new life -
a life that has existed since the world began,
but which was
poured out in a special fashion
and took on
flesh in you and me
much as it took life in Jesus, the son of Mary, the son
of God
so long ago.
Pentecost is an event that the world has long been
promised and which the people of God have long awaited. With that let me say…
Dzien dobry (Polish),
Buenos dias (Spanish), Nyado delek (Tibetan), Endermen aderkh (armarhic), Bari
Luys (Armenian), Kali Mera (Greek), Shubh Prabhat (Hindi). I have just announce good morning or good day
in several languages those languages were….
But what has that to with today?? Todays Gospel has several Miracles it
speaks about. But before we can get into
the Gospel you know I like to set the scene.
We are in the
Jerusalem of Jesus’ time it is 50 days after Good Friday. Actually the name of the Holiday is a Jewish
reference. Pentecost is actually a Jewish Holiday a festival of early harvest
that occurred fifty days after Passover also known as the festival of Weeks,
Shavuot, or the day to commemorate the giving of the Ten Commandments.
It is interesting to
note that Christ said in Mathew “Don't misunderstand why I have come. I did not
come to abolish the Law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to
accomplish their purpose.”
Then Later in John
Jesus foretells of the coming of the spirit…"When the Counselor comes, whom
I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the
Father, he will testify about me.”
Today is Pentecost and
for us that's the birthday of the church,
when the Holy Spirit,
the very presence of God came into the
church and gave the
church life.
So here it is
Pentecost in Jerusalem and the disciples are kind of hiding out. They are frightened that the mobs that came
for Jesus may come for them. They come
and go very clandestinely. This day they are all gathered, again I must emphasize
that all means men women and children, slaves and free. It is reported that
suddenly there was a roar as of a rushing wind.
It was so loud that the people who had gathered in Jerusalem heard the
noise and gathered around the house.
Imagine hearing the sound of a rushing wind and yet there is none…no
wind…no movement just the sound, wouldn’t you want to see what was happening.
So gathered outside
are Jewish people from Jerusalem and those who traveled back for the
holiday,. There are Greeks and Romans,
there were people from what we know as Libya and Egypt, there were probably
traders from the Far East as well as Macedonia, People from the entire known
world. Some had come for Passover and
just stayed till Pentecost others were there just for that festival. There were many people and many languages.
So as the crowd is
gathering outside those in the house are hearing the same thing it sounds like
a mighty wind is coming and all around them.
They are wondering if they have been found, if they
are under attack of some kind or if the world as they know it is ending. Suddenly a fire appears in the room divides
and alights on each ones head. They are
filled with the spirit and they go out to greet the crowd.
Pentecost is the
reversal of what occurred at the Tower of Babel when, because of our
sinfulness, because we chose to separate ourselves from God we became unable to
understand one another and then a mighty wind came up and blew us to the four
corners of the world.
Do you hear the
similar elements here, there was a sound of rushing wind but it did not
disperse the people but caused them to be gathered and at Pentecost each heard the disciples proclaim
the news in their own tongue. I have
always found this one of the most significant passages. It is not that the Holy Spirit allowed the
disciples to speak languages of all the known nations at the time but that the
spirit made it possible for all to hear and understand the message of God. The message that there is new life and a new
way to be in the world away free from
guilt and persecution for as it was proclaimed at the days of creation it is
being proclaimed again God saw all things under the heavens and proclaimed them
all GOOD!
Those 120 disciples
were just a handful of rather ordinary men and women, a few fishermen, a couple
of housewives, a former tax collector, a few farmers, some children and some
servant girls. Yet through these ordinary people God built a Church which has
lasted now for over 2,0000 years. In less than 300 years, that small,
insignificant Jewish sect became the official religion of the entire Roman
Empire and today the Church of Jesus Christ circles the globe and numbers some
one billion members.
How did they do it? What happened to those 120 follower in the year 30 A.D. on the day we call Pentecost? Those 120 followers came in contact with the Christian’s unknown God. Yes, that is right, those 120 followers came in contact with the Christian’s unknown God. They came in contact with God’s Spirit, or the Holy Spirit. For many Christians the events of Pentecost, the events of God’s spirit coming Today is one of the 4 major festivals of the church year. Today we celebrate the coming of God’s spirit, the Holy Spirit into the lives of men and woman, today we celebrate the birthday of the church. But, if you didn’t come to church today, if you maybe hadn’t read your daily devotional booklet, or perhaps if you hadn’t looked at the church calendar, you would have not known this was a major festival of the church year. Today is just as important as Christmas, just as important as Easter, just as important as the festival of the Ascension, but for some unknown reason, this festival, this holiday in the church year goes by almost unnoticed. Why is that?
Maybe because we have a difficult time getting a handle on the Spirit of God or maybe, we don’t understand what exactly happened on this day. And maybe, talk about the Spirit is not so sweet as talk about a baby born in a manager, angels singing in the heavens, gifts being passed about and shepherds tending their sheep on quiet hillsides.
Maybe Pentecost doesn’t get so much attention because we have not found a way to commercialize it, we don’t turn Pentecost into a cultural extravaganza, or into a national holiday, so it goes unnoticed.
How did they do it? What happened to those 120 follower in the year 30 A.D. on the day we call Pentecost? Those 120 followers came in contact with the Christian’s unknown God. Yes, that is right, those 120 followers came in contact with the Christian’s unknown God. They came in contact with God’s Spirit, or the Holy Spirit. For many Christians the events of Pentecost, the events of God’s spirit coming Today is one of the 4 major festivals of the church year. Today we celebrate the coming of God’s spirit, the Holy Spirit into the lives of men and woman, today we celebrate the birthday of the church. But, if you didn’t come to church today, if you maybe hadn’t read your daily devotional booklet, or perhaps if you hadn’t looked at the church calendar, you would have not known this was a major festival of the church year. Today is just as important as Christmas, just as important as Easter, just as important as the festival of the Ascension, but for some unknown reason, this festival, this holiday in the church year goes by almost unnoticed. Why is that?
Maybe because we have a difficult time getting a handle on the Spirit of God or maybe, we don’t understand what exactly happened on this day. And maybe, talk about the Spirit is not so sweet as talk about a baby born in a manager, angels singing in the heavens, gifts being passed about and shepherds tending their sheep on quiet hillsides.
Maybe Pentecost doesn’t get so much attention because we have not found a way to commercialize it, we don’t turn Pentecost into a cultural extravaganza, or into a national holiday, so it goes unnoticed.
But, this festival,
this holiday is very important for the life of the church, for your life and my
life. The Spirit of God is not something we should fear, nor something we
should ignore, but the Holy Spirit is God’s presence in this world. It is the
same presence that was moving over the face of the earth when God created this
world in which we live. It is that same presence that took the form of a baby
born in a manager in Bethlehem, it is the same spirit of God that walked the
earth for 33 years, teaching, healing, proclaiming the love of God for all
people. And now, today, it is that same spirit that is with us, it is God’s
spirit alive and well on this earth, working through his people, the church, to
bring his love into the brokenness of this world.
The power of God’s Spirit came to earth on Pentecost.
Power can be used in at least two ways: it can be unleashed, or it can be harnessed. The energy in ten gallons of gasoline, for instance, can be released explosively by dropping a lighted match into the can. Or it can be channeled through the engine of a Datsun in a controlled burn and used to transport a person 350 miles. Explosions are spectacular, but controlled burns have a lasting effect, staying power. The Holy Spirit works both ways. At Pentecost, he exploded on the scene; His presence was like "tongues of fire" (Acts 2:3). Thousands were affected by one burst of God’s power. But He also works through the church--the institution God began to tap the Holy Spirit’s power for the long haul. Through worship, fellowship, and service, Christians are provided with staying power.
The power of God’s Spirit came to earth on Pentecost.
Power can be used in at least two ways: it can be unleashed, or it can be harnessed. The energy in ten gallons of gasoline, for instance, can be released explosively by dropping a lighted match into the can. Or it can be channeled through the engine of a Datsun in a controlled burn and used to transport a person 350 miles. Explosions are spectacular, but controlled burns have a lasting effect, staying power. The Holy Spirit works both ways. At Pentecost, he exploded on the scene; His presence was like "tongues of fire" (Acts 2:3). Thousands were affected by one burst of God’s power. But He also works through the church--the institution God began to tap the Holy Spirit’s power for the long haul. Through worship, fellowship, and service, Christians are provided with staying power.
God’s Holy Spirit
comes quietly, it comes in slowly, but it comes to us with enough power so that
we might do the job God has called, led each of us to do. There is a power, a
force and for many an untapped force in each of our lives, that is the Holy
Spirit. Many times it is not dramatic, it does not cause us to do dramatic
things, but it is there to give us the power to live the kind of lives, to be
the kind of people that God intended us to live and be.
The nature of this spirit empowers us to live first of all pointing to Christ. The kind of life God intends for us to live points not to us, not to our accomplishments, but to the Lord of Life, Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit works with our spirit so that we might experience the righteousness of Christ in our lives.
The nature of this spirit empowers us to live first of all pointing to Christ. The kind of life God intends for us to live points not to us, not to our accomplishments, but to the Lord of Life, Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit works with our spirit so that we might experience the righteousness of Christ in our lives.
It is this Spirit that
comes into our lives, into the church to allow us to spread God’s message of
love to all people. It is this Spirit which points not to itself, but to
Christ. It is this Spirit which allows us to point not to ourselves, but to
Christ. It is this Spirit which makes the church, the Body of Christ, the most
unique organization on the face of the earth.
The church is the most
amazing organization in the world! And my friends you and I are part of it, not
because we did anything, but because the Holy Spirit has lead us, because the
Gospel and the Life of Jesus has taught us. The Holy Spirit gathers together,
enlightens and makes holy all people on earth and keeps Holy the earth herself.
The power of the Holy Spirit was brought into the world this day over 2000 years ago, and that power is still present today through us and within the church.
Yes, we are welcomed again to the Pentecost event in the Year 2012!!
The power of the Holy Spirit was brought into the world this day over 2000 years ago, and that power is still present today through us and within the church.
Yes, we are welcomed again to the Pentecost event in the Year 2012!!
Today is Pentecost ,the
birthday of the church,
when the Holy Spirit,
the very presence of God came into the
church and gave the
church life.
God loves us so much
that God gives us the Holy Spirit, God's
own presence to live
inside us. We can't really see the Spirit anymore than we can see the air
around us. But we can feel the air, the wind blowing, can't we? We can see it when the tree
limbs are moving. So, too, we can feel the Spirit in our lives
when we are moved to love God and love others, to worship God and serve God.
Yet to do nothing and
wait and hoper for a nudging from the
spirit is not what we are called too.
The spirit calls us to engage actively in a spiritual life, to seek out
times of quite with God , to seek out times of prayer, to seek out times of
ministry where we engage God and the spirit in the world. Just as a child learns the difference between
stillness and a gentle breeze we must engage in practices so we can detect and
learn to recognize the moving of God’s spirit in our lives.
God gives us so many
wonderful gifts and the church is just one of them. Tell me, what do you like
about the church, this church, On this the birthday of the church, what's
special to you about it? Go ahead shout out an answer..
The church is first
and above all - the people of God
united and empowered by God to show God's love to world.
On a birthday, you
usually give a gift, don't you? Well, on
this birthday of the church we do not so much give gifts to the church as we
offer back to God the fruit of the gift that was given the
Church when it was
born. We celebrate what God has given!
Rick Kirchoff,
Germantown United Methodist Church said this in 2001 at the Opening remarks to
the Memphis Annual Conference of the Methodist churches.
When God sends forth
the Spirit amazing things happen:
barriers are broken,
communities are formed,
opposites are reconciled,
unity is established,
disease is cured,
addiction is broken,
cities are renewed,
races are reconciled,
hope is established,
people are blessed,
and church happens.
Today the Spirit of God is present
and we’re gonna‚ have church.
So be ready, get ready...God is up to something... discouraged folks cheer up,
dishonest folks ’fess up,
sour folks sweeten up,
closed folk, open up,
gossipers shut up,
conflicted folks make up,
sleeping folks wake up,
lukewarm folk, fire up,
dry bones shake up,
and pew potatoes stand up!
But most of all, Christ the Savior of all the world is lifted up...in Glory
barriers are broken,
communities are formed,
opposites are reconciled,
unity is established,
disease is cured,
addiction is broken,
cities are renewed,
races are reconciled,
hope is established,
people are blessed,
and church happens.
Today the Spirit of God is present
and we’re gonna‚ have church.
So be ready, get ready...God is up to something... discouraged folks cheer up,
dishonest folks ’fess up,
sour folks sweeten up,
closed folk, open up,
gossipers shut up,
conflicted folks make up,
sleeping folks wake up,
lukewarm folk, fire up,
dry bones shake up,
and pew potatoes stand up!
But most of all, Christ the Savior of all the world is lifted up...in Glory
Yes, welcome to the Pentecost event, 2012, and Happy Birthday to the church!
Blessings
,
