 | Full Text Sermon | Alternate Sermon Ideas | Prayers & Readings | Pentecost Sunday Sunday May 31, 1998 ~ Pentecost Sunday ~ Selected Lectionary Texts [From John 14, Acts 2, Romans 8] Whatever Became of the Spirit ? + There is a terrific commotion at an old house in ancient Jerusalem. Followers of Christ come streaming from the house speaking in all kinds of foreign languages they had never spoken before! A crowd gathers quickly as it might in any crowded urban neighborhood where police have assembled to quell a disturbance. Some foreign visitors are amazed to hear a strange new message about the power of God being shouted out in their native tongue. Others are more of a mind to offer a wisecrack, "Gimme a break! They've been drinking!" Someone points out, "It's got to be something besides wine -- it's only nine o'clock in the morning!" So goes the story of the Day of Pentecost in our scripture from Acts. + The gospel lesson from John takes us back to the time Jesus was explaining to his grieving disciples that he had to leave them. But--- He makes a remarkable promise -- close to an unbelievable promise, "You will do the works that I do -- in fact you will do greater works!" Not only that -- he promised he was going to ask God to send a "helper" or "Advocate" who would be with them for time and eternity. + Finally, Paul makes a noteworthy statement in Romans saying that God has placed a living spirit within the followers of Christ. This spirit works within to bring about an extraordinary inner conviction, "I am a part of God's family. God is my Father -- My very own dear Father!" *** What are we to make of these Pentecost readings? Speaking in tongues, miraculous deeds by Christian people and an amazing inner experience of God's power and presence -- this is all ancient history -- isn't it? True enough, we do affirm, "I believe in the Holy Spirit," when we recite the Apostles' Creed. But this affirmation does come rather down the list of those tenants of faith and we brush by it in quite a hurry. What exactly is this vagueness or slight sense of discomfort when it comes to the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives? Perhaps we would just as soon leave the more spectacular parts of Christian history to the "olden days". This is a new, modern world and as one man put it, "Things have calmed down since then and we don't need that sort of thing any more!" Or maybe some of us have had the experience of seeing our "used to be normal-rational-sensible" neighbor turn into a religious zealot. One woman expressed her suspicion of a close friend's encounter with the Holy Spirit, by saying, "Things haven't been the same with us since she came to my house one afternoon looking very excited and blurting out, 'Want to hear me talk in tongues?'" "Upon hearing this," she said, "I pulled back into my three feet of personal space and said, "Not really!" For many of us the Holy Spirit is a mysterious, if somewhat obscure part of our belief system. God the Creator is a fairly straight forward concept. Jesus is relatively easy to relate to. He was a human being -- plus whatever else we choose to attribute to the person of Jesus Christ -- for most of us, he is God's Son. The Holy Spirit on the other hand is not so easy to get a handle on. While we may talk about the Spirit of God in general terms, most of us in the mainline church would be hard pressed to say very much about the person and work of the third person of the trinity. The Spirit is more an "it" than a "person" for most people. Professor Cyril Richardson of Union Seminary, New York, commented decades ago, "Modern Christians have more of a Binity than a Trinity." One could easily imagine the Apostle Peter and his fellows attending one of our gatherings and asking, "Whatever became of the Spirit?" *** There is a certain urgency to answering this question. A body without a spirit is a corpse. If you've ever subjected yourself to any of those "B" grade horror movies, bodies without spirits were those bizarre creatures like, "Swamp Thing", "Creatures from the Lagoon," or "Invasion of the Zombies!" For the Prophet Ezekiel, the People of God without spirit is like a valley of dry bones. The Body of Christ [that's us!] without the Holy Spirit means a dead church. How awful for the church when like the swamp thing, it doesn't realize it is without a "Spirit"! This is not a new issue for the church. The person and work of the Holy Spirit has been one of the most widely discussed and debated topics in practical Christianity over the past three decades and more. Clergy and lay people alike from every major denomination have been involved in what has been called the Charismatic renewal. Pentecostal denominations like the Assembly of God are growing like wildfire in third world countries. Yet, discussions relating to the Holy Spirit have frequently been among the hottest "hot potato" topics going. So we find ourselves in the proverbial position of being between a "rock and a hard place!" If we raise the issue of the person and work of the Holy Spirit, we risk division, if we ignore the issue, we invite demise. To avoid the issue of the Holy Spirit, we would have to avoid much of the New Testament. Then the question would become, "Whatever became of the Gospel of Luke, the Book of Acts and the other 1/4 of the New Testament!" As we continue on into this area "where angels fear to tread...", we would do well to remember Luther's comment about theologians who are, "...like a drunken horse rider who having fallen off the left side of his horse, remounts and promptly falls off the right!" *** We dare not -- not ask the question! Too many people are asking, "What's missing in my religious experience?" The sense that "something is missing" is absolutely prevalent in our culture. In his commentary on the book of Acts, Lloyd J. Ogilvie reports what thousands of people reported in a survey concerning their primary religious need, "In countless different ways, people asked for a deeper understanding of the Holy Spirit..." The KISS system will work best as we proceed. ("Keep It Simple Sweetheart!") We will ask of our Pentecost readings, "What are the practical implications of the Creed's affirmation: 'I believe in the Holy Spirit?'" The scriptures speak to: 1) The Person, 2) The Power and, 3) The Passion -- of the Holy Spirit. These passages can yield important clues to a renewed strength and vitality in our spiritual lives. 1) The Person of Holy Spirit ** (John 14:16-17) Catherine Marshall in her book, The Helper, writes, "Most of us begin by thinking of the Holy Spirit as an influence, something ghostly, floating, ethereal that produces a warm and loving feeling in us. We betray this misconception by using the impersonal pronoun 'it' when speaking of the Spirit... But the Helper is no influence; He is rather a Person-- one of the three Persons of the Godhead." Indeed, Jesus promised that when he left his followers he would send "another Advocate" to be with them. (Various translations translate the Greek word, "parakletos" as Comforter [KJV], Counselor [NIV], Helper [NASB] ) Literally, the word means essentially, "One called along side to help". This "helper" is not an "it" but, a person. ..."You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you." (14:17) Here is clue number one. It is the intention of Jesus that you and I have a "divine person" within us who will essentially be to us what Jesus Christ in the flesh was to his earthly followers! "I will ask the Father and he will give you another Helper / Advocate..." Our faith is the doorway through which the Holy Spirit comes to build a relationship with us from within. He (the Holy Spirit) is the strong presence of God within us to encourage, strengthen and guide us. [** FWIW: To get a sense for the "personhood" of the Holy Spirit, drop "the" and try saying "Holy Spirit" -- i.e. "Holy Spirit gives us guidance." or, "Holy Spirit" encourages me. "The" helps to depersonalize Holy Spirit. When the media began using the term "The Donald" referring to Donald Trump, they turned the focus from Donald Trump the man to Donald Trump the impersonal phenomenon.] 2) The Power of Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4; John 14:12-13) There is a guideline that can help us stay on track as we search for the meaning of the Pentecost experience. The intent of scripture is to point us to "principles" which can guide us rather than to "particulars" we must duplicate. The idea in Acts 2:4 for instance, is not that all of us need to speak in foreign languages we have never learned. (That would essentially prepare us for little except to get a job at the United Nations!) The principle in this story is that barriers are overcome and people are enabled to hear the Good News of God's love in Jesus Christ. Holy Spirit can give us power to overcome barriers of prejudice, poverty, hunger and anything else that may keep someone from hearing the Good News! Jesus tells his disciples in the gospel of John that they will do the "works" (his "deeds" or "labor") which he does. In fact they will do greater labor. There are indeed those who see this as duplicating feats like raising people from the dead, doing instantaneous cures of withered arms and paralyzed bodies. The principle here, however, is that Holy Spirit will give us power to extend the reign of God in people's lives. When our hearts are beating with the hear of God because of Holy Spirit working within, the things we ask in Jesus' name will be along the line of, "Your kingdom come -- your will be done...!" 3) The Passion of Holy Spirit (Romans 8:15) Is there any need greater in our time than the need for a sense of belonging? The sense of estrangement with so many people today makes it seem sometimes as though the whole world is filled with homeless children -- in an emotional / spiritual sense. Charles Schultz caught this some years ago in a Peanuts column where Charlie Brown is commenting to Lucy, "I feel like they put me on the wrong planet! Like there's a sign on my forehead that reads, 'Does not belong'!" The primary principle which emerges from Paul's statement in Romans 8:15 is that Holy Spirit creates within our spirits a deep sense of belonging. We are not alone and we are not wandering about the universe on a speck of galactic dust without direction or destination. There is a passion here. Holy Spirit recreates and renews on a continuing basis your intimate relationship with the One who made you! "I belong! I belong to God! God is my very own dear Father and I am his very own dear child! Christ is my brother and together we shall inherit the kingdom!" [Apply It] 1. If you were to speak of your relationship with the Holy Spirit in terms of a friendship, would you say you were "intimate friends," "close friends," "casual friends", "acquaintances," or "never heard of 'em"? 2. Every relationship needs nourishment to grow. Friendships left on the "back burner" or left uncultivated tend to diminish and fade. A healthy relationship with the Holy Spirit needs cultivation and nourishment. Most of us can build this through "practicing the presence of God" -- taking time when we pray to focus on the presence of God with us. The hymn "O Master Let Me Walk With Thee" is a prayer in song. The strong sense of God's presence in our lives is a function of our relationship with the Holy Spirit. Practice! The Role of the Spirit - John 14:8-17 What is the role of the Spirit / Advocate? Consider doing a sermon on the "personhood" of the Holy Spirit by discussing the numerous things the Spirit does only "persons" can do. For instance: 1. The Spirit teaches - (John 14:26) 2. The Spirit Prays - (Romans 8:26.27) 3. The Spirit speaks - (Acts 1:16; 8:29) 4. The Spirit has feelings - (Ephesians 4:30) 5. The Spirit gives guidance - (John 16:13) 6. The Spirit commands - (Acts 8:29, 11:12, 13:2) 7. The Spirit gives assurance - (Romans 8:16) A Prayer of Invocation O God of life and light, as our prayers ascend, may your power descend. As our praises rise, may your Spirit fall upon us. Open our hearts to the wonder of who you are and the joy of who we can become through the encouragement of your Holy Spirit. Create of this fellowship, we pray, a family of faith that will build something beautiful for your Son Jesus Christ. Amen. *** A Call To Worship L: Come, Holy Spirit and fill us with hope, joy and love! P: Fill us with joy that our lives may reflect your glory. L: Fill us with hope that we may reflect the refuge only you can give. P: Fill us with love that we may reflect the truth of your amazing grace. L: Give us a voice to proclaim the wonder of who you are: P: O God you are the home of every searching heart! The source of all .....gladness! The Giver of all our days! We worship and praise your Holy .....Name! Amen! *** Prayer of Dedication O God of all bounty, Lord of every blessing, Giver of every gift and Source of all gladness, it is a wonder to our minds and joy to our hearts that you should accept these gifts from our hands. May the renewing power of your Holy Spirit free us to be fully given into your hands, that you may bless the world through us. Amen.
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