Pentecost
Notes
Transcript
Service for Trinity 23rd May
Opening Song on entry. Spirit of the living God
WELCOME
“Come Holy Spirit, Come! Renew our lives, inside and out. With fire and wind, come to this place; gather us in, send us out.”
HYMN 39: Angel Voices ever singing.
PRAYERS OF CONFESSION
“Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Come, then, let us confess our sins to the one who is faithful to forgive.
Come, then, let us adore the one who is mighty to save!
Merciful and gracious God,
Our hearts cry out for you to make us whole again.
Even as we celebrate that you have come to dwell within us,
We have sinned against you,
We have been jealous, possessive, and impulsive.
We have not listened to your Word and we have not cherished your covenant.
Help us to glorify you in all times and in all places.
As our souls thirst for your living waters,
Quench our needs and satisfy our love.
That we may come back to you and be sent out
To fill the world with your mercy and grace.
In the name of your son, Jesus Christ,
And by the power of the Holy Spirit who is at work within us,
Amen.
THE LORDS PRAYER
Our Father who art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us
And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory,
For ever and ever. Amen
HYMN163: When listening prophets dare to speak.
Psalm 104: 24-35
Ezekiel 37: 1-14
John 15:26-27 16: 4-15
Acts 2: 1-12
HYMN391: O’ Breath of life come sweeping though us.
SERMON
There is a saying that difference between us, and Americans is our common language, it is basically the same, isn’t it?
Although what we call a pavement, they call a sidewalk maybe for clearer instructions because it’s at the side and you walk on it.
But what if you are in a country where it truly is a foreign language.
I remember many years ago going on a business trip to Tubingen in central Germany where very little English was spoken, I was with someone who spoke fluent German, I myself spoke and still speak no German at all.
On the final day I went into the town which looked to me to be very much like how I imagined Hansel and Gretel’s town would look like.
I passed a chocolate shop hmm I thought I could buy some and fetch them home. So far so good I had a plan go into the shop point at what I wanted pay and get out.
The woman behind the counter said something to me, I had no idea what she said so I did the only thing I could and replied “Chocolate” and pointed at the ones I wanted.
The lady then repeated slowly and louder the same phrase, I think she must have picked this up from the English, i.e. if someone does not understand you speak slower and louder it’s bound to work. In this case and in most cases like this it didn’t I just stood there pointing despondently to the lovely chocolates.
I could sense the frustration of the woman, when thankfully my friend turned up.
It appears she was asking if I wanted them gift wrapped.
Although I think in the end she wanted to know if I really wanted anything at all!
So, it all ended well, and the purchase was made, maybe I would still have been there if my friend hadn’t turned up!
It just goes to show language and cultural differences can be a great stumbling block in communication.
For example, of cultural differences.
In all the Middle East countries’, it is a serious issue to touch a female you are not related to. If you’re a man, no matter how happy you are, don’t go giving handshakes to women in the Middle East. It’s against the middle eastern culture.
The social taboo present in Mexican culture. Is when you are in Mexico, don’t ever ask how much a person earns, it is simply rude and won’t get you a good reaction. This is due to the great inequality of wages.
So, what has that to do with today’s readings.
This morning I want to look at our reading, concerning the events reported in Acts:
As we join the disciples, they had experienced the ascension of Jesus and returned to Jerusalem filled with wonder and awe, but no doubt the reality of normal life soon crowded in on them.
Just like us we may have a time of great blessing, feel filled with God’s Grace, then suddenly the world closes in on us.
We find now there are around 120 followers led by the remaining Apostles, one might ask what happened to the masses who followed Jesus during his ministry, we know a lot left when they reached Jerusalem? Those that are left as you can imagine feel fairly isolated, surrounded by hostile forces.
If we go back to Acts 1, their focus is very inward they are concentrating on the internal affairs, the structure of the Church and the first issue was they wanted someone else to take the place of Judas, they prayed over two people to take up the office of Apostle, one was Joseph the other Mattias, and the decision was made that Mattias would be the one selected all well and good.
They were gathered together in secret, still unsure of how they should proceed, but Jesus had told them to wait in Jerusalem as he would send a helper, so they stayed and waited. Outside was a great celebration it was known as “the feast of weeks” and it was in full flow. Jerusalem was crowded to capacity with people from far and wide we only need look at the list of people listed in Acts 2:9-11 to see the diverse number who had flocked there, you can imagine the hubbub and the sound of different languages were everywhere. Not only did the people enjoy this festival but they also associated this time with the moment when Moses received the laws from God.
This event in today’s reading occurred around ten days after Christ’s ascension and fifty days after the resurrection.
So, this morning I would like us for a moment to put ourselves in the position of being one of the 120 followers who had remained faithful, we are gathered together, meeting and praying together as Jesus told us too. No doubt extremely nervous with all the crowds.
Then something happens, something out of the ordinary. And that’s what we will look at today:
What they heard.
What they saw.
What they experienced.
And what it means to us today.
Act 2:2 Firstly, they heard the sound of wind. The Hebrew word for wind is pno-ay forgive my translation I am Hebrew scholar, but this word can used to mean breath or wind, so, in some sense this was God breathing or blowing around them.
And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
Can you imagine this whilst we are sitting here today, suddenly a wind blows through the building, what do you do, first check the doors are closed? If they are where is this coming from?
Should we be surprised if the Breath of God came upon a Church in Royton today?
Should we not be waiting in anticipation for this to happen?
The answer is yes, we heard earlier the hymn Breath on me Breathe of God should we not desire this refrain, the answer is yes fill us anew again.
Where else have we heard about the wind or breath of God.
In fact, we see this from the very beginning and in many places in the Old and New Testament.
In Gen 2:7 for example when God created Adam, all he was, was a lifeless body until the Holy Spirit, the breath of God breathes life into him.
And after the crucifixion of Christ, Jesus appears to the 11 remaining Disciples which we can find in John’s gospel. We are told they were hiding in fear of the Jews, suddenly Jesus is among them saying “peace be with you.”
In John 20:22 Jesus breathed on them saying “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
The reference to breathe is a common theme within the Bible the breath of God is mentioned around 39 times and 11 times about God giving breath.
The second thing they experienced in Acts 2:3 of our reading today was a fire that divided into tongues and rested on each one of them.
And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.
When have we seen this before, a fire that did not burn?
In Exodus 3 Moses and the burning Bush, God revealed his presence to Moses through a flame, the interesting thing about this was the bush was not consumed by the fire. God’s fire is self-sustaining.
It cannot be put out, unlike the fires we may make that needs fuel to keep going, this self-sustaining flame of God cannot be extinguished.
Isn’t that a great image” the flame of God cannot be extinguished?”
Moses was living in a backwater after running away from his life in Egypt after committing a murder, we find him living a peaceful life keeping the flock for his Father-in-law Jethro.
But God had other plans for Moses, he had heard his peoples cry and told Moses I have a job for you.
It’s the same with the followers in Acts nothing is moving in line with God’s plan to extend the gifts of grace.
Again, lets join the 120 people, we see this great fire that’s not burning, we can sense this is the promise Jesus made, and we may look with anticipation we are good Jewish people so we look who is going to be the anointed one will it be Peter, John or James?
But to our astonishment the flames separation and come on all of us!
What does that tell us it’s now not just for the super leaders or a few special people anointed by God, God commissions all people who follow Jesus Christ.
Unlike what has gone before where God spoke through selected prophets, he now is making prophets of all who put their trust in him.
Wow do you feel anointed by God?
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
We have now seen the wind, fire, then we find the followers speaking in tongues. Where can we see this happening before?
If we again go back to Genesis 11 at the tower of Babel, if you remember the people gathered together, pride had overtaken them, and they wanted to build a tower in a sense they were grasping at the throne of God.
God confuses the language of the people.
Can you imagine you get up in the morning go to work on the tower and you can’t understand your workmate, he’s just talking gibberish; you wonder what is going on come lunch time you hear all sorts of different dialects?
Eventually you do find someone who you can understand, and go on to find others, you band together and separate yourselves from the other people.
So, the nations separated, and go their own way.
But now in Acts we see this come the full circle, people of different races and tongues are gathered together in Jerusalem.
Here in Acts, as God used tongues to divide the people in Genesis at Pentecost, he uses language to advance his kingdom, as the followers of Jesus come out and share their experience with all the people and they understood in their own tongue and asked, “What does this mean”?
And we can ask what does this mean to us today?
We all face the question.
Are we like the Disciples at the end of Acts:1?
Praying which is good and what Jesus told us to do.
Election, which is also good, this was necessary we need people appointed to tasks.
Organization which is needed otherwise the system will collapse.
Or perhaps we also like the Disciples in Acts:2.
Worshiping with Joy in our hearts before God
With a new energised passion and a new purpose after such a long time away from our Churches.
This can only happen if we are connected to God’s Spirit.
We do have a choice we can be like the Disciples hiding away concerned and focusing on ourselves busy going through the internal affairs protecting what we have.
Or we can allow God to breathe anew into us, this morning as we celebrate Pentecost together charged with the Holy Spirit, allowing the flames of God to encourage fill us anew for each one of us to be about our father’s business.
We need to understand the power of connection, connections lead to life, when a husband and his wife come together there is the hope of the birth of a child. When our spirit comes together with the spirit of God a new birth takes place within us.
When we as followers of Christ meet together in God’s Spirit blessings will come down on us.
Just like how the followers came together on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came down upon them.
Make no mistake the devil fears connection. His plan is to cut you off from God. He tries to divide us by causing rifts in marriage and friendship, division within the Churches, division with other denominations.
This is all happening in a time when we seem to be more connected than ever,
for example, this morning’s service baring technical issues will be live to those who are unable to attend the service.
With the internet, phones, Facebook, and other media. We have so many ways to be connected but in reality, more and more people feel isolated far more than ever before.
In our reading from Ezekiel and his vision of a battlefield, in a valley full of bones, bones separated because they were scattered, cut-off isolated.
We know at the time of Ezekiel’s writing the people of God were in exile and had been scattered by their enemy.
But in Ezekiel 37:11 God asks this question of Ezekiel, “Can these bones live?”
The answer is yes, yes ,yes.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit anything is possible.
As followers of Christ, I believe each one of us wants to see all Churches united and that Jesus again becomes central to people’s lives.
To do this we need to be open to God’s Spirit, open to being filled anew each day.
I am reminded of the story of Mary and Martha, Martha is busy serving and rushing around dealing with the day-to-day things that are needed, whilst Mary sits at Christs feet.
Martha asks Jesus to get Mary to help in the preparations. But Jesus tells her Mary has chosen the wisest thing.
The message to us is not to be bogged down with the day-today things, yes, they are important but there are times I would say we all need to choose the wiser things, listening and praying to God allowing the Holy Spirit to fill us rebuild us. Not neglecting the organisational needs, they will always be needed. but allowing the breath of God to flow out from us to those we meet.
So, when we go out today let people who meet us, meet through us the Christ we serve.
Amen
HYMN370: Breathe on me Breath of God.
PRAYERS OF SUPPLICATION
like a bird you hovered over the chaos of the world’s first day,
drawing life from crashing waves
and making a world of possibility.
You hovered still over parting waters,
liberating an enslaved people,
guiding them forward with cloud and fire,
nurturing your followers and sharing your love.
Like a still, small voice
you made your presence felt to your prophets,
to a people in exile,
and young mothers-to-be.
In the life of Jesus
your healing touch was felt
and all were made welcome.
Like flickering embers dancing into flame,
you revived those who looked for you,
inspiring their speech and startling onlookers.
Undeterred by death, you delivered
creative power,
transforming determination
and your eternal, supporting presence.
And your Spirit nurtures us still,
a gathered people at Pentecost,
moved to celebrate, free to be ourselves,
glad to meet God and open ourselves to the world around us.
We bring to you to you all the concerns in our hearts in the moment of silence.
Spirit of the living God
move among us,
as you transform us into the people you invite us to be,
as you transform the world into the place you dream it to be.
Make us one in love,
humble, caring,
selfless, sharing.
Hymn52: He is exalted.
BLESSING
Blow among us, Spirit of God,
fill us with your courage and care.
Hurricane and Breath,
take us on a journey of love!
And the blessing of God almighty,
The Father, the son, and the Holy spirit,
Be among us and remain with us always
Amen
Closing Music
Holy Spirit living Breath.