Sermon May 27, 2007
Pentecost Sunday
May 27, 2007
Readings
The Lesson: Acts 2:1-21
The Epistle: Romans 8:14-17
The Holy Gospel: John 14:8-17, (25-27)
Sermon
The Cloud of Unknowing, "O God, our great companion, lead us ever more deeply into the mystery of your life and ours, that we may be faithful interpreters of Life to each other, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen."
There is an old story about a revival preacher visiting a small town. This preacher had services in a tent every night for a week. Every night, the preacher proclaimed that God was present. Every night, the preacher shouted that God wanted to fill people with the Holy Spirit. Every night, the preacher invited people to come forward at the end of the service to receive prayer and laying on of hands.
And every night, the town loser came forward to ask for this prayer. The town loser was what they used to call a ne'er-do-well, a delinquent, a trouble maker. Every night of the revival week, this sinner came down front and shouted his prayer, “Fill me, Lord! Fill me, Lord!” And the next day, he would be off fighting and drinking and gambling and stealing and causing trouble.
But every night he came back to the revival prayer meeting. The last night of the week, he was still there. He was up front at the end of the service, praying loudly for the coming of the Holy Spirit. He shouted, “Fill me, Lord! Fill me, Lord!” And one little old lady finally shouted, “Don't do it, Lord! He leaks!”
He leaks. The Spirit seems to go in –and then right back out. Like all of us. All of us leak. Today is Pentecost. It was an ancient Jewish harvest festival. And it was the 50th day after Easter. The disciples, the word means followers, had witnessed the Resurrection, were still not sure what to do. THEIR LIFE HADN’T CHANGED. They were still the scared, unsure, uncertain, inadequate guys that followed Jesus around for three years. Talk about leakers! After all that-and yet-no difference. They went up into the upper room in Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish Pentecost, the harvest festival-and something happened -1-to them. Finally. After 3 years of teaching and following Jesus, a week of drama and death at the end, and then a resurrection and yet they still were so, lost. Still so unsure-“Yeah, being a follower has been great-but now what?” And then-everything changed. How many times must they have prayed to be different? How many times had they asked God to fill them? How many times have you? I don’t know why the Spirit came upon them when it did. Dr. N. T. Wright says that the greatest proof of the Resurrection is that 12 ordinary men suddenly became changed. Do you know what they called them after today-no longer did they call them disciples, followers, but they began to be referred to as Apostles-meaning, “ones who are sent.” Not followers, but people who were flung, driven, thrown out into the world. They were different. Not that much better, not that much smarter, not that much different-the biggest change was –they were no longer so afraid. They were no longer so unsure of who they were meant to be. They were no longer doubtful about what they were supposed to do. They stopped being just followers.
A few weeks ago there was a Hallmark special on tv. It was the story of Bruce Murakami. 8 ½ years ago his wife and daughter were killed in a traffic accident. A 17 year old boy was drag racing with another guy and he hit the wife’s car and Cindy (Bruce’s wife) and Chelsea died. Eventually the boy was arrested and charged with a felony. Murakami begs a special favor before the trial-he wants to talk to the kid who destroyed his life. And they let him. And as he talks to the boy, something terrible happens-Bruce forgives him. When the kid, Justin Gutierrez, goes to trial, Murakami stands with him and asks the judge not to send him to jail. Together, Bruce Murakami and Justin Gutierrez began talking to school assemblies all over the country about driving and judgement. 8 years later they are still doing it. It is a very powerful and wonderful and awful story. But here is what struck me. Towards the end of the movie, someone asks Bruce Murakami, “why are you doing this? This boy killed your wife and daughter!” And Murakami answered, “my faith gave me no other choice.”
My faith gave me no other choice.
We encounter difficult obstacles and tough decisions all the time in our lives, great moments of weakness and fear. Much of the time we feel unclear, uncertain, and scared about what to do or who to be. The disciples did. And they were with Jesus. A lot. Much of the time we see ourselves as leakers-people who run out of gas and have to be filled up, everyday. And everyday we seem to run out again.
But then something happens. A wind, a flame, a voice in a language we understand-a sermon, a baptism, a touch, a sacred meal, an upper room, something breaks through into our world, and we realize that we are no longer just followers-we have been sent. We are no longer just victims waiting for the next crisis to overwhelm us. We are no longer just scared, indecisive, confused, strugglers-we are apostles-people driven bravely out into the midst of a starving world, people who are not really any better-but flung out into the midst of a world hungry for good news. . We are no longer “just” anything-we are people whose faith gives us no other choice.
I was at a two day workshop this week on crisis management. And towards the end of the second day, they showed us a movie of the first responders, the EMTs, the paramedics, the firefighters who were at the Oklahoma City bombing at the Murrah Federal building 12 years ago. 168 people killed, 800 injured. One of the emergency personnel, a nurse, said, “we were raised to a new level that day, all the 1st responders were. We never knew we could endure so much and still be so strong.” The Spirit gave them no other choice
They were apostles. Most of the time we don’t think we can do it, whatever “it” is.. Much of our lives we spend waiting for the Holy Spirit to fill us up and never leak out. But here’s the truth of Pentecost-no one is ever ready for the coming of the Spirit. No one is ever prepared for how they will be changed. We keep expecting to go back to our lives the way they were. We keep expecting normalcy to return. The disciples did-right up to the moment they caught fire in the upper room. Bruce Murakami never ever saw himself as a forgiving man. The Emergency personnel in Oklahoma City never believed they could handle that much pain. The disciples never saw themselves as people driven out to change the world. And then they did. Their faith gave them no other choice.
Don’t be afraid of being weak. Don’t be afraid of leaking. do. Don’t be embarrassed because you are unclear about your direction. We all are. Don’t be discouraged because you feel unworthy or confused about your calling or your beliefs. We all go through that. Don’t be disheartened because your faith feels inadequate or insufficient-it is. The disciples felt the same way. Until they became apostles. Until the Spirit filled them in a way that could never leak out, until they were finally ready to be sent.
Today is Pentecost, the day tongues of flames rested upon 12 unworthy, inadequate, weak, scared people-and sent them bravely out into the world. Just like us. They weren’t ready. They didn’t understand it. They simply saw themselves as fishermen and disciples. Until their faith gave them no other choice. Amen.
There is an old story about a revival preacher visiting a small town. This preacher had services in a tent every night for a week. Every night, the preacher proclaimed that God was present. Every night, the preacher shouted that God wanted to fill people with the Holy Spirit. Every night, the preacher invited people to come forward at the end of the service to receive prayer and laying on of hands.
And every night, the town loser came forward to ask for this prayer. The town loser was what they used to call a ne'er-do-well, a delinquent, a trouble maker. Every night of the revival week, this sinner came down front and shouted his prayer, “Fill me, Lord! Fill me, Lord!” And the next day, he would be off fighting and drinking and gambling and stealing and causing trouble.
But every night he came back to the revival prayer meeting. The last night of the week, he was still there. He was up front at the end of the service, praying loudly for the coming of the Holy Spirit. He shouted, “Fill me, Lord! Fill me, Lord!” And one little old lady finally shouted, “Don't do it, Lord! He leaks!”
He leaks. The Spirit seems to go in –and then right back out. Like all of us. All of us leak. Today is Pentecost. It was an ancient Jewish harvest festival. And it was the 50th day after Easter. The disciples, the word means followers, had witnessed the Resurrection, were still not sure what to do. THEIR LIFE HADN’T CHANGED. They were still the scared, unsure, uncertain, inadequate guys that followed Jesus around for three years. Talk about leakers! After all that-and yet-no difference. They went up into the upper room in Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish Pentecost, the harvest festival-and something happened -1-to them. Finally. After 3 years of teaching and following Jesus, a week of drama and death at the end, and then a resurrection and yet they still were so, lost. Still so unsure-“Yeah, being a follower has been great-but now what?” And then-everything changed. How many times must they have prayed to be different? How many times had they asked God to fill them? How many times have you? I don’t know why the Spirit came upon them when it did. Dr. N. T. Wright says that the greatest proof of the Resurrection is that 12 ordinary men suddenly became changed. Do you know what they called them after today-no longer did they call them disciples, followers, but they began to be referred to as Apostles-meaning, “ones who are sent.” Not followers, but people who were flung, driven, thrown out into the world. They were different. Not that much better, not that much smarter, not that much different-the biggest change was –they were no longer so afraid. They were no longer so unsure of who they were meant to be. They were no longer doubtful about what they were supposed to do. They stopped being just followers.
A few weeks ago there was a Hallmark special on tv. It was the story of Bruce Murakami. 8 ½ years ago his wife and daughter were killed in a traffic accident. A 17 year old boy was drag racing with another guy and he hit the wife’s car and Cindy (Bruce’s wife) and Chelsea died. Eventually the boy was arrested and charged with a felony. Murakami begs a special favor before the trial-he wants to talk to the kid who destroyed his life. And they let him. And as he talks to the boy, something terrible happens-Bruce forgives him. When the kid, Justin Gutierrez, goes to trial, Murakami stands with him and asks the judge not to send him to jail. Together, Bruce Murakami and Justin Gutierrez began talking to school assemblies all over the country about driving and judgement. 8 years later they are still doing it. It is a very powerful and wonderful and awful story. But here is what struck me. Towards the end of the movie, someone asks Bruce Murakami, “why are you doing this? This boy killed your wife and daughter!” And Murakami answered, “my faith gave me no other choice.”
My faith gave me no other choice.
We encounter difficult obstacles and tough decisions all the time in our lives, great moments of weakness and fear. Much of the time we feel unclear, uncertain, and scared about what to do or who to be. The disciples did. And they were with Jesus. A lot. Much of the time we see ourselves as leakers-people who run out of gas and have to be filled up, everyday. And everyday we seem to run out again.
But then something happens. A wind, a flame, a voice in a language we understand-a sermon, a baptism, a touch, a sacred meal, an upper room, something breaks through into our world, and we realize that we are no longer just followers-we have been sent. We are no longer just victims waiting for the next crisis to overwhelm us. We are no longer just scared, indecisive, confused, strugglers-we are apostles-people driven bravely out into the midst of a starving world, people who are not really any better-but flung out into the midst of a world hungry for good news. . We are no longer “just” anything-we are people whose faith gives us no other choice.
I was at a two day workshop this week on crisis management. And towards the end of the second day, they showed us a movie of the first responders, the EMTs, the paramedics, the firefighters who were at the Oklahoma City bombing at the Murrah Federal building 12 years ago. 168 people killed, 800 injured. One of the emergency personnel, a nurse, said, “we were raised to a new level that day, all the 1st responders were. We never knew we could endure so much and still be so strong.” The Spirit gave them no other choice
They were apostles. Most of the time we don’t think we can do it, whatever “it” is.. Much of our lives we spend waiting for the Holy Spirit to fill us up and never leak out. But here’s the truth of Pentecost-no one is ever ready for the coming of the Spirit. No one is ever prepared for how they will be changed. We keep expecting to go back to our lives the way they were. We keep expecting normalcy to return. The disciples did-right up to the moment they caught fire in the upper room. Bruce Murakami never ever saw himself as a forgiving man. The Emergency personnel in Oklahoma City never believed they could handle that much pain. The disciples never saw themselves as people driven out to change the world. And then they did. Their faith gave them no other choice.
Don’t be afraid of being weak. Don’t be afraid of leaking. do. Don’t be embarrassed because you are unclear about your direction. We all are. Don’t be discouraged because you feel unworthy or confused about your calling or your beliefs. We all go through that. Don’t be disheartened because your faith feels inadequate or insufficient-it is. The disciples felt the same way. Until they became apostles. Until the Spirit filled them in a way that could never leak out, until they were finally ready to be sent.
Today is Pentecost, the day tongues of flames rested upon 12 unworthy, inadequate, weak, scared people-and sent them bravely out into the world. Just like us. They weren’t ready. They didn’t understand it. They simply saw themselves as fishermen and disciples. Until their faith gave them no other choice. Amen.
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