2018-05-24
Brooke Strong
The Point of Pentecost
Confirmation Sunday – 2018
Friday night I had the joyful blessing of officiating at the wedding of one of our former Federated church GROUP young adults. The bride was as giddy and lovely as you could imagine. Her new husband was proud and captivated by glories of the woman on his arm. They love it that they met online and unknowingly were attending the same college.
The groom’s father sat in the pew designated for the groom’s family. The chair next to him was empty. His wife, who so wanted to witness this holy union, died eight weeks ago. Her body could not hold out even in the face of her greatest hopes to see her son marry.
On the bride’s side, mom and dad were radiant with love and joy. Mom felt so blessed to be at the service. She is facing similar health challenges and was thankful to God that her disease progression was slowed down enough for her to be in attendance. Her future is questionable, uncertain. But she danced, sometimes with one hand on her wheelchair. She danced.
And although the service was held offsite – it had to be a service of faith in the name of God. This was important for both families. It had to be affiliated with church and for the bride – the Federated Church.
Yesterday I sat with a family in a small chapel as we mourned the death of another wife and mom. Again, a young woman whom I met through GROUP years ago wanted someone from church to officiate. It had to be from Federated. She has not been here for years. But the contact with God that she felt through the ministries you all support here were a lifesaver to her as a struggling teen and now, for her family. It is a huge loss. It always is. But the work and mission of the church, and in this case, this church, made all the difference to these families.
People argue with me all the time about the idea of entering what some call a “Post-Church age”. We, the church, are said to no longer be relevant in today’s society. Of course, and this is total fiction. If the church were not here in the world, the crumbling would be irreversible. We can talk about that some other time.
Today, however, we celebrate the birth of the church – not the supposed demise the church. At the 11 service (This morning) we will be joined by two new members of the Federated Church. It was a small class this year, but the spiritual formation and sharing of growth was mighty. One of the confirmands will be baptized. The work of the church continues in our midst.
Today is the church holiday that we call Pentecost. But what does that word represent? In a nutshell, Pentecost is one of our Christian holy days that celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit 40 days after Easter. Some Christian denominations consider it the birthday of the Christian church and celebrate it as such. We are among those who love both accounts and really like to double celebrate. Come Holy Spirit and create Christ’s Church.
Originally, Pentecost was a Jewish holiday held 50 days after Passover. One of three major feasts during the Jewish year; it celebrated Thanksgiving for harvested crops. However, Pentecost for Christians means something far different.
Before Jesus was crucified, he told his disciples that the Holy Spirit would come after him-
And I will ask and God will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees the Spirit nor knows the Spirit. You know him, because the Spirit abides with you, and will be in you. I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. John 14:16–18
The Bible teaches that 40 days after Jesus was resurrected (10 days after he ascended into heaven), that promise was fulfilled when Peter and the early Church were in Jerusalem for Pentecost:
1When the day of Pentecost had came, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Acts 2:1–4
This was preceded in Acts 1:8 with a promise from Jesus that he shared in his parting words to those who would soon experience the miracle of the Spirit we just read.
Jesus says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Jesus tells those who followed him that they would be filled by the Holy Spirit and that this indwelling would come with the ability to accomplish those things that Christ intended for believers.
Power.
This word that our English Bibles translates as power if from the Greek word, dunamis. Dunamis is used some 120 times in the New Testament, and it frequently is accompanied with such things as miracles, healings and great works that can only be attributed to God. Some of the usages are directives to go and do with this dunamis power. It is used by Jesus, as we just read, to instruct that disciples about something they could not even imagine. Jesus tells them to GO!
Here is my imagined response by the disciples to Jesus commission to go to the entire world and be Gospel carriers for Christ.
“Yo – Jesus. You know they are hunting us. You know they think we have committed crimes of heresy for following you. You know that times are tough. And now you are saying, as you depart from us in this ascension thingy, that we have to hit the road and be witnesses to all the world.
Jesus. Really. What is your Plan B?
No Plan B. Only Plan A. And Plan A is accomplished by dunamis.
Dunamis is not your garden variety motivational word to make you feel good and eat more salads and cut out sugar and walk a mile a day. And dunamis is not what draws you to volunteer at the hospital, or help out at St Paul’s Church, or sew a lap blanket for an ill member. All good things by the way. Important things. But dunamis has a bigger punch. In fact, the bigger punch is why my laser tag name is Dunamis. True story.
This dunamis power that Jesus promises is about strength, power, or ability. It is the Greek root word from which the English language drew for words such as dynamite, dynamo and dynamic. Dunamis empowers us develop into the likeness and image of Jesus Christ.
It is important to recognize that we are not to live the Christian life in our own power, but in God’s. Certainly, God uses us in wonderful ways. God gifts us with talents and abilities. But the point of focus in using our gifts is Christ, not in our doings and accomplishments. It is God’s ability that makes us able to accomplish anything of value, for apart from God, says the Gospel of John, we can do nothing (John 15:5). It is God’s strength that makes us successful in our faith-filled work and efforts.
And when that indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit ignites us personally in our imaginations, rallies our demands for justice, makes us long for peace and equality for all, calls us to not judge but to accept, it is truly a world changing prospect.
Even more so, when that presence of the Spirit ignites and rallies and calls and inspires us as a people – The Body of Christ; The Church of Jesus Christ, and we undertake these challenges together and there is then no room for devils or demons or any evil thing that would cast itself up against God.
There is deep truth in the Avery/Marsh song, I am the Church. It is a simple song, you likely have heard it. “I am the church, you are the church, we are the church together. All who follow Jesus all around the world – Yes, we’re the church together.”
Just as there is power in “This is the church, this is the steeple, open the doors and see all the people.”
The power is in you. As believers in Jesus Christ, you are not exempt from the promise of dunamis. It is the power that changes our lives from within and then expands beyond us into bonds of love and fellowship as we accomplish the work of the church together.
11:00. Confirmation Sermon Addition -
And this is especially directed to you today, Marley and Sean. On the day we celebrate the birth of the church as a result of the presence of the Holy Spirit, we also celebrate that you are becoming one of us as full members of this Federated Church. You are no longer one of our children for whom we love and care. You are no longer a reflection of the faith lessons and directions that your parents and grandparents instilled in you. All of that is still in there. Those investments or faith examples will be with you your whole life. However, this is when you shift gears, Baby!
This is when you commit to taking all the lessons you have learned and now begin to walk in them in your own experience with Holy Spirit dunamis. You have come to the place in the funnel where there is less room and the tube constricts. The ways of faith are now placed in your hands to reckon, consider, adapt and live with.
Today, this church family sees you as full members. Your vote is equal to that of our senior pastor, Hamilton. Or Bob and Tony’s. Or your parents. You are officially confirmed by your faith in Jesus Christ and accepted for full service and responsibility.
To remind you of this day your church is giving you a number of gifts. You will each receive a beautiful study Bible, as well as other devotional booklets to help launch you the work of discovering Jesus on your own. Your gifts come to you in these handsome wild animal bags someone gave me. (Kitty fingers and growl)
We are also giving you a necklace that has the sign of the fish, which the early church used as a means of communicating the faith in Jesus during persecution. They would make the sign of the fish in the dirt in remembrance of the verse where Jesus told his disciples that they “would be fishers of men and women.”
We also have a pack of vintage, Michael Keaton Batman cards for you because your moms’ said you did not have any. Shame.
But most exciting is that you each will receive one of these large Dove candy bars to celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit, which was seen to descend upon Jesus at his baptism. The Spirit came upon him like a Dove. Get it. Dove – Dove candy. Connection!
But then I thought more about it. Sitting with you so many Sundays, as Tony, Bob and I did, we learned that you are both very accomplished athletes and I guess I thought that you could still keep the Dove candy, but these bars of Dove soap are probably better symbols for you two.
And so it goes. We again celebrate the coming of the Spirit and the birth of the church to remind ourselves, and our coming generations that the Church of Jesus is still alive and well.
Undoubtedly, we stumble. We mess up. We misunderstand God’s intentions in this world and we misrepresent Jesus at times.
But I find deep meaning and comfort in the words of Thomas Merton, who was an American Roman Catholic convert, writer, theologian and mystic. He wrote one of the most reality based prayers I have ever read, and I would like to share a few lines from his prayer with you now.
My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going: I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. (REPEAT)
And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing.
And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it.
Merton believed that there were blessings, miracles, even dunamis power in the trying, as long as our intention is to please God. Even when we get it wrong. That is the place where the Holy Spirit and our human spirit hold class and we receive our spiritual formation.
And that is why it is so fun being in the Church of Jesus Christ and living a life with the Spirit. God’s joyous love for us is even pleased when we get three strikes at the plate. And why would God be delighted to see us strike out? Well, I think it is because God loves it when we, the Church of Jesus Christ, show up to play.
Happy Birthday, Church-
Amen-