How the Holy Spirit helps us to work together

May 24, 2026 1 Corinthians 12:3-13 How the Holy Spirt helps us to work together Pentecost Sunday Year A Prelude Greeting Call to Worship One: We’re gathered to celebrate Pentecost JOY, grateful God still pours out the Spirit on all flesh! Many: We celebrate, for our sons and our daughters shall prophesy! One: Some will see visions, and others, dream dreams. Many: In that day, all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved! One: Let the wind blow free, let God’s Spirit fill us all! (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Opening Prayer Ever-breathing God, like a mighty wind bringing fresh air and new life to each and to all! Fill us with your Spirit this day! Renew in us a passion for you, for your all-encompassing love, and for this congregation. Inspire us! Help us breathe in the power you offer. Set us on fire to do the mighty works you’ve prepared for us, even as we’re energized in this time of worship. AMEN (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Song In Christ there is no East or West UMH 548 A Sermon for all Ages Have a colorful kite with you if possible. “Wow! Look at this kite! What does a kite need to fly?” (Wait for answers: wind, string, someone to hold it, open space.) “You can’t always see the wind, can you? But you can see what the wind does. The wind lifts the kite, moves it, and helps it soar high in the sky. Pentecost is the day we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is kind of like the wind. We cannot see the Holy Spirit with our eyes, but we can see what the Holy Spirit does in people’s lives. In our Bible reading today from 1 Corinthians, Paul says that everyone has different spiritual gifts. Some people are good at teaching. Some are good at helping. Some are kind encouragers. Some are singers. Some are leaders. Some are good listeners. God gives every person special gifts through the Holy Spirit. This kite reminds me of the church. Look at all the different parts: the sticks, the fabric, the tail, the string. Every part matters. If one part is missing, the kite will not fly very well. That is how the church works too. We all have different gifts, but the same Holy Spirit helps us work together. And just like the wind lifts the kite, the Holy Spirit lifts us up to do amazing things for God. Maybe your gift is making people smile. Maybe your gift is helping someone who is sad. Maybe your gift is praying, singing, sharing, or showing kindness. You do not have to be grown-up to have a spiritual gift. God’s Spirit works in children too! So whenever you see a kite flying in the wind, remember: even though we cannot see the Holy Spirit, God’s Spirit is always moving, helping, and lifting us up.” The kite teaches us three lessons – it needs the wind to fly, it’s foundation is a cross – and the only way it can fly free in the wind, is if it is tied to a steady foundation. Prayer: “Dear God, thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for giving each of us special gifts to share. Help us use our gifts to love others and serve you. Lift us up like a kite in the wind. In Jesus’ name, Amen.” A litany for those who would fly kites Leader: Those who fly kites know that kites are earthbound and cannot lift and soar until they are caught by the wind. People: People and churches are earthbound and cannot be themselves until the wind of God’s Spirit lifts them to fly. Leader: Kites are not free to thrust and move until they are let go to explore the skies. People: People and churches are not free to love and care until they can let go and catch the Spirit which is love. Leader: Kites have no power and direction unless they are caught and controlled by the wind. People: People and churches have no power and direction unless they allow the Spirit of God to move within them. Leader: Let us pray… Together: O God, may your Spirit lift us from being earthbound and free us to soar, to explore, to have direction and purpose. O God, help us to fly as people freed by your Spirit, to live and to love. (theBillabong.com) Scripture 1 Corinthians 12:3-13 Sermon How the Holy Spirit helps us work together There are symbols of Pentecost all around us today. There is the red to symbolize fire, the air conditioner is running representing the wind, there are doves up above the chancel area, and the breath of God is inside of us all. This is the day when we remember that the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples and launched the church into the world. And today Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 12 what Pentecost really means for the church. Pentecost is the birthday of the church- it is just like any other birthday. The day we are born is important, but we continue to celebrate that day every year of our life. Every year – we receive gifts, and the gifts become bigger as we grow older. At three you would be excited to get a tricycle. As we get older we are excited by a bicycle, and eventually we are expecting a car. Pentecost gifts are the same, the closer we are to God, the more we realize our gifts. Pentecost is not just about what happened long ago in Jerusalem. Pentecost is about who we are right now. We are Pentecost people. The mission is in our hands. And perhaps one of the best symbols for Pentecost is a kite. There is something beautiful about watching a kite fly. A kite dancing in the wind captures our attention immediately. Children stop and stare. Adults look upward. A kite reminds us there is something larger than ourselves moving around us. But a kite teaches us something important. A kite cannot fly by itself. You can buy the most beautiful kite in the world. Bright colors. Long tail. Strong frame. But if there is no wind, it simply lies flat on the ground. The church is the same way. Without the Holy Spirit, the church becomes nothing more than a building, a committee, or a social club. We can organize meetings. We can print bulletins. We can maintain traditions. But without the Spirit, we never truly rise. Paul says, “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit.” That is where Pentecost begins. The Holy Spirit enables us to confess Christ as Lord. That confession may sound simple, but it changes everything. To say “Jesus is Lord” means Caesar is not lord. Politics is not lord. Wealth is not lord. Fear is not lord. My ego is not lord. Jesus is Lord. The Holy Spirit lifts our hearts and points us toward Christ the way the wind lifts a kite into the sky. A kite was never meant to stay on the ground. And the church was never meant to stay grounded either. Too often the church becomes comfortable sitting still. We become focused only on survival. We worry about budgets, buildings, attendance, and preferences. We hold tightly to the kite and forget the wind. But Pentecost reminds us that God’s mission is always larger than our fears. The disciples were hiding behind locked doors before Pentecost. After the Spirit came, they moved into the streets. They preached. They served. They crossed boundaries. They carried the gospel into the world. The Spirit took frightened followers and turned them into the church. And that same Spirit still moves today. Paul says there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. Every kite looks a little different. Some are large. Some are small. Some move quickly in the wind while others glide slowly and steadily. Yet they all depend upon the same wind. So it is with the church. Not everyone has the same gift. Some teach. Some sing. Some pray quietly. Some organize. Some visit the sick. Some cook meals. Some lead missions. Some encourage others. Some work with children. Some give generously. Some offer wisdom and compassion in difficult moments. The church needs every gift. A kite needs every part too. Remove the frame and it collapses. Remove the tail and it spins out of control. Cut the string and it drifts away. Sometimes people think their gifts are too small to matter. But Paul reminds us that we are all part of one body. Pentecost means that the Spirit has given every believer a role in God’s mission. Not just pastors. Not just leaders. Not just the loudest voices. Everyone. The mission is in our hands. And perhaps that is the hardest part of Pentecost for us to accept. We often pray for God to do something while forgetting that God has already sent the Spirit upon the church. We are waiting for someone else to change the world while God is waiting for us to use the gifts we already have. The kite does not create the wind, but it must respond to it. The church does not control the Spirit, but we are called to respond when the Spirit moves. And sometimes the Spirit pushes us into uncomfortable places. The wind can pull hard on a kite string. Anyone who has flown a kite knows that sometimes the wind changes direction unexpectedly. Sometimes it lifts higher than we planned. In a prayer letter about her ministry, a friend of mine described her angst as a teenager. Her sister knew that she wanted to be a teacher, but my friend wasn’t clear on what she wanted to be and do, and she felt shame that her ambitions weren’t clear to her. Toward the end of her college years, God spoke to her in a picture: “First I saw an arrow and felt God say, ‘See, this is like your sister, keenly focused on a single target that she’ll hit right on the mark.’ Next, I saw a kite swaying in the wind and felt God say, ‘I made you like this kite. Your life will go in many directions, but you’ll always be anchored in my hands. I need your sister to be focused, but I need you to be available. Are you willing?’” The Holy Spirit does that too. The Spirit calls churches to welcome new people. The Spirit calls us to serve beyond our comfort zones. The Spirit calls us to forgive when we would rather stay angry. The Spirit calls us to speak hope into a divided world. Pentecost is not safe. But it is holy. Paul also reminds us that “in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.” Baptism ties all of this together. In baptism, we are connected to Christ and to one another. We become part of the body of Christ. We are no longer isolated kites scattered across the ground. We are joined together in God’s mission. And notice what Paul says: Jews and Greeks, slaves and free, all were made to drink of one Spirit. The Spirit breaks barriers. The church at its best is not divided by race, wealth, politics, nationality, age, or status. Pentecost creates a new community where all belong because all are united in Christ. That is the miracle of Pentecost. Not just speaking in different languages. Not just wind and fire. But people becoming one body through the Holy Spirit. And the world desperately needs that witness today. We live in a world pulling apart at the seams. Division is everywhere. Loneliness is everywhere. Cynicism is everywhere. But the church is called to be a Pentecost people. A people lifted by the Spirit. A people united in Christ. A people sent on mission. And maybe that is why a kite is such a fitting image for the church. A kite always points upward. That is what the Spirit does for us. The Spirit lifts our eyes beyond ourselves. Beyond fear. Beyond despair. Beyond earthly divisions. The Spirit reminds us that we belong to God and that God is not finished with the world yet. But a kite also remains connected by a string. That matters too. Because Pentecost is not about escaping the world. It is about being sent into it. The Spirit lifts us toward God while keeping us connected to the people around us. The church is called to soar spiritually while remaining grounded in mission. Feeding the hungry. Serving the poor. Welcoming the stranger. Teaching children. Caring for the lonely. Sharing the gospel. Living as the body of Christ. The mission is in our hands. The End Is the Beginning The end of the gospel of John always sends us back to the beginning. Every ending always implies the beginning of something new. On December 31st, the last day of the year, we celebrate the beginning of the New Year. Pregnancy ends with the delivery of a baby, and a new life begins—for both the parents and the baby. When you finish High School, you enter a new world of college or work. Jesus’ death on the cross was an ending, but it was also a beginning. Pentecost is the last day of the Easter season, and it is also celebrated as the beginning of the church. Carla Gorrell, Looks Like a Conspiracy ___________________________ The Holy Gust The Keys to the Car There are transitional moments in life that confirm something tremendous has taken place. One of those moments occurs in a teenager's life and in lives of the parents of that particular teenager, when a mom or a dad gives to him or her the keys to the car for the first time for a solo run. What a transitional moment this is! Many of us have already experienced this. Some of you still have to experience it in life, but, I guarantee you, it's going to happen. It's going to be a step of growth for you. It's a time when you release to your child into an adult world. It's a change in your son or daughter's life from which they are never going to turn back. It's a moment in which you are giving your child an adult responsibility. It is a transitional moment for the child also because the teenager recognizes that he has been given a great responsibility. It's an adult responsibility. He also realizes that this is something that he needs to take care with because great trust has been put in him. Teenagers need to prove to their parents that the validity of their faith in them is correct. In the Scripture for today, Jesus does something very similar for His followers. Jesus said, "As the Father has sent Me, so send I you." Jesus is tossing the keys to the kingdom to His disciples. He is demonstrating that He is accepting them as His followers but He is also demonstrating to them that He is entrusting to them the message of the gospel. He gives to them a great privilege. He is showing them that He believes in them. Don Walker, Commissioned to a New Ministry _________________________ So on this Pentecost Sunday, perhaps we should ask ourselves: Are we resisting the wind of the Spirit? Have we settled for lying flat on the ground? Have we forgotten the gifts God has already given us? Because the Spirit is still blowing. The question is whether we are willing to rise. The church does not belong only to the past. Pentecost was not the ending of the story. It was the beginning. The Holy Spirit still empowers us to confess Christ as Lord. The Holy Spirit still gives gifts to the church. The Holy Spirit still unites us through baptism into one body. And the Holy Spirit still sends us into the world. We are Pentecost people. The mission is in our hands. So let us catch the wind of the Spirit once more and soar for the glory of God. Amen. Song I’m going to sing when the spirit says sing UMH 333 Prayers of the People (You don’t have to print) God of the gathering wind, as we celebrate Pentecost and feel summer’s first warm breath, plant in us the quiet courage of seeds beneath soil — small but determined, destined to rise. Align our seasons with your divine rhythms. Let us unfurl in righteousness like morning glories p2 opening to dawn light, like wheat fields bending golden under your gaze. Spirit of Peace, in these days when violence seems to engulf us – when weapons thunder across borders, when classrooms become places of terror, when families walk endless miles seeking shelter – deliver us from the darkness we have allowed to flourish. Guide the long journey of human history toward your promised justice. Grant us the strength to stand against hatred’s divisions, to speak your love that knows no boundaries, to transform systems that perpetuate suffering, to be steadfast in our pursuit of peace. Wind of wisdom, Breath of understanding, You who once drew scattered people together at Pentecost — kindle in us a hospitality that mirrors Christ’s open arms. Unseal our hearts to truly see the journeys others walk. Fill us with that love which defies boundaries, which heals what seems beyond repair. Let us become your unified voice rising from many throats, your single body formed of countless limbs, offering gratitude for the redemption you have promised and continue to unfold among us. Merciful One, attend to these whispered hopes we offer. Together now, as Christ’s living presence, we turn to the ancient words that Jesus gave us praying… “Our Father…” Charge and benediction May the spark of God ignite you. May the love of Christ renew you. (Presbyterian Outlook, Terri McDowell Ott) Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment Over many years, Christians have marked Pentecost Day as the birthday of the church. Today, we’re celebrating this birthday with ________________ (Describe what you’re doing: Birthday cake after worship? Balloons? A kitchen shower with gifts to help the kitchen be more usable? Canned food for your food pantry?) Of course, birthdays often mean presents too! You’re invited to share a birthday gift today, as part of our morning offering. Will you give an extra dollar for each year you’ve been part of this congregation? How about a financial gift in thanksgiving for the number of years since this congregation began ministry? Perhaps you will give a penny, nickel, dime, or dollar for each year since our calendar marks time since Jesus was born? ($20.26, $101.30, $202.60, $2026.00!) Happy birthday to the church! Let’s receive our morning offering, including any and all birthday gifts today. Prayer of Thanksgiving Holy God, By your hand, creation came out of chaos. Through your love, Jesus came to teach, heal and share Good News. With your Spirit, we are empowered to share what we now offer, to build up your church, share Good News, and rejoice as new life emerges out of chaos. So touch this offering and help it be used wisely and well. Breathe your Spirit into each one present today, so together we eagerly act out your love for the world, AMEN (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for those on Facebook Having been quenched and ignited by Spirit And united in the waters of the baptized life Let us go from this gathering as members of the Body of Christ— Together even when distant Understanding and understood across difference Resolved beyond fear and empowered by the Spirit Joyful in amazement and in mystery Visioning, prophesying, dreaming As on the Day of Pentecost (United Church of Christ, Cheryl Lindsay) Community Time – Joys and Concerns Charge and Benediction May the spark of God ignite you. May the love of Christ renew you. May the Holy Spirit fill you on this Pentecost Sunday and the days to come. Amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, Terri McDowell Ott) Additional Illustrations You Are in the Spirit It's like the story of the shark and the whale. Both were swimming in the sea when the shark swam up to the whale to engage in conversation. As they swam along, the shark said to the whale, "You are so much older than I, and wiser too. Could you tell me where the ocean is?" The whale responded, "The ocean is what you are in now." The shark would not believe it. "Come on, tell me where the ocean is so I may find it!" The whale repeated, "The ocean is here, now; you are in it." Unbelieving, the shark swam away searching for the ocean. The moral of the story, I believe, is this: don't spend too much time looking for God because the Spirit of God is here in the now of your life, dwelling within you, within me, within this community. And that truth is nurtured in prayer. Susan M. Fleenor, The Indwelling Spirit of Pentecost Peace The peace Jesus gives to us through the Holy Spirit is more than we can ever imagine: Peace means the cessation of all warfare, but it also means much more. Peace means a feeling of inner well-being, but it also means much more. Peace means an end to psychological tensions, but it also means much more. Peace means halting interpersonal conflicts, but it also means much more. Peace means the settling of silence on the soul, but it also means much more. In Valyermo, California , the Benedictines converted a 400-acre ranch into a religious community called St. Andrew's Priory. As you enter the grounds, you find that the land is posted: "No Hunting Except for Peace." The world is hunting for peace. What will we give it? Leonard Sweet, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com They All Come Together John Ortberg tells the story of a friend who made his first trip south of the Mason-Dixon Line from Chicago to Georgia. On his first morning in the South he went into a restaurant to order breakfast, and it seemed that every dish included something called grits...which, as my Tennessee friends tell me, is exactly the way God intended it. Not being familiar with this southern delicacy, he asked the waitress, "Could you tell me, exactly what is a grit?" Looking down on him with a mixture of compassion and condescension, she said, "Sugar, you can't get just one grit. They always come together." John Wesley knew there was no personal holiness without social holiness, and Pulitzer Prize winner Annie Dillard says, "You can no more go to God alone than you can go to the North Pole alone." We're just like grits...you can't get just one. They come together. John E. Harnish, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com _______________________________________________ Lost and Found Picture a little girl lost in a big city. There she sits, crying on the curb. A policeman finds her, puts her in his cruiser and drives her up and down the streets, hoping she'll recognize something familiar. Which, at last, she does. She sees a steeple with a cross on it. Tears vanish. Speech returns. "That's my church," she says. "I can find my way from here." You're not the only one, little girl. William A. Ritter, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com Wrong! – Acts 2:1-13 by Leonard Sweet Today is Pentecost, the birthday of the church. The symbols of the Pentecost gift are wind and fire. Every birthday is accompanied by a cake over which there is the ritual of wind and fire. But in the course of blowing out candles in your lifetime, have you ever missed one? Ever miscalculate the amount of wind needed to get it 100% right? [To make your sermon more EPIC, you might want to showcase a birthday cake, and blow out some candles. You could even have some fun and include some gag (magic re-lighting) candles that you can’t blow out.] In 1972 veteran journalist Ross Gelbsan attended an environmental conference discussing “The Limits of Growth.” The entire conference had a “doom-and-gloom” feel to it, as the projections of scientists and economists foresaw the end of the world as we know it based on population growth, the destruction of natural resources, etc. Their conclusions were dire. The world would exhaust almost all its resources in about thirty years. But as Gelbsan absorbed all these dreadful predictions he noticed that one of the primary spokespersons for doom and gloom, environmental scientist Donella Meadows, was pregnant. Gelbson interpreted her pregnancy as a note of “personal hopefulness” amidst all this bad news. When his article on this event was finally published by The Village Voice, he used Meadows’ pregnancy as a call for optimism. Even when events appear unremittingly grim, pregnancy shows that there is still cause for hope in our children. It was a wonderful article and a great image. Only one problem: Donella Meadows wasn’t pregnant. Oops!! Wrong!!! Kathryn Schultz tells this story on her friend Ross Gelbson in her remarkable book Being Wrong (HarperCollins Publishers, 2010). Schultz wants to convince her readers that “being wrong” is not something we can avoid, and it isn’t even something we should actively TRY to avoid. Schultz finds that our “wrongs” are sometimes the most creative, imaginative, extravagant, and courageous expressions of our humanity. “The capacity to err,” Schultz contends, “is crucial to human cognition” (p.5). If Schultz is right about being wrong, then we in the church are in deep trouble. Increasingly, church people can’t see others as simply being wrong but evil. Why must we always demonize the other side? What can’t people just be wrong without being demonic or evil? In fact, isn’t the ultimate in evil the notion that you’re always right and never wrong?.... _________________________ Scribbling With Their Tongues Reader’s Digest once carried a wonderful story of a mother who was describing her family’s visit as tourists to Wales. She was describing her six-year-old son’s reaction the first time he heard the Welsh language being spoken. “Mom,” he said, “it sounds like they’re scribbling with their tongues.” That is how the disciples may have sounded when the Spirit came upon them, like they were scribbling with their tongues but they were not speaking gibberish. They were speaking known languages that people who overheard them could understand. Some of those present that first Pentecost made fun of the disciples and accused them of being intoxicated. If the police had happened by, they might have issued warrants reading “drunk and disorderly.” But the apostle Peter stood up and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” Then Peter proceeded to tell them about Jesus. Peter’s preaching made an impression. About three thousand were added to the church on that one day. King Duncan, ChristianGlobe Illustrations ________________________ She Knew What to Say The manager of a stock brokerage firm had heard his pastor, Sarah Magnuson, lead a congregation retreat, and he was impressed by her incisive style. A few days after the retreat he came to Sarah's office with what seemed like an unusual invitation. "I've got a couple dozen stock brokers working for me," he told his pastor as he sipped a cup of coffee. "I hold a weekly meeting of these people, and every so often I like to bring in someone to talk to them, someone who comes from an entirely different set of circumstances." "So?" Sarah said, not knowing quite what her parishioner wanted. But she was suspicious. "So," he said, "I liked the way you handled the material on the retreat last weekend. I'd like to set up a time when you would talk to my brokers. And by the way, attendance at these meetings is mandatory; this is a permanent appointment on their weekly calendar." Sarah was nonplussed. "Don't make that kind of suggestion while I have coffee in my mouth," she kidded. "Besides, I can't appear before those people. I don't know zip about stoc_esermonsks and investments. What am I supposed to do, bone up on the brokerage business?" "No," her friend said. "These people are experts in their field. You don't need to know anything about the technicalities of their business." He let that sink in for a few seconds. "But you know something they don't know -- you know the Gospel. That's where you excel." "But I can't speak their language," Sarah lamely complained. "You don't have to speak their language," he replied. "You just speak your language, the language that comes from your knowledge of the Gospel and what it says to us. If I know you, my guess is they'll understand what you have to say." A few weeks later Sarah finished addressing the group on the subject of ethics in the business world, firmly and unabashedly based on Scriptures. And she topped it off with a question and answer period that took the group past the normal closing time for these meetings. As the brokers moved back to their offices, a variety of positive comments could be heard in the hallways. "The boss picked a ringer this time," one broker said. "She didn't pull any punches," another chimed in. The following day the manager called his pastor to thank her. "You made a very positive impact on them," he said, "and I appreciate what you told us." "Even though I couldn't speak their jargon?" Sarah asked, somewhat pleased that she had scored so well. "You said exactly what they needed to hear," her grateful parishioner assured her, "and don't worry -- they understood you." Merle G. Franke, Lectionary Tales from the Pulpit, Cycle A Shaken from Our Sanctuaries A few years ago, AT&T had a major snafu in New York City. They had an agreement with the city that, when electrical demand peaked, AT&T would switch to their backup generators. One day they did that, and something went wrong. When they switched over, the resulting power surge blew a number of rectifiers. Not only did that knock out phone service in the area, it also disrupted communications for air controllers at Kennedy, LaGuardia, and Newark airports. Over a thousand flights were affected. Usually, technicians would fix that kind of blackout quickly. However, they didn't respond quickly on that particular occasion. While alarm bells rang unheard, the technicians were--believe it or not--attending a training session on how to handle an emergency. I worry that something like that often happens in the church. Christ has called us to serve the world for which he died. Worship is that time when we strengthen our spirits for service to the world. When worship becomes an end in itself, we are not being what Christ has called us to be. We need to be shaken from our sanctuaries and into the streets. King Duncan, Collected Works, www.Sermons.com What if Jesus Were Really Boss? Some years ago Charles Sheldon wrote a book titled, In His Steps. In that book he told about the revolution which occurred in the lives of a church and a congregation when the people decide to put every moral issue to the test of one question—“What would Jesus do?”. Perhaps his book was a bit naive. We are not always sure of what Jesus would do in every situation. Many of the moral issues which we must face as we come to the end of the Twentieth century were never part of His First-century world. Perhaps a better form of the question is: “Given what I know of the mind and spirit of Jesus Christ, what would Christ have me do?” I am confident that a revolution would follow if we were to ever really take that question seriously. But that is what we mean when we confess our faith that “Jesus Christ is Lord.” “Lord,” in the vernacular, means “Boss.” What if Jesus Christ really were Boss around here? Donald B. Strobe, Collected Works, www.Sermons.com _________________________ The Wild Goose Celtic Christians chose, not the dove, but the wild goose as a symbol representing the Holy Spirit. It sounds strange to us, but it has a long tradition in Ireland. While the Roman Church imagined the Holy Spirit in the form of a peaceful, graceful dove, the Ancient Celts understood the Holy Spirit to be like a wild goose. When you hear of the Spirit descending like a heavenly dove on you, you hear harps and strings softly playing and get a peaceful feeling. The image of the Holy Spirit as dove has become so familiar and domesticated an image we pay little attention. The image of a wild goose descending upon you is a different matter altogether. A wild goose is one noisy, bothersome bird. I like this image of the Holy Spirit as a wild goose because it jars us out of our complacency. We need such an image to correct our overly safe and overly sweet image of the Spirit. One preacher friend asked, "How many times can you sing 'There's a Sweet, Sweet Spirit in This Place' without your blood sugar reaching diabetic levels?" When the Spirit comes in the Bible, it never seems to be sweet or safe. God's Spirit called the prophets to speak to Israel in words that were bold and sometimes dangerous. Ezekiel saw a vision of God's Spirit blowing through a valley of dry bones and bringing them to life. John the Baptist dressed in camel's hair and eating wild locusts proclaimed, "I baptize you with water but he who comes after me will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." Paul gave this advice to young Timothy, "For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline" (2 Timothy 1:6-7). Neither safe nor tame, the Spirit inspired Paul to proclaim, "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28). It was this wild Goose that Jesus referred to when he preached his first sermon and quoted Isaiah, saying, "For the Spirit of the Lord is upon me for he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of God's favor"(Luke 4:18) Mickey Anders, Pentecost The Irresistible Influence of the Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit warms us and melts our cold, cold hearts. Recently I ran across a parable that makes the point: Once upon a time there was a piece of iron, which was very strong and very hard. Many attempts had been made to break it, but all had failed. “I’ll master it,” said the axe… and his blows fell heavily upon the piece of iron, but every blow only made the axe’s edge more blunt, until it finally ceased to strike and gave up in frustration. “Leave it to me,” said the saw… and it worked back and forth on the iron’s surface until its jagged teeth were all worn and broken. Then in despair, the saw quit trying and fell to the side. “Ah!” said the hammer, “I knew you two wouldn’t succeed. I’ll show you how to do this!” But at the first fierce blow, off flew its head and the piece of iron remained just as before, proud and hard and unchanged. “Shall I try?” asked the small soft flame. “Forget it,” everyone else said. “What can you do? You’re too small and you have no strength.” But the small soft flame curled around the piece of iron, embraced it… and never left it until it melted under its warm irresistible influence. There’s a sermon there somewhere. Perhaps it means that God’s way is not the way of force but love. God’s way is not to break hearts but to melt them. Perhaps it means that that is our calling – to melt hearts… under the irresistible warmth of God’s gracious love. James W. Moore, What Do You Do With Such A Gift? _______________________ Christianity Outside the Church D.L. Moody once called on a leading citizen in Chicago to persuade him to accept Christ. They were seated in the man’s parlor. It was winter and coal was burning in the fireplace. The man objected that he could be just as good a Christian outside the church as in it. Moody said nothing, but stepped to the fireplace, took the tongs, picked a blazing coal from the fire and set it off by itself. In silence the two watched it smolder and go out. “I see,” said the man. The Interpreter’s Bible _________________________ Some Pentecost Thoughts As I see it, the Holy Spirit is graciously and unobtrusively busy all over the place. The quiet Helper. The unpretentious Friend. The Helper is quietly at work: in the sincere concern of a friend for our health, in those who take a stand against injustice, in the grace of folk who go the second mile, in the inner resources we discover in times of crisis, in those who dare to go against the tide of popular opinion, in the grace that enables us to admit when we are wrong, in the resilience of people who fight for the rights of others, in those who surrender some of their rights for the larger good, in times when we share the Gospel in spite of our inadequacy, in finding joy in unexpected places, in taking on responsibilities that we once thought beyond us, in refusing to let the greed of society take over our soul, in giving thanks always, even through the hard times of life, in rising above past failures and putting past hurts behind us. in finding a central core of peace in the midst of turmoil, in daring to laugh in situations where some would curse, in knowing ourselves to be children of God, in knowing ourselves loved, even when we have been very unlovable. Bruce D. Prewer, Some Pentecost Thoughts _______________________ He Lives In Me Right Now! Norman Neaves some years ago told about a teacher asking the students in her fourth grade class to name the person they considered the greatest person alive in the world today. Their responses were varied and interesting. One little boy said, “I think it’s Joe Montana because he led the 49ers to all those Super Bowl wins.” A little girl said, George Bush… and still another named Oprah… and on and on it went with the students mentioning a wide variety or celebrities. But then it was little Donnie’s turn. Without hesitation Donnie said, “I think it’s Jesus Christ because He loves everybody and is always ready to help them.” Mrs. Thompson smiled and said, “Well, I certainly like your answer, Donnie, because I’m a Christian too… and I also admire Jesus very much. But there’s one slight problem. I said the greatest living person… and of course, Jesus lived and died almost two thousand years ago. Do you have another name in mind?” I love the simple, innocent, confident, wide-eyed response of little Donnie. He said, “Oh no, Mrs. Thompson, that’s not right at all. Jesus Christ is alive! He lives in me right now!” That’s the good news of our faith and the message of Pentecost… God is with us right now working from the inside out, giving us the Breath of Life, the Fire Power of Commitment… and the Peace That Passes All Understanding. James W. Moore, What Do You Do With Such A Gift? ____________________________ Why Do Things Hold Together? The late Harvard mathematician and philosopher, Alfred North Whitehead, maintained that the whole scientific enterprise of the western world rested upon the belief that at the bottom of things science would find order rather than chaos. If animists were afraid to probe a world enchanted with demons and spirits, western scientists dissected, investigated, explored and probed into the depths of the atom believing order and organization would be found rather than disorder and disarray. "What was at the bottom of this conviction?" asked Whitehead. It was the theological concept of the Logos, the Word or Reason or Mind of God, which held everything together. Why do things cohere and hold together? It is because the Mind or Logos, or the Spirit of God, holds them together. Maurice A. Fetty, The Divine Advocacy, CSS Publishing Company _________________________ Consecrate that Trumpet to God While preaching a revival in Florida, a man told me that, as a young man, he had played with Artie Shaw's band. His father had been a concert pianist, but neither of them knew the first thing about Christian music. One day the young man was invited by a friend to play his trumpet at a huge Billy Sunday evangelistic crusade. He did it, and then, at the close of the service, as he stood there watching Billy Sunday pray with those who had responded to the call, the great evangelist looked up, saw him, came over to him, and said, "Young man, have you consecrated that trumpet to God?" "I had no idea what he was talking about -- consecrate. So when I shook my head, Billy Sunday took me to an old wooden folding chair, laid my trumpet on it, put his hands -- one on the horn and the other on my shoulder -- and prayed and gave us both to God." Then the man continued, "And you know, Barbara, it made a difference. It made a difference the way I played that trumpet and it made a difference in me!" The Holy Spirit does make a difference. He makes a big difference! Let him fill you today. Drink deeply of this Divine New Wine. There is no telling what he will do for you, with you, and through you!" Grapes of Wrath Or Grace, Barbara Brokhoff, CSS Publishing Company _________________________ The Ability to Hear Communication, an ability to hear, to know what other people "are getting at" and "where they're coming from," has got to be one of the chief characteristics of the effective pastor. I want to be a good communicator, a skillful preacher. Yet before that, I know that I must be a good listener. As someone has said, "A preacher must listen for six days a week -- listening to God and to the hopes, fears, and aspirations of the congregation -- for the right to speak one day a week." I agree. Yet our modern world has also shown us how difficult, how very, very difficult, it is to hear. A number of years ago, Deborah Tannen, wrote, Why I Can't Hear You. It was a book about the difficulty of communication between women and men. Men and women speak different languages, says Tannen. When men are trying to say, "I need you to help me," they say it in ways which women can't hear. Likewise, when women say, "Give me some space; I need to be more independent for awhile," men get the message all messed up and hear something else. Add to this gender-gap, the gaps in our communication due to differences in economics, education, race and class, what hope is there for us ever to understand one another? The story we have read today, the story of Pentecost, is a story about hearing. Remember the Genesis story of the Tower of Babel, that time when the original "one language and few words" of humanity was disrupted forever by the profusion of languages and speech? Some believe that this Pentecost story is meant to signify a gracious reversal of Babel. William Willimon, How Can I Hear You? _________________________ In Touch with the Spirit Those who say that meditation is an escape from reality obviously have no experience of it. Because if they had this experience they would know that meditation makes us face honestly the reality that is at our own core and it gives us insight into the core of that reality. This, I think, is another way of saying that it puts us in touch with the Spirit. In a sense, then, each time we put on our spiritual snorkels and set out to meditate we are celebrating Pentecost, the presence of the Holy Spirit in our midst. Fr. Gerry Pierse _________________________ What's Our Purpose? If we are to reach people for Christ we need people with passion and power. But we also need people with a purpose. In the late 1800’s, no business matched the financial and political dominance of the railroad. Trains dominated the transportation industry of the United States, moving both people and goods throughout the country. Then a new discovery came along—the car—and incredibly, the leaders of the railroad industry did not take advantage of their unique position to participate in this transportation development. The automotive revolution was happening all around them, and they did not use their industry dominance to take hold of the opportunity. In his video tape The Search for Excellence, Tom Peters points out the reason: The railroad barons did not understand what business they were in. Peter observes that "they thought they were in the train business. But, they were in fact in the transportation business. Time passed them by, as did opportunity. They couldn’t see what their real purpose was." If the railroad barons at the turn of the century had understood that they were in the transportation business and not the train business we would all be driving a Gould and not a Ford. The same thing happened in the watch and clock industry. The Swiss had dominated time keeping. They controlled 90% of all revenues made in their industry. They made the most precise gears and springs in the world. Their watches and clocks were perfect. Then something new happened called the Quartz movement—LCD readout. Guess who invented it. A Swiss man. But because it had no gears or knobs or springs it was rejected. They failed to recognize that they were in the business of helping people tell time not making precision gears. They lost their dominance in the industry. They now control 20% of all revenue. Seiko is the dominant leader. "If Sports Illustrated magazine understood it was in the sports information business, not the publishing business, we would have the Sports Illustrated Channel, not ESPN." And folks, if we in the Methodist Church, forget that our purpose is making disciples for Jesus Christ we will also become obsolete. If we loose our focus and get distracted by tradition, habit, custom, ritual, routine, we will go the way of the trains, the Swiss, and Sports Illustrated. We must remember our basic identity. We must—whenever, however, wherever—fulfill our basic purpose. I want to be part of a church whose soul purpose is to win people to Jesus Christ. I want to be part of a church that is empowered by the Holy Spirit. A church that is going out into the streets with spiritual power and the authority. The Holy Spirit compels us to go. Brett Blair, www.eSermons.com _________________________ Living Unaware of Our Vast Fortune Come with me into West Texas during the Depression. Mr. Ira Yates was like many other ranchers and farmers. He had a lot of land, and a lot of debt. Mr. Yates wasn't able to make enough on his ranching operation to pay the principal and interest on the mortgage, so he was in danger of losing his ranch. With little money for clothes or food, his family (like many others) had to live on a government subsidy. Day after day, as he grazed his sheep over those rolling West Texas hills, he was no doubt greatly troubled about how he would pay his bills. Then a seismographic crew from an oil company came into the area and told him there might be oil on his land. They asked permission to drill a wildcat well, and he signed a lease contract. At 1,115 feet they struck a huge oil reserve. The first well came in at 80,000 barrels a day. Many subsequent wells were more than twice as large. In fact, 30 years after the discovery, a government test of one of the wells showed it still had the potential flow of 125,000 barrels of oil a day. And Mr. Yates owned it all. The day he purchased the land he had received the oil and mineral rights. Yet, he'd been living on relief. A multimillionaire living in poverty. The problem? He didn't know the oil was there even though he owned it. It is fair to say that you and I are a lot like Mr. Yates at times. We are heirs of a vast treasure and yet we live in spiritual poverty. We are entitled to the gifts of the Holy Spirit and his energizing power, and yet we live unaware of our birthright. We gather today to remember how rich we are. Dan Rondeau, Come, Holy Spirit KITES FOR PENTECOST by Marcus Benjamin It certainly had taken a lot of activity to get the service off the ground. For the two Sundays before, fifteen adults and some fifty children had spent several hours making kites. The kites, which were of thick white paper, had painted on them the symbols of Pentecost- the dove, the wind and the flames of fire. These indeed made the kites very colourful. The pre-schoolers’ kites were made from cardboard with colourful plastic tails. Imagine everyone’s surprise when they found after the service that all the kites in fact flew very well!Why kites? We felt that, apart from the visual symbols of Pentecost which were painted on them, the kites also gave us an excellent theme. Gwen Benjamin drew from the children the thought that a kite was earthbound until it was lifted by the wind. We realised that kites can’t fly unless they are let free to roam in the sky We learned also that kites have no direction and no power except that of the wind. Another interesting feature of our kites was that the wooden base which forms the frame was in the form of a cross. Here then was ample symbolism for a memorable service. Kites symbolize freedom, ambition, and a spiritual connection between heaven and earth. Because they soar upward, they represent the human desire to reach new heights and transcend earthly limitations. gravitybali.com +3 Universal Meanings • Freedom & Liberation: The ability to float untethered (or controlled from the ground) represents boundless freedom and the carefree nature of childhood. • Spiritual Bridge: Their upward flight serves as a metaphor for sending prayers to the divine, communicating with ancestors, and holding onto spiritual hope. • Ambition & Success: The rising of a kite is an arrow pointing upward, symbolizing career progress, rising above adversity, and chasing dreams. gravitybali.com +4 Cultural Significance • China: The birthplace of kites views them as symbols of good luck and longevity. In traditional practices, such as the Qingming Festival, people fly kites and deliberately cut the string to let the kite drift away, symbolizing the release of the previous year's unhappiness. • Bali: Kite flying is a sacred, religious custom meant to thank the gods for bountiful harvests and maintain cosmic balance. • Bermuda: Flying kites on Good Friday is a cultural tradition meant to represent the Ascension of Christ. • Philosophy/Metaphor: A kite teaches the value of patience and "reading the wind"—knowing when to push forward and when to let things unfold naturally. For Christians, Pentecost is the celebration where we remember the day the Holy Spirit was sent to the disciples. These were some of the last words Jesus spoke to his disciples, just before he ascended to heaven. He leaves them with this promise, "you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit". And that is exactly what happened at Pentecost. The disciples were gathered together when suddenly a powerful wind, like nothing they had seen or heard before, came rushing through the room. Then, even stranger than that, fire suddenly appeared in the room and separated so that a tongue of fire came to rest on each persons head. To remind us of the Holy Spirit moving around us, create the Pentecost Kite. My friend has held numerous jobs and ministries, all of them fruitful and interesting, and she is clearly energized by her current position as communications director for a ministry that raises awareness of people groups around the world, often called “unreached,” who have no exposure to the Gospel. I’ve been evaluating my own life in the light of the contrast between arrow and kite. In some areas of my life, I was like an arrow. In other areas, like a kite. With so many unknowns at present, the kite picture is really helpful. All of us need to nurture the confidence that Jesus has the kite string well in hand. And all of us need to flex with the wind of the Holy Spirit. Verbal pictures and images are metaphors, a Greek word meaning transport, where the meaning from one word is transported onto another word or concept. In the Bible, many pictures, or metaphors, are used to describe God. In the Psalms, God is compared to a shepherd, rock, refuge, sun, shield, and many other concrete, real-life items. In the Gospels, Jesus calls himself the bread of life, the light of the world, the door of the sheep, the good shepherd, and the true vine. Each of these pictures sketched in words has brought comfort, joy and challenge to believers for centuries. I’m also interested in metaphors that describe us, the people of God. My new favorite metaphor for Christians is a kite anchored in Jesus’ hands and shifting in the wind of the Holy Spirit.