Are You Pentecostal?

May 31, 2020 Acts 2:1-13 Are you Pentecostal? Year A Pentecost Sunday Children’s Sermon Object: An uninflated red balloon. Lesson: Pentecost; Holy Spirit. "Did any of you notice anything unusual outside the sanctuary this morning?" "There were decorations ... streamers ... balloons!" These are the sorts of things near and dear to a child's heart, and indeed they had noticed. "My goodness!" I exclaim in mock surprise. "It sounds like someone has decorated for a party! Does anyone know why we would be having a party today?" This question stumps them, so I continue. "Today is a special day in the church. It is called 'Pentecost.' " To get them used to this word that even the older children have heard only a few times in their lives, I ask them to say it with me. "Pentecost ... So now you're probably wondering what Pentecost means. It's obvious from the decorations in the lobby that it must be an occasion for a party. Why do people have parties?" "To celebrate something!" "That's one reason. What sorts of things do you celebrate with a party?" "Graduation!" comes the firm response from a child with older siblings. "Yes. And the graduation of our seniors is one of the things we are celebrating in our church today. But what is another reason you have a party -- what is a reason every one of you has had a party or been to a party?" "Birthdays!" several children answer. "Yes, birthdays. And that's what Pentecost is; it's the birthday of the church. It comes from a Greek word that means the 'fiftieth day.' Pentecost falls fifty days after Easter and it is the day on which the Holy Spirit came to the first Christians. That was the beginning of the church, so on Pentecost, the fiftieth day after Easter, we celebrate the church's birthday. "Well, since we're going to have a birthday party after worship, maybe we need a balloon to add to our decorations." With this suggestion, I pull a balloon out of my pocket. "What does this balloon need?" I ask the children. "Air!" they tell me. "Ah yes, air. It's not much to look at all flat like this. It's lifeless, isn't it? You know, the Hebrew word ruach and the Greek word pneuma both have two meanings. Both of them can mean either 'wind' or 'spirit.' So, if I use my wind to blow into this balloon, it will be full of wind, but we could also think of it as full of spirit -- something more than itself that keeps it from being flat and lifeless. "I brought this balloon to help us understand what it meant when the Holy Spirit came to the first Christians. There was a great sound of wind and tongues of fire -- which is why I chose a red balloon and why our pastors have red stoles this morning. The Holy Spirit breathed spirit -- new life -- into that group of Christians and the church was born. Now, what if this balloon didn't have an opening in it for me to blow into?" "Then you couldn't blow any air in. It would stay flat," the children answer. "That's right. And just as this balloon needs an opening for air, we need to have an opening for the Holy Spirit to enter us. We create that openness by coming to worship, by praying, by being aware of God, by asking God to fill us with the Holy Spirit. And, filled with the Spirit, we have new life because it makes us live differently. It's like t he difference between a flat, lifeless balloon and one filled up for celebration. "Will you pray with me before you go? God, thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit which connects us to you and fills us with your love just as surely as we are able to fill balloons with our wind. We praise you, God, and offer our thanksgiving for the gift of the church on this day of Pentecost. In Jesus' name we lift our prayer to you. Amen." CSS Publishing Company, Inc, Cows In Church, by B. Kathleen Fannin Opening Opening Prayer Spirit of God, we long to be open to your presence in our church and in our lives. Fill us with your wind and fire, that we might be enlivened again. Help us hear the words as if for the first time, that they might touch us anew. Give us visions and dreams of what you long for in your creation, that we might begin to live them into reality. Come, Spirit; come into our worship, into our church Alone together The paradox of Pentecost 2020 is that we’re giving up our together time because we recognize our connectedness. Yes, we're apart. But because of the presence of the Holy Spirit, we are not alone. Pentecost reminds us of our connection to God and one another. Acts 2:47 tells us that the first church “praised God and demonstrated God’s goodness to everyone.” Online worship and social distancing are a couple of ways we are following their example today. Pentecost 2020 reminds us of how good it is when we are “all together in one place.” It also highlights that even when being together isn't possible, the Holy Spirit overcomes barriers like language and social distance to connect us with one another. While we’re apart, we continue to be the church for one another, because the Holy Spirit is with us wherever we are. Stewardship Moment Pentecost is a turning point in the year and the faith. Time of fulfillment – have everything we need to be faithful people. Jesus returns to heaven always says – you are never alone. I am always with you. But instead of looking to me, you can move forward. You have the power to change your situation and the worlds situation. Look at the news, powerless – what can we do? How can we make a difference. By living our faith. Prayer, being generous and spreading God’s love. One way to make a difference is in giving to the mission of the church to make disciples and to become disciples. Give to the church in many ways – one way that we are united, and able to make a different. Invitation to offering Offertory Prayer Holy God, thank you for sending your Spirit, the Spirit of the risen Christ, from heaven. Help us to be like the early disciples, praying patiently as we wait for your guidance and power. Fill our hearts and minds with your gifts of faith, hope, and love. May our conversations with people of every language and culture around us witness to your grace and mercy. We dedicate ourselves and our offerings to your good purposes in the world through our church’s mission by the power of your Spirit. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. (Acts 2:1-21) Scripture Acts 2:1-13 Common English Bible (CEB) Pentecost 2 When Pentecost Day arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound from heaven like the howling of a fierce wind filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be individual flames of fire alighting on each one of them. 4 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them to speak. 5 There were pious Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd gathered. They were mystified because everyone heard them speaking in their native languages. 7 They were surprised and amazed, saying, “Look, aren’t all the people who are speaking Galileans, every one of them? 8 How then can each of us hear them speaking in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, and Elamites; as well as residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the regions of Libya bordering Cyrene; and visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the mighty works of God in our own languages!” 12 They were all surprised and bewildered. Some asked each other, “What does this mean?” 13 Others jeered at them, saying, “They’re full of new wine!” Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Sermon Are you Pentecostal? The well known author and preacher Fred Craddock tells a rather funny story about a lecture he was giving: A few years ago, when he was on the west coast speaking at a seminary, just before the first lecture, one of the students stood up and said, "Before you speak, I need to know if you are Pentecostal." Thoom grew silent. Craddock said he looked around for the Dean of the seminary! He was nowhere to be found. The student continued with his quiz right in front of everybody. Craddock was taken aback, and so he said, "Do you mean do I belong to the Pentecostal Church?" He said, "No, I mean are you Pentecostal?" Craddock said, "Are you asking me if I am charismatic?" the student said, "I am asking you if you are Pentecostal." Craddock said, "Do you want to know if I speak in tongues?" He said, "I want to know if you are Pentecostal." Craddock said, "I don't know what your question is." The student said, "Obviously, you are not Pentecostal." He left. What are we talking about this morning? Is the church supposed to use the word Pentecost only as a noun or can it be used as an adjective? And so I ask you: Are you Pentecostal?... What does it mean to be a Pentecostal? Depends on who you ask. But today is a big day for the church, no matter what denomination. Pentecost The world celebrates Christmas with us, and even celebrate easter, but Pentecost is only for those who are true Christians. And jewish. Last week one of our children asked what does Pentecost mean anyway. Pentecost means 50 – 50 days for us after easter, but for the jews its 50 days after Passover. They are celebrating the first harvest of the season. For the jews the celebrations is from the 26-28th. This is the celebration that the apostles witnessed in the bible. Jews from all over the world were gathered in Jerusalem. And of course, they bought their customs and their languages with them. But as they came together , speaking in their own languages. it seemed that everyone could understand one another. It is important for us to remember, that different people read and interpret and find importance on different parts of the bible. For some the holy spirit was present in the fact that they were speaking in different languages. For others it was that they were understood. Difference in theology I remember my aunt used to always tell me to make sure that when I was baptized- that I was baptized in Jesus name as it stated in acts. But was baptized in Baptist church which uses the gospels, which says be baptized in the name of the father, son, and holy spirit. But today want to talk about the presence of the holy spirit in our ability to understand, in spite of our differences. Our ability to be one body – with different opinions as proof that the holy spirit is here. Church on fire Pentecost is the day that the church was on fire. I remember growing up in Peoria, on sixth street. One of the biggest events of the day – the day the Baptist church down the street caught on fire. The whole neighborhood came to watch. When had to go back in the house, people stopped by to give reports. Two persons were talking together before a large church which was being destroyed by fire. The first man spoke in a voice which could be heard above the voice of the firemen: "This is the first time I ever saw you at church." To this the second responded: "This is the first time I ever saw the church on fire." There are many prophets of doom saying that the age of the Christian Church is over - that it has lost its zeal! We're taking a beating right now in this country and around the world. Our theology is being questioned. Everyone is writing a critical book against the organized church. We have had to take some unpopular r stands on social issues. Magazines are attacking the ministry, and it isn't the thing to do anymore to join the church. John Kelman said, however, "God pity the nation or city whose factory smokestacks rise higher than her church spires." The church can be on fire in may different ways. Way we sing, way the pastor preaches, what we do, in how we hope. We can be Pentecostal in who we are – but also in how we do it. In how we wait in God, but also depend on God. We handle our differences. Five promises of the spirit – comforter, teacher, bear witness to Jesus to the world, prove that sin was wrong, and guide the church. Promise of acts 2 – hold us together. Remember in Genesis 11 – all of the people got together and decided that they were going to build a giant tower to heaven. If they got together there is nothing they can accomplish. Sort of like the NATO summit. Remind them that the emphasis was on we and not on God. Planned everything to the detail and forgot to pray and leave room for God. The punishment was that they would all speak in different languages and head in different directions. We can all speak English and still not understand. Recently, a judicial friend was presiding over a case in a small, rural county. The defendant was charged with drunk driving and trying to assault the police officer who arrested him. To convict the defendant on the assault on an officer charge, the District Attorney had to proved that the defendant knew the person he was assaulting was a police officer. And the easiest way to do that is to show that the officer was wearing a police uniform, and therefore the defendant knew that this was a police officer. So the District Attorney asked the officer on the witness stand "And how were you attired when you pulled the defendant over?" The witness looked at him blankly. It was clear he didn't know what the District Attorney meant by "attired". Everyone saw this but the District Attorney. "Would you repeat the question, please?" In a slightly irritated voice the District Attorney said, "And how were you attired when you pulled the defendant over?" The witness still was puzzled. "Say that again", he pleaded. "How were you attired when you pulled the defendant over?" barked the District Attorney. My friend said you could suddenly see the light bulb come on in the officer's head, and he proudly proclaimed "I was traveling on standard issue radial tires!" This officer needed an interpreter even within the English language! That's what I'm getting at: We all need our own personal interpreter, full time, 24/7. So much of what we hear, even within the English language, we don't understand. And nowhere is that truth more evident than with people who are new to the church. The problem is not just in language, the problem is in our understanding. We can be in same family, same church, working on the same plan and still disagree. We are prone to misunderstanding. The good news is – that we don’t have to think alike, we have to think together. Know the holy spirit is with us. Understanding comes from god and not us. “How did you get saved.” He was asked. He replied, “God did his part and I did my part.” The man asked, “What was God’s part and what was your part.” The young man replied, “God’s part was saving and my part was sinning. I ran from Him as fast as I could, but He took after me till He ran me down.” When you see people coming to Christ, then you know that God is at work for only God can save souls. We have to let God do his part and we do are part. Our part is to be confused, and to learn to trust in God for understanding and agreement. Acts is a wonderful book to read, last day we read it in worship for awhile. Shows what it means to be Pentecostal. No matter what your denomination. Wait and witness on the holy spirit. Results may not be like to first formation of the church. We can convince people, but only the holy spirit can convict them to be followers of Jesus. 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. Pentecostal is a noun – who you are, verb – what you do, but is is also a adjective – how you do it. Witness and wait in the presence of the spirit. Amen. Pentecost Prayer Announcements Next week – trinity Sunday, first Sunday have all that we need to deal with the challenges of life. The father, the son, the holy spirit. 2 corinthians 13:11-13 Also Peace with Justice - during this shelter in place, the district clergy have been meeting weekly. This week the situation with George Floyd being killed started to unfold. Heartrfelt conversation about racism and how this continues to happen and how the church can address it. Of course things have escalated all over the nations since then. Continue to pray for healing for peace and for justice – a shalom that brings our nation to unity. We will look at that during our service next week. The state is starting to open back up, people are still getting back together. Churches have been given the go ahead to meet. Even though this is a fluid situation. I think the last I heard the supreme court overturned that decision, but I don’t know. The conference has been closely monitoring the situation. We want to open the church so that people can get back together. But we also want to do that safely. We want this to be a safe space for vulnerable populations. We have received the suggestions from the conference in reopening and and from the Illinois department of health. Been distributed To the church leaders and we will have a church council meeitg to discuss this. We will also give to everyone, if want a copy can pick it up. Also put a survey in the newsletter to see what needs to happen for you to feel safe. As we think about what needs to happen at our church we ask for your feedback and sugggestions. Wont look like it did before we met, measures will have to be taken. Worship service will even be a little different. But we will get through this together. Congratulations to all of those who are enperiencing those transition moments in quarantine, graduations, retirements, birthdays, life changes. Blessings in your life and feel gods spirit in many unexpected ways this year. Benediction Pentecost moments Control A wealthy family from Massachusetts used to take a month's vacation every summer to the coast of Maine, taking their maid with them. The maid had an annual ritual at the beach. She wore an old-fashioned bathing suit, complete with a little white hat, and carried enough paraphernalia to stock Wal-Mart. She would settle herself on the beach, cover every inch of her exposed flesh and journey down to the water's edge. There she would hesitate while taking deep breaths and working up her courage to enter the icy-cold water. Finally, she would daintily extend one foot and lower it slowly into the water until she barely had her big toe submerged. Then she repeated the act with the other foot. Then, having satisfied her minimal urge for a swim, she would retreat to her chair and umbrella and spend the remainder of the vacation curled around a book. I'm afraid that may be a parable of our Christian commitment. Are we afraid to give in to the Pentecost experience, fearful that we might lose control? That's what it is really all about, isn't it? Control. We want to be in control. Well, if Pentecost is to do nothing else, it should remind us that we are not in control, not even - or perhaps I should say especially - of ourselves. Randy L. Hyde, Time to Deliver The Church on Fire Two persons were talking together before a large church which was being destroyed by fire. The first man spoke in a voice which could be heard above the voice of the firemen: "This is the first time I ever saw you at church." To this the second responded: "This is the first time I ever saw the church on fire." There are many prophets of doom saying that the age of the Christian Church is over - that it has lost its zeal! We're taking a beating right now in this country and around the world. Our theology is being questioned. Everyone is writing a critical book against the organized church. We have had to take some unpopular stands on social issues. Magazines are attacking the ministry, and it isn't the thing to do anymore to join the church. John Kelman said, however, "God pity the nation or city whose factory smokestacks rise higher than her church spires." Why Belong To The Church?, anthology, CSS Publishing Company, Inc. 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