Sermon for May 11, 2008

Pentecost

“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people!”

       At a recent conference I was attending, The Lutheran Stewardship Initiative, a group of Pastors were discussing the subject, “HOW DO YOU MOTIVATE PEOPLE?  How do you get people to pray?  To read the Bible?  To attend Church and Sunday School?  To give generously in their offerings?  To love one another?  To Witness? How do you get people on fire for the Lord?”  Some suggestions included using “GUILT, FEAR, OBLIGATION, DUTY, JOY, LOVE, THANKSGIVING, OR AS SOMEONE SAID, WHATEVER WORKS BEST WITH YOUR CHILDREN, USE IN THE CHURCH!”
       One of the pastors said, “If you could come up with an answer for each of these questions, you could retire a very wealthy man.  You would have so many pastors and church leaders and people lined up at your door to see you that you would never be able to leave.  I just wish people were as excited and motivated about God as they are about other things in their life! 
       The pastor went on to say, “I read about a Golf course in California where people stand in line  for 2 hours at 5:00 a.m. to sign up to play golf “ THE FOLLOWING WEEKEND.”  Another pastor said, “I have heard about people standing in line for a couple of days to get a ticket to the “LATEST HOT MOVIE” that everyone wants to see.  I wonder why that same kind of passion and desire often doesn’t happen at church?
         After much discussion, one of the Pastors said, “WE AS PASTORS CAN’T DO IT OURSELVES!  IT IS ONLY THROUGH THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AT WORK IN PEOPLE’S LIVES! TODAY WE CELEBRATE THAT GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN OUR LIVES AND IN OUR CHURCH ON THIS CELEBRATION OF PENTECOST- ALSO KNOWN AS-  IT’S SPIRIT SUNDAY!  And we are here  to celebrate this special day in the church- THE BIRTHDAY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH AS WE KNOW IT TODAY!
       It is easy to say that this Sunday isn’t very special or exciting- not like last Sunday with Confirmation Sunday.  There is not the same excitement and focus that Christmas or Easter has.  If you listed the 7 seasons of the Church Year- Pentecost often is one that is forgotten - both in its name and also what happened that day!  Whether we realize it or not- This is truly a special day in the church year – IT’S SPIRIT SUNDAY!
       Before I mentioned it in the sermon or you saw it in the bulletin- How many of us realize today is “PENTECOST SUNDAY-50 DAYS AFTER EASTER” and ask the good Lutheran question of Acts 2: 14- “WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?”  Pentecost is a day to be excited about my faith, a day that we are prepared to go out and share our Christian faith with other people, a day of celebration as Jesus fulfilled His promise to the disciples and to us to send the Holy Spirit to fill us with God’s power, love and strength.  Or is today a day like any other Sunday that doesn’t have very much meaning or purpose in my life!
       Whether we realize it or not, whether we appreciate it or not- the Holy Spirit does dwell within us as a Christian.  The Holy Spirit alone can and does change our life here on earth and especially for eternal life in heaven.  It is interesting to note that the Greek and Hebrew Words  for the Holy Spirit means “ENTHUSIASM AND EXCITEMENT” and literally means “GOD WITHIN US!”  Thus if we are enthusiastic and excited about our Christian life here on this earth, it occurs because God the Holy Spirit lives within us and guides us and blesses us!
       The Holy Spirit is vital- absolutely essential for our Christian faith and our life! We confess today that the Holy Spirit is “LORD AND GIVER OF LIFE”  and that He “SPOKE BY THE PROPHETS”.  We learn from God’s Word in  1 Corinth. 12 that “NO ONE CAN SAY THAT JESUS IS LORD BUT BY THE HOLY SPIRIT!”  So today on this “SPIRIT SUNDAY!” we can celebrate those truths with joy and gladness as God has fulfilled His promise from the prophet Joel that “IN THE LAST DAYS, I WILL POUR OUT MY SPIRIT ON ALL PEOPLE”!
       In the Book of Acts we read about that fulfillment and find the early disciples “FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT” and “ENTHUSIASTIC AND MOTIVATED” to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with other people!  The early disciples were motivated not because of something that they had done but because GOD IN THE PERSON OF THE HOLY SPIRIT LIVED WITHIN THEM!
       We just read about the events of the FIRST PENTECOST in Acts 2- THE BIRTHDAY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH!  The disciples were all together when suddenly there was a sound like a violent blast of wind- much like the winds we have experienced the past week.  Over the head of each disciple there appeared what looked like tongues of fire!  The disciples were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and began speaking the Gospel message of Jesus Christ in many different languages!
       The first Pentecost- “SPIRIT SUNDAY” was a strange and moving day for all who were present.  The world has not been the same since, for a new community- the Christian Church was begun!  What does that first Pentecost mean for us today?
       Pentecost means that the Holy Spirit is at work in our world!  Just as Jesus Christ promised, He sent His Holy Spirit as a comforter, as a source of power and strength in our lives as God’s people!  We may not be able to speak in strange languages or have tongues of fire on our head!  But God’s Spirit is still active and alive and dwells in our hearts.  God’s Spirit is available to each of us!
       As a result of the Holy Spirit living in our hearts and lives; SOMETHING SPECIAL IS EXPECTED OF US!  We have received the Holy Spirit in our Baptism but it is not only for our benefit!  We are given the power of the Holy Spirit to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with other people!  And that is why on this Confirmation Sunday we celebrate the fact that our congregation continues to fulfill the Great Commission of Matthew 28, to teach and to make disciples of people through the power of the Holy Spirit!
       How well are you doing in your growth in your Christian faith and in your life as a Disciple of Jesus Christ?  If I were to ask you to list 5 facts that you know about God the Father- how well would you do?  How about 10 facts about Jesus Christ and then answer the question of Acts 2: 14- “WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?”  What about 3 Facts about the Holy Spirit- probably the least known of the 3 persons of the Trinity? 
       Pentecost then is a time to focus upon the gift of the Holy Spirit in our life and of the EXCITEMENT which comes because God the Holy Spirit encourages us, builds us up and leads us to do His Will in the world today! It is the joy of sharing that Good News that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for our sins and the sins of the whole world so that we can have eternal life in heaven!    The disciples were eager to share what they had received from God the Holy Spirit and many people were added to the church through the power of the Holy Spirit working in the sharing of God’s Word.
       Unfortunately we don’t always do a good job of sharing that message of eternal life with people.    Some people are afraid to “REACH OUT” with the love of Jesus Christ to other people!    It is much like the story of a kind old lady who lived near a golf course and watched as a pair of golfers sliced their drives deep into the rough.  The golfers went in search of their golf balls as the grass was high, the trees were thick and tempers began to flare because they couldn’t find their golf balls.  The lady watched all this happening from her front porch.
       After the search had lasted for nearly a half hour, she finally called out to them, “ I  DON’T WANT TO BOTHER YOU MEN, BUT WOULD IT BE OKAY IF I TELL YOU WHERE THE GOLF BALLS ARE OR WOULD THAT  OFFEND YOU AND BE CHEATING?”  As we look around in our world today, we see people wandering around empty and aimless in their life because they do not know the “VALUES AND BLESSING OF LIVING AS A CHRISTIAN AND A CHILD OF GOD”  based on God’s Word and the Christian faith.  They are looking for real meaning and purpose and hope in their life here on this earth.  WE MUST NOT KEEP SILENT!  Fulfilling the Great Commission of “MAKING DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS” means sharing Jesus Christ with those around us with our words and actions.  It means speaking up and sharing with them the forgiveness of sins and eternal life in heaven!
       There is a story that I read that at the entrance to heaven, two questions will be asked of everyone who comes seeking to enter into eternal life in heaven!  The first question is this: DID YOU COME ALONE? 
       And if- tragically- your answer is “YES” the second question will follow: “HOW COULD YOU?”  We are given the task of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with other people and God knew that we could not do it alone so that is why He gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit!
       What a joy it is to CELEBRATE SPIRIT SUNDAY- OTHERWISE KNOWN AS PENTECOST!  It is a time to give thanks to God for the blessing of the Holy Spirit in our life.  It is a time to offer the world the gift of the Holy Spirit which alone can change people’s lives for eternal life in heaven!  It is a time to offer the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ to the people we meet.  It is the time to share the hope and encouragement we have as God’s people with someone who needs to be reminded of God’s Love and Power!  IT’S SPIRIT SUNDAY- LET THE PENTECOST CELEBRATION CONTINUE!