June 12, 2011

"I will put my law within you, and I will write it upon your hearts…"Pentecost Sunday (Jeremiah 31:33)

June 12, 2011

"On Being Changed from the Inside Out." Let me be clear what I am talking about here on this Pentecost Sunday. I want us to see how God re-makes us into "witnesses" to Jesus Christ. At the BEGINNING of Matthew, Mark, and Luke’s Gospels, Jesus calls those fishermen to "Come, follow me, and I will make you to become fishers of men." At the END of Matthew’s Gospel, on that mountaintop in Galilee, the resurrected Christ gave those memorable words to his disciples: "Go now and make disciples of all nations…" At the beginning of the Book of Acts, Luke tells us Jesus’ departing words: "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my WITNESSES…" But let me suggest that those first disciples had the same high degree of resistance to doing this as we do. John takes us behind the scenes during those 40 days following the Resurrection when Jesus kept appearing and disappearing, teaching them what they were to say when they finally got the courage to speak as "witnesses." He would "open the scriptures to them," and then He would leave them for a time to see if they would trust and obey in this holy mission He had given them. We see one picture of frightened disciples in Jerusalem, locked behind closed doors in the upper room. We see disciples who then go to Galilee, see the risen resurrection, the first chapter of the Book of Acts shows us disciples back in Jerusalem for the Pentecost festival, still not having ventured forth, still cloistered among themselves, still silent….And then comes "a sound like the rush of a mighty wind."

What I’d like to do is take these three signs of that first Pentecost—the Wind, the Flames over the head, and the Speaking in a way that people could understand—as signs to us of how God re-makes us into "witnesses" to Jesus Christ.

First, the Wind. "There came a sound like the rush of a mighty wind; and it filled the house where they were sitting." God re-makes us into "witnesses" to Jesus Christ first by pushing us out into situations where we find ourselves WANTING TO be able to articulate our faith. Now, for us it usually happens as a process, not a dramatic event like this Pentecost. But let me suggest that it was a process also with those first disciples. Truly they needed a jump start; I mean, this was a totally new thing they were being asked to do—to say that this Jesus whom the Romans crucified had in fact been raised from the dead, and the remarkable linguistic phenomenon they were observing was proof of His unseen presence giving them that ability.

So indeed, it began with a dramatic event, but the whole Book of Acts tells the story of continued "stuck places" those first disciples encountered, and how God had to continue to re-make them into "witnesses," continue to push them out beyond their comfort zones, continue to give them the words they needed at just the right time if they would only "trust and obey." In this story of the early Church we call "the Book of Acts," first it was having the courage to witness to fellow Jews at the Pentecost festival. But then, it was having the courage to stick to their story when some people mocked them as a bunch of drunks; and then when the religious leaders threatened them with imprisonment.

But as the Story continues, those first disciples had the hardest time taking this message beyond their own Jewish compatriots to "the nations," as Jesus had said to do. That was "the Gentiles," and they wanted nothing to do with it. But then again, the Wind pushed them out there. Paul was converted and went to Asia Minor; Peter had a dream on a rooftop by the sea that there was a Roman centurion nearby who was just waiting to hear about Jesus. A great persecution broke out in Jerusalem because of Stephen’s dynamic preaching, and other disciples were chased out of Jerusalem and ended up in Samaria, of all places. And somehow, in each of these places, way beyond their comfort zones, when they "trusted and obeyed," when they opened their mouths and spoke about what they knew of Jesus,…the people responded! And finally, as the Story of the Book of Acts goes on, they end up in Rome before the Emperor himself.

So, the Wind: God pushes us out beyond our comfort zones and we are called to speak, to somehow articulate our faith. And much to our surprise or our frustration, we find ourselves REALLY WANTING TO BE ABLE TO DO IT. We have children. We want to pass the Faith that has meant so much to us on to them. So, you take them to church and you ask their Sunday School teachers to teach them the faith that you feel you cannot articulate. But one day around the dinner table, one of your children asks you "Daddy, what happened to Gramma; where is she now?" (Gramma has just died.) You do the best you can; you say something like, "Honey, Gramma is up in Heaven with God." But the questions don’t stop, as you know. "What’s Heaven? How do you know there is a God? Why did Jesus have to die?" Then our children have real life situations themselves where we really WANT to be able to give them faith…when they’re anxious, they’re facing a test, they’re trying out for the twirlers or the basketball team. "I’m nervous." Well, let’s pray about it, Honey. "OK, you pray." You may feel awkward at first; you may feel your prayer sounded awfully feeble. But the point is: you really really really but "witnesses" to Jesus Christ. Because in then end, Jesus is the only proof that these "hope-so" things about faith are really true.

Our Responsive Reading today lifted up that wonderful prophecy of the coming of the Holy Spirit, related to this first way God re-makes us: "This is the new covenant I will make with my people, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts…" Being witnesses ceases becoming a duty you feel inadequate for, but a deep DESIRE…you feel inadequate for. But the WANT-TO is there.

But the Wind of the Holy Spirit pushes out into other situations where we find ourselves WANTING TO be able to articulate our faith. A loved one, or a neighbor, or a work associate is diagnosed with a life-threatening disease. You would like to have an encouraging word; but anything you say sounds so fluffy; what can you do? Oh, you wish you could just pray with the person; but you don’t know exactly how; besides that is preachers’ territory…Well, by now you know that I look on that line of thinking as a cop-out. You can pray with someone; and if you just have the courage to say, could I offer a prayer with you right now?...you will find a grateful "Yes," you will find the words to pray, and you will have witnessed to the fact that God is close at hand.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit’s Wind will push you out into conversations that turn cynical, or make light of spiritual things. I remember my Dad telling me about a social encounter he had with an old friend who was going on about all the hypocrites in churches, and why he doesn’t attend. Then the friend got a bit aggressive and said, "Oh, c’mon Dwight, be honest…why do you go to church?" By this time my Dad was doing a slow burn, he was indignant about his friend’s pontificating, and a little surprised at himself, my Dad responded, "I go to church because I feel I need it!" He seemed kind of proud when he told me that, as if he had discovered something in himself he didn’t know he had, or just how strongly he really did believe.

Maybe it was indignation at a profoundly spiritual event that pushed Peter out there. Some in the crowd were laughing saying, "These folks are just drunk." The way Peter starts his Pentecost sermon is exactly at that point, "These men are not drunk, as you suppose, but this is the fulfillment of our prophets, ‘In the last day, says the Lord, I will pour out my Spirit on all people…."

The WIND…the FIRE…and the SPEECH, the words are given. What does the Fire represent for the way God re-makes us into witnesses? Well, if the Wind represents the Circumstances of our lives that push us out beyond our comfort zones where we really WANT TO be able to articulate our faith; the FIRE represents the MIND AWAKENED to your own story of how Christ has touched your life. Let’s start with Worship. Is there a part of the Worship experience that is particularly meaningful to you. Has there been a time you have come to Confession, for example, breathing a sigh of relief, and your Mind is saying to you, "Thank God for forgiveness; I blew it so badly this week." And in the silence you use that time to take your sins and put them onto Jesus’ outstretched arms? Perhaps it is the words to a hymn, or an anthem, or the scripture or sermon where a "lightbulb" went on…the flame appeared over your head…and you connected to the Good News of Jesus Christ. You may not understand the theology of the Atonement on the Cross, you may have questions about this or that about the Creed, but you connected at that point to the Good News Christ has brought us. Well, then, my friend, you have a "testimony," you can "bear witness" to this that will come out of a conviction of the mind and will have a ring of truth about it to the one with whom you share it!...if you just have the little bit of faith and courage to open your mouth, take the risk, and let it fly. You are not imposing your faith on anyone; you are simply exposing your faith, your insides to someone so they can know what makes you tick.

A friend of mine was travelling with a business associate to a sales meeting, and on the way, his colleague began to share with him the trouble he is having with his son. My friend just listened. He listened to the man’s admission that he just doesn’t have the patience sometimes to deal with a teenager, and sometimes his fuse is too short and he just makes matters worse. My friend said, "I know what you mean. When I go to church the two favorite parts of the worship service for me are the Prayer of Confession and the closing Benediction. At Confession, I often find myself confessing my sins against my own children; I usually get the notion that I need to apologize. But I try to believe that I’m forgiven. And then at the end, the preacher says something like, "Go out into the world; don’t give tit for tat, help the suffering and the weak…" It’s like it’s my chance to re-tool for the week, to do better this time, with the help of Christ."

My friend was being a "witness" just by exposing a little of his own struggle and hope with a friend. And when he had the courage to do that, and just blunder ahead,… God gave the SPEECH, and it came out right. He pointed to Christ.

The Wind; the Fire; the Speech. Where will the Wind blow you this week, where the Good News of Christ’s nearness is needed? Will you have a FIRE of personal faith to share once you get there, something "God has written on your heart"? And will you trust the Christ enough to simply step out of yourself and out of your own comfort zone, open your mouth and try to articulate what is inside you? Trust that the words will be there. Just point the person to Christ in any way you can. And when you do, know that you are not alone… "For I will be with you always, even to the close of the age." Alleluia! Amen.