Latest / Belin Memorial UMC / Pastor Connie Stinson - "IFF Only"
Transcript
- Belin Memorial UMC: Yes, it's Pentecost Sunday. And that's a very big deal. Even our pastor Will Melambri recently said, after Christmas and Easter, it's the most important day. He's in good company, for it is indeed a broad theological consensus that Pentecost is the third pillar of our faith, for it commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit and the birthday, the birth of our Christian church. It's also a very personal day, for the day of Pentecost reminds us that the Holy Spirit is experienced personally. It allows each one of us to have a direct, intimate access to God. I mentioned that I wear my stole today in memory of my cousin, Carol. She was one of those persons who made the Holy Spirit very real for me. With much enthusiasm, she did indeed call Pentecost her favorite church day. She died nearly three years ago. And before she died, she asked that her pastor and I, the two officiants at her service, would wear our red stoles over our clothes. And so again, I thank you for allowing me this personal indulgence as I celebrate this very meaningful occasion. Red stands for the tongues of fire that appeared over the heads of the followers of Jesus in Acts two, which we'll look at in a minute. Also, red, and I'm now going to look for my slides. Sorry. ⁓ Also, red symbolizes the burning zeal and passion that the Spirit ignites within each of us. The guiding presence of the Holy Spirit that unites and strengthens whole bodies of believers is another characteristic of the Holy Spirit, and it's what the red symbolizes. I think red also symbolizes that energy. The power that breaks down barrier walls. Now, these are three things the power of the Holy Spirit does for all of us. And I'm going to talk about these three things throughout this sermon. But first, pause with me. These three things. They're miracles. And they're hard to grasp. They're easy to doubt. Sometimes I just want to consider them and say, if only, if only I could feel. If only I could feel the unity, the fellowship. If only I could experience, witness the breaking down of barrier walls. Today I stand to testify that the Holy Spirit can do all of this. It does impact us as individuals like nothing else can. And it does impact our fellowship and create fellowship like nothing else can. And it can dissolve factions between us and among us. So as we read our New Testament passages, I invite you to consider the true power of the Holy Spirit and what it really can do. Note that there are phrases in our verses that I'm about to read. I underlined the ones that spoke to me about these characteristics of the Holy Spirit. This is the word of the Lord. When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind. And it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues as of fire appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them ability. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem, and at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered. Because each one heard them speaking in the native languages of each. Amazed and astonished they asked, Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, What does this mean? But others sneered and said, They're filled with new wine. But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them. Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. No, This is what was spoken through the prophet Joel. In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. And from first Corinthians, a couple of verses in chapter twelve says. For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one spirit we were all baptized into one body, Jews are Greeks, slaves are free, and we were all made to drink of one spirit. The word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. These verses tell us a lot about the Holy Spirit. As I said earlier, it's a big deal. Our attention is grabbed because it's shocking. We know from Acts that it was shocking for those present enough to gather a bewildered crowd. When onlookers began to take it all in, they were amazed, they were perplexed. They asked questions. They sought explanations. They made rude assumptions, and then The voice of reason, calm and collected, Peter stood and rose above the chaos and assured the crowd that these were words that had been already spoken by the prophet Joel. Joel's words reveal the most important characteristic, the first characteristic. It's personal and it's individualized. It pours out producing prophecy and visions and dreams and The earlier words, a tongue rested on each of them, also helps us understand that that Holy Spirit is personal. In First Corinthians, the Apostle Paul says more. All gifts are equally important. They are all part of what make us one. Three words of Paul mark the second characteristic of the Holy Spirit and creates fellowship. It unites us. Paul's words speak to me because Paul knew division when he saw it. A typically Pauline topic was that even Gentiles can be saved. We read those words now and we think, well, duh. Of course Gentiles were part of the spiritual unity, but that back then that perspective, that reality, mmm, that left believers shocked. Gentiles, after all, had been regarded and treated as outsiders. So these passages of Scripture are good windows into understanding the power of the Holy Spirit. I summarize with these three attributes the individual impact, the fellowship, and the factions that are dissolved. All these things are because of the Holy Spirit's power. So let's go back to number one. I want to say a little bit more about the individual impact. It allows us to be seen, it allows us to receive spiritual gifts. It allows us to feel and be inwardly affirmed and valued. Individual impact may also involve another person. You recall that in the Gospel of John, Jesus explained to his disciples that the Holy Spirit. Would be a paraclete, or to say the original Greek word paraklitos, often called alongside to help. That is what it means. Translated in your Bibles as advocate or comforter or encourager or helper or friend, most often advocate. This Greek word is used four times in the Gospel of John. And I heard Pastor Sandra. Say this in a sermon just a few weeks ago to you. The Holy Spirit was meant to be, is meant to be, one who guides us and comforts us. Now I want to tell you a little bit more about my cousin Carol. She loved Pentecost. She also wore funny socks. She also had a great singing voice. She was a member of the community chorus. And so at her funeral service, The whole chorus came to sing. They wore red, which had been asked of them, and they did something else. When they first got out of their vans, I saw that their pant legs were rolled up and their funny socks that they wore were showing. It was kind of a heartwarming scene, to tell you the truth. They really wanted to honor the one who brought life to the party. I eventually realized that Carol. Had been our glue in our extended family. She was our advocate. She was our paraclete. She was the one who walked alongside us as individuals. She was steady. She was faithful. She was quiet. She brought the Holy Spirit to our family. I also think she was especially kind and loving to the in-laws that came along through the years, sort of like our. Gentiles, the outsiders, she brought them in. My own daughter-in-law, Morgan, explains how she felt a special connection with Carol during the last Thanksgiving that we were all together. It was our family tradition to exchange gifts, but on this particular Thanksgiving, we were assigned names and told to choose a personal possession that meant a lot to us and be prepared to explain its meaning. When we gave it to the person we'd been assigned. Morgan got Carol's name. Three months prior, Morgan's father had passed. Her father was an Irishman through and through, and he loved the all things Irish. So Morgan prepared to give Carol an Irish token. When Carol opened it, she immediately recognized it because you see, her father, my Uncle Bob. was also Irish, who also loved all things Irish. Carol took the token, held it to her heart, got real misty eyed, and said, I will always now remember your father as I remember mine. Morgan still speaks of Carol and about that moment shared, for it touched both of them in an unspeakable, healing, personal way. Advocate, paraklitas, comforter, that was Carol because the Holy Spirit breathed through her into us. Another example of individual impact provided by the Holy Spirit was quite recent for me when a fellow volunteer at Brook Green Gardens came up to me as if she had a secret to tell. We were by ourselves, and she said, I have to tell you something. She said, I had a moment. I never go to church because I visited this church and it was empty. I was by myself and something happened. I was really touched. I think it was the Holy Spirit. I think that the message somehow was that I would be okay. Well, as you can imagine, I felt pretty privileged to be told this. She hadn't told anyone else, and she kept saying, I can't get it out of my head, but I don't want to get it out of my head. And then after a minute she said, Do you think it was real? What do you think I said? I frankly don't remember what I said, but I hope it was something like, heck yeah, or embrace it, remember it, love it, because yes, it was real. So that second if is divine connection. Koinania is what I like to call it. Fellowship is what I'm referring to it in my little, by the way, IFF, if acronym, individual impact, fellowship, and factions dissolved. But koinanea is the Greek word for fellowship. And English words don't really capture what koinanea means. You'll see it 20 times in your New Testament, but fellowship, I don't know about you, but I think about coffee and potlucks first. It's way deeper than that. My friend Jerry Harvey, I think, would have agreed that koinanea was really what he meant when he said prayer. He was a good man, in fact, ⁓ kind of famous because he wrote the a ⁓ the book, The Abilene Paradox, back in the 70s. It still has great ratings. It was on the New York Times bestseller list. And in that book, he gave his quirky perspective on all things ordinary. You could kind of know him just by reading. Anyway, when I knew him in the eighties and nineties. Jerry was once asked to talk about prayer in front of a group at our church. He it was short and sweet, his address. He said, Anytime I have a meaningful connection with another human being or group of persons, to me, that is prayer. It is the human connection that is so powerful, I know it's divine. And it doesn't matter where it is. It could be in a restaurant, it could be in a conference hall, it could be in my office, it could be even at church. And it changes me. So have you ever had a moment when you feel divinely connected to the people around you, even if you don't know them very well? It may happen in worship, it may happen during a prayer in a Sunday school class, it may happen when you're singing in the choir or with the band here in the harbor. I think those moments when you feel connected are part of what koinonia is. There are moments that need to be built upon. They're worthy of our attention and they're worthy of our ongoing response. Finally, the Holy Spirit dissolves fac factions. That's the third point up there. And maybe what's most important is that during those times when the Holy Spirit intervenes, we suddenly remember what's most important. We realize there are no uses, there there are no thems or we's. We're one. Here's an everyday type story of when factions dissolved. It comes in the form of a letter that I'd like to read to you, and it was written by a restaurant manager dealing with customers. I think the Holy Spirit played a big role in this situation. Factions did dissolve. See what you think. This letter is entitled To The Stuff That Goes Unsaid. To the woman and child who sat at Table nine. I did not introduce myself to you. My name is Tony. I have been a restaurant manager for fifteen years. My day consists of making sure my restaurant runs well. That could mean washing dishes, cooking, and sometimes even serving tables. I have also dealt with every guest complaint you can imagine. A few weeks back you came into my restaurant. I was very busy that night. I was running around helping the kitchen cook food. I was asked to talk to a table close to yours. I did, and they said your child was being very loud. I heard some yelling while I was talking to that table. I heard a very loud beep come from a young girl. I started to walk to your table. You knew what I was going to ask. You saw the table I just spoke to pointing at you. I got to your table and you looked at me. You wanted the first word. You said Do you know what it's like to have a child with autism? You were not rude when you asked the question, in fact you were quite sincere. Your daughter could not have been more than five years old. She was so beautiful and looked scared while I was at your table. She looked like she thought she was in trouble. In fifteen years I did not have a lot of memorable moments as a restaurant manager. I remember some guests who were mad that their burgers were not the way they wanted them. I remember a woman who called corporate on me because she received a a coke instead of a diet coke, she said. I remember having to cut people off from drinking alcohol, and I remember having to tell tables to have their child be quieter. I know that I was supposed to s what I was supposed to say when I went to your table. I was supposed to politely tell you to please not have your daughter yell. I was supposed to offer to move you to another area. I was supposed to offend you by not offending you. I did not do any of that. Instead I just told you I helped I hoped your meal was awesome. I high fived your daughter, and then I told you that your meal was on us tonight. It was only sixteen dollars. It meant more to me than that. I do not think the other guests I spoke to were happy about it at that moment. It did not matter to me. I do not know how you reacted I had to leave to go cook because the kitchen was not doing very well that night. When the server asked me why I bought the food, I just said you didn't enjoy your steak. I did not tell anyone what you said to me. I was thankful you said it to me though. You asked me a question that I did not answer. The truth is I do not know what it is like. To have a child with autism. I know what it's like to be a father. I know what it's like to be a husband. I know what it's like to not tell your wife enough. I how much I love her. I know what it is like to want to spend more time with your children. You asked me the question right away. You have been through this before in other restaurants. I did not want to be like other managers. I did not want to tell you. What you always heard. Honestly, I wrote this to you and your beautiful daughter because I wanted to thank you both. You have given me a great restaurant memory, one that I needed for the last fifteen years. You also taught me a valuable lesson. Sometimes doing the right thing does not make everyone happy, just the people who need it the most. Sincerely, Tony. Perhaps when the Holy Spirit bridges, divides, humanity is most recognized and celebrated. Perhaps when the Holy Spirit unites us, people see miracles and just enter into them because nothing else matters. If we take the time to notice, we may see that the power exists even when doubt overwhelms. If we embrace the power of the Holy Spirit today, tomorrow, and the rest of our lives, how different do you think life would be? How different do you think our world would be? On this Memorial Day Sunday, on this Pentecost Sunday, I dare ya, I dare you to ask yourself the question: if I took a chance and really believed, really stepped into the power of the Holy Spirit, what then? Then dare to do it and dare to answer the question. I think it's all about believing, believing with every fiber of our being. Pray with me. Holy God, today we've come together seeking your holy presence in our lives. We recognize too easily that we are weak and you are strong. So strengthen our faith, we humbly ask, through the power of your Holy Spirit, that we might be your instrument, so much so that we become part of your Holy Spirit, an encourager, a helper. An advocate to others. Strengthen our faith, we humbly ask, through the power of your Holy Spirit, that we might be your instrument so much so that we become agents of Koinania, helping to foster spiritual communities containing fellow pilgrims who consciously, intentionally seek to make the world better. Strengthen our faith. We humbly ask, O Lord, through the power of your Holy Spirit, that we might be your instrument so much so that we become active peacemakers, breaking down the dividing walls among us. And speaking of peacemakers, O God, we remember today those who have served our country to defend the freedoms we hold dear. We pray for those at war right now. And we thank you for the lives of those who ultimately sacrifice for the cause of liberty and justice for all. Thank you for the veterans who sit among us today, and for those who are actively serving in the U.S. military. Bless the families and loved ones of past and present service members too, Lord, for we recognize the hardships sustained by them. Undergird all of these treasured individuals with faith and confidence and In your eternal love. God, the world is in great turmoil. So we hereby put all of the global trials and tribulations at your feet on this Memorial Day weekend. For we know not how to respond otherwise. May the power of your Holy Spirit be known even in the darkest hours. It is in your holy name that we now pray the prayer you taught us to pray. Our Father who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory for ever. Amen.