Pentecost 2012

From Pastor Amy:

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place, And suddenly from heaven there came the sound like the rush of a violent wind...                                 Acts 2:1-2a


...a sound like the rush of a violent wind. Have you ever sat and listened to the wind from a powerful storm? Those are the winds that rush in with force and fury and you know, just by hearing them, that they are changing the landscape of the outside world. Several years ago, I was home from California finishing up wedding plans. On my trip, we had an unexpected visit from Hurricane Ike. The force of the storm hit in the middle of the night, although my dad boarded up the windows on my family's home so I would not have been able to watch the storm even if it had been light outside. I stayed up through the night listening to storm and watching the news. In the early morning hours, our electricity was finally blown out. As my family slept, I listened to the cries of the wind. When the storm passed, we opened our door to see water rising almost to our porch.

wind
and
water

They often go together in nature but they are also important signs of our faith. In the wind we are reminded that the Spirit of the Living God has come and made his home in us - our lives and our communities. In the rush of the Wind, we know that we no longer act in our own power because the Wind possess the greatest strength. It is in this strength that we are made brothers and sisters and children of God. It is in this power that we are taught that the things which might divide us - languages, beliefs, and physical appearances are loved and embraced by God. In the coming of the Wind, we find that in God's Kingdom we all have a home.

The wind and the water go together. It is the actions of the Wind that claim us in the waters of baptism and when we pass through the waters we hear the Wind whisper in our ears you are loved, you belong, you are mine. 

My dear friends, let us wear red or fuchsia or orange tomorrow. Let us celebrate the coming of the Wind who is the Spirit, may we believe that we belong, and may our words, actions, and the rhythms of our lives let others know that they are loved and belong as well.  


Pentecost Prayer
Jan Richardson

It is not the sparks
caused by our difference
that haunt me
but the brimstone
of those bent
on assimilation
on annihilation

I have felt the template
on my flesh,
I have seen the wounded and the scalded,
and I am not persuaded
that if  we look alike
God will love us more.

I believe God loves the languages
of those struggling to speak
the words embedded in our flesh
of every shape and hue.

And I believe God blesses
every space where we are welcomed
to speak with tongues of fire
and hear with hearts aflame. 

Sermon Preview: You will be my witnesses.

The ascension 
Peter Rogers (1933- ) Oil  1963

Methodist Collection of Modern Christian Art, No.29

Hello everyone! Tomorrow morning is the last Sunday of Easter!.... So hopefully by now you've eaten all your Peeps and Cadbury eggs. If you haven't, then I guess you'll have to bring them to church so I ... I mean we... can help you finish them off. :) 

We'll be talking a little bit about the Ascension--- one of the lesser-known Christian celebratory days in our tradition--- and also the idea of "witness."

Witness is usually referring to, in our day especially, something having to do with courts. Accounts that give credibility to a person's claims.... or, oftentimes, invalidate their claims. 

At the ascension--- Jesus tells his disciples, "You will be my witnesses." The church has always believed and understood---- this was not a one-time charge to such that group of disciples alone. That's the charge for all of us, today. "Be my witnesses." 

Most Christians believe this.  The question becomes, what does it mean? 

Does it mean that we have to be able to 'explain' God, or the Gospel, or Jesus, to other people?   (Does it mean that we need to get in their face and  tell them, whether they're interested or not?)  That seems a little judgmental, I think, to most of us. 

Does it mean that we have to give 'credibility' to God, somehow? --- Maybe so. I think of how many people I've met that have given up faith in God, but the reason is often tied to having had a really terrible or oppressive experience with Christians, or a particular church. I think lots of people today relate to Gandhi's quote about liking Jesus, but not being so crazy about the church. (I have to admit, sometimes that includes me.) 

But, we're not perfect, and that's okay, right? And maybe we have some doubts or questions about faith, too, that we can't answer---- so does that mean that our "witness" is somehow less?

---(And, really, do I have to go TALK to people about God? I mean, really.) 

---So, what do YOU think?  What DOES "be my witnesses" mean? More importantly, what should it look like? 

We'll get into it a bit more, tomorrow. Enjoy the beautiful Saturday!

 

Sermon Preview: Mother's Day and Love

From Pastor Josh: 

Image: Addie Kay Boswell's Circle of Women

Mother's Day is tomorrow!  (Uh oh, better not forget to call my momma....)

Also tomorrow begins the 6th week of Easter, and for our lesson this week we'll be looking again at the Gospel of John, at some of Jesus' last words to his disciples.

As we mentioned a few weeks back, John is a unique work of art in comparison to the other more historical Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. In John, we have a mash-up of sermons and lessons about Jesus--perhaps some of them based on the words of Jesus--mashed together with various scenes from Jesus' life.The reason for this? To preach words of hope and courage to churches in the 2nd century, whose lives and faith were threatened.

And the great source of hope that the Gospel gives to us? .... is Love. Love God. Love each other.

Sounds great!   It even sounds simple! But it is, really?

I mean, how many of us really and truly know what love is? I "love" my spouse (and partner-in-crime) Amy. I also use the word "love" to describe things like... my friends. Philly Cheese Steak. And the San Antonio Spurs. (#5 on the way!....sorry to break it to you, Celtics. )

Of course I don't mean the same thing when I say I LOVE all these things--- (I better not, or something is seriously wrong with me.)

What we're after here in this text----is the love that, like those early Christians, truly gives us HOPE and PURPOSE and JOY.... that somehow LASTS....even in times of great difficulty. That goes beyond just a fleeting emotion or a comforting thought.

How can we know what THAT kind of love looks like? 

Perhaps, on Mother's Day, we can consider how maybe our MOMS give us a clue??..... (Maybe not?)  

We'll be chatting about this tomorrow morning!

Images from Re:Worship