For sermon from May23rd Pentecost "Holy
Spirit"goto
For Sermon from 30th May; Trinity sunday Others goto
May 30, 2010; Trinity Sunday
Others!
This morning we stand before one of the great mysteries of the Christian faith. How are we to understand, and explain logically the concept of “one God in three persons”?
Even the great theologian and philosopher St. Augustan struggled. It is said that one day he met a young girl trying to empty the ocean into a tiny hole in the beach, one small pail-full after another. Augustine asked her how she could hope to do such a thing with one small pail. She said in reply, “and you, how do you suppose that with your small head (brain) you can comprehend the immensity of God”? With that the child disappeared!
Perhaps the little girl had it right. It’s possible that while the Trinity cannot be explained with convincing logic, the Trinity simply is!
We can use various metaphors:
ice water steam, all water;
three separate notes, c, e, and g can sound individually, or sound together with greater power;
(Borg’s favourite) any one actor in a Greek drama can wear several masks, called persona, which represent different aspects of character.
Now the Jehovah’s Witnesses are correct in saying that the word “trinity” does not appear in scripture; but there is in the scripture, ample witness to Trinitarian ethos, activity,co-operation and community.
At Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Spirit descended upon him in the form of a dove, and a voice from heaven said, "this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased (Math. 3:16ff.); …the counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the father will send in my name, will teach you all things. (John 14. 26).
Now a complicating factor in trying to understand the Trinity, is our Western penchant for individualism. We tend to see the words father=son=Holy Spirit as separate entities.
In a recent article (Christianity Today) Christopher Hall says that we in the west are so inundated with images of independence that we cannot admit our need for one another; the Lone Ranger, the Marlboro Man, old blue eyes “I did it my way”! Pierre Radisson, and so on.
The recent battle and partisanship over “universal health care” in the U.S.A is a poignant example. In our own country the federal government’s willingness to suspend parliament, to boycott committee meetings, to avoid expenses audits, show similar partisanship and independence. Hall’s point is that we are so “isolationist” that we see the members of the Trinity as separate entities and are often unable to appreciate THE Trinity’s cooperation & Community.
I am wondering what personal examples we might have of private isolation, and therefore inability to do community.
I’d like now to have some fun: please take your right hand and call it Me, and then take your left hand and call it You. Now cross your hands over, and interlace your fingers and call them youme (to illustrate the synergy of others together! This new entity is far more powerful and beautiful than the sum of its parts! Next illustrate God the Father, God the son, and God the Holy Spirit…waving motion to illustrate the synergy of the 3, acting and living in a new way, in community.
On this past Thursday, a few of us attended a marvellous concert given by Steve Bell. He is a humble and gifted musician, and a skilled raconteur. He told us of his very recent trip to Israel and with great love said, there is such pain and devastation, isolation, on both sides of the conflict that if we Christians take either side, then shame on us! (Take your right hand and call it Palestine, and your left hand and call it Israel…and go like this and call the motion, SYNERGY!
One of the unnamed commentators this week caught my eye. He said, we often move towards and become like the things we think about all the time. He went on to apply this axiom to our worship we life saying, we become like the gods we adore; if we worship a warring god we become warlike, if we worship a god of pleasure we become “pleasure seekers,
and if we worship a god of love we tend to be more loving.
My closing thought is this. If we adore an individualistic Trinity we run the risk of selfishness and isolationism. If however our Trinitarian God is collegial cooperative, and communal, our hearts will be as big as the cosmos!
Closing: Towards the end of his evening with us, Steve told us about a time in one of his concerts when he was so “into his piano player’s” music, that all he could do was assist, highlight feature, his partner. Performance. Their eyes, and it seemed, their hearts were one!
At intermission he shared this phenomenon with his pianist, and he said, YES, all I could think to do was to assist, highlight, and feature your performance!
A little later Steve heard from God (in his prayers I suppose). His message to Steve was “in that moment I wasn’t interested in the artistry, nor was I interested in a perfect performance. I was however delighted that neither of you were in charge of those moments, and I enjoyed the music and praise so much…we all did! Thank you.
Pentecost; May 23, 2010
Acts 2: 1-21; Rom 8:
14-17; John 14: 8-17;Psalms 104 : 25-35, 37b
The readings for Pentecost Sunday
practically force us to discuss a subject that we would sometimes rather
avoid, the Holy Spirit!
It is difficult to explain the Holy Spirit, and it is
difficult to predict, or to anticipate His activity. You will remember
Jesus saying to Nicodemus, “the wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear
its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is
going”.
I often think of the Holy Spirit when I am on the
water. I am sure you’ve seen those rather delicate tracings on the
surface, made by breezes. They remind me of the Spirit’s subtlety and
gentleness. After all, Jesus describes the Spirit as comforter,
counsellor, and advocate.
Then at other times we have seen those groundswells
and breakers that leave us standing in awe. Luke describes the coming of
the Holy Spirit to Jerusalem that day as “the blowing of a violent wind
from heaven”.
I want to take a few moments to share something of my
own walk with the Holy Spirit, without suggesting for a moment that
everyone here should have this identical experience.
In 1968, just before graduating from UBC, I had an
experience of the Holy Spirit that was remarkable. I had attended a
series
of meetings given by an inter-denominational team of
ministers, Presbyterian, Methodist, and Anglican.
I was led into a wonderful expanse of God’s Holy
Spirit, surprised by
God’s love and joy, and excitement! I shouldn’t have
been surprised. Jesus did say the Spirit would be a teacher and friend, a
helpmate. I smiled for months. I felt so affirmed, so appreciated, so
needed by God.
Now while the coming of the Holy Spirit is
often surprising for us, His arrival in
Jerusalem was not surprising to God. God planned the Holy Spirit’s
arrival to come between two feast days that were well known to every
Jewish family. Every child knew that The Feast of Weeks was a
celebration of God’s grace and bounty, faithfulness, and a total
renewal of
Israel’s covenant with God.
The autumn Festival of Booths (sheaves of straw
actually) was a sacrifice to God of the first fruitsof
harvest. So right in the middle of covenant renewal, and sacrificial
giving, comes a celebration of the Holy Spirit’s power for
keeping covenant, and for making joyful sacrifice of the fruit of
their labours.
Now before leaving this point of “whole
families practicing their religion”, I want to mention this
modern phenomenon
ofSBNR, i.e. “I am Spiritual, But
Not Religious”. The Rev. Matt Tittle, in his essay on liberal
religion writes, “when people say they are SBNR, they miss the
point of what it means to be religious. Even John Dewey wrote in the
early 20th century about the distinction between religion,
and being religious.
I am not as keen on the distinction because I don’t
reject the essence of religion as a binding together. I reject
the doctrinal and even dogmatic trappings of religion as much as anyone.
But I do not reject the essential purpose of religion and being
religious as a binding together, an act of creation of the beloved
community.
As such I think that being SBNR is
selfish. To be spiritual is to be filled with the spirit, whether by God
or otherwise. Being spiritual is good, but spirit needs to be
shared. Just being spiritual is all about you. Sharing your
spirit is being religious, and is about the other…said another
way, why would we squander our gifts, keeping them to ourselves, and how
could we possibly live in a community where there is nothing to
share?”.
In sum, I sense no
desire on the part of the covenanting people of God to prefer
spirituality to religion. In family settings the Israelites
practiced/practice their religion regularly, and in particular settings!
Now, back to my theme. One commentator says that
Pentecost is a pregnant moment in the life of the people of God, and in
the relationship between them and their God.
Pentecost is the moment when gestation (the
history , the Law and the Prophets, the coming of Jesus) ceases and
birthing begins!
And what a birthing it was!
·Peter, once silenced by fear around the campfire, is now
preaching up a storm in
Jerusalem, and way beyond.
·Israel, once believing she was the sole keeper of the
faith, now becomes God’s light unto all the nations. Fully 13 nations
are now included in their outreach plans!
·The Early Church now explodes with hospitality and
love; the Holy Spirit is poured out among them and they love the
previously shunned. Rich and poor are eating together; those with means
are helping those without.
·The message has changed from “you must be circumcised”
to “the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are
far off…And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”
The church in its early days must have been a very
exciting place to be! The Holy Spirit had come upon the early disciples
in
Jerusalem, and they had indeed received power. They had become
courageous and effective witnesses throughout the known world. They did
exploits for God!
Peter healed the crippled beggar.
In the city of
Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual to the Jewish synagogue. There
they preached so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles
believed. They spent considerable time there speaking boldly for the
Lord.
In
Philippi, Lydia
and her whole household believed and were baptized. In today’s first
reading a woman possessed of a spirit caused a great commotion, and Paul
commanded the spirit to come out of her. The spirit came out of her,
and her owners, realizing their revenue was lost, hauled Paul and his
friends to court on bogus charges. They were beaten, flogged, stripped
and thrown into prison. However, by midnight, Paul and Silas were
praying and singing hymns together and witnessing to all the
other prisoners.
There were many great things completed for God, by
men and women who loved God. No loners or celebrities in the
early church! There were only spirit-empowered men and women working
together to bring freedom, salvation, and wholeness to the whole world!
Now there are at least three reasons for the early
church’s effectiveness in spreading the Gospel. First,they
worked together as a community (the Greek word is Koinonia meaning
“communion, joint participation, sharing and intimacy”). Community begins
with a mystical joining of Jesus with the community of the faithful.
This union is also experienced in practical daily life. The same bonds
that link people to Jesus, also link them with other faithful
Christians. The New Testament letters describe those bonds as so vital
and genuine that a deep sense of intimacy is experienced among the
members of a local church.
Second, they ate meals together, (sometimes called
“table fellowship”). Today, we are all
busy. Unfortunately the family table has been replaced by fast food, a
quick meal that only makes nutrition but not table fellowship. The
Jewish dining table was far from just being a “place to eat”. It was a
place for fellowship, praise, worship, and instruction. The family
prayed, sang songs, and broke bread together. Eating together was a
sacrament of “reunion and communion”. A friend of mine wonders out loud,“think how different the dynamic is when we sit and eat with
someone. We meet as equals. We share together. We behave as
friends. We affirm one another and enjoy one another.
Here’s Luke’s description of the early church’s
quality of life:
And they were continually devoting themselves to the
apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to
prayer.Everyone kept feeling a sense of
awe: and all those who had believed were
together and had all things in common. Many wonders and signs were
taking place through the apostles (Acts 2.42-43). And day by day
continuing in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they
were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart.
And the Lord was adding to their number day by day, those who were being
saved! (Acts 4.44f.)
Third, the Believers sensed Jesus' prayers for them.
In this morning's Gospel we get to "listen in" on Jesus' priestly
prayers for them and for us, and for generations yet unborn:
·May the
fellowship we experience O God, be experienced by them. May their unity
and love draw others to wholeness.
·Do not take them
out of the world, but keep them from the evil one.
·Consecrate them
in the truth, my word is truth.
·And dear God, may
their Joy be complete.AMEN
In Closing: I thank
God for the great things He is doing these days in our community of St.
Mary. Yesterday there was true koinonia as we worked together on our
grounds; someone was planting flowers, others were mowing the lawns and
doing the weed-eating, others were moving tables in preparation for
Wednesday’s Clergy Day, I heard singing and there was helpful
conversation and prayer. We were together!Thank-you
God.
Perhaps in the Fall, we can
play “Guess who’s coming to dinner”. On a given Sunday a few
families will play host for any number of guests; on the next month
people who were hosts get to be guests, and round and round it go.Together
The Spirit of God is everywhere in
the book of Acts! Some
theologians have suggested that the Book “The Acts of the Apostles”
could be re-named “The Acts of the Holy Spirit” for throughout the book
it is the blessed Holy Spirit who guides and directs the growth of the
“early church”.
When the Holy Spirit comes upon a people,
barriers fall! Last week we saw Peter’s change from an uptight religious
person who felt the Gospel was only for the Jews. But by the Holy
Spirit he realized that God has no favourites; that the Gospel is for
the Gentiles too! Surprise!
Today
we discover that it’s the Holy Spirit who charts the course of “early
church growth: He directs the Apostle’s journey through Asia and
out into
Europe:-
The Spirit prevented
Paul and his friends from preaching in
Asia Minor.
They tried to enter Bithynia, in present day
Turkey, but the “Spirit of Jesus” wouldn’t allow them.
So they passed by
Mysia and went down to Troas, also in present day Turkey; and in that night Paul had a vision
of a man from Macedonia, Greece, entreating him “come over to
Macedonia and help us”! And in his “heart of hearts” Paul said YES! And
he got ready at once and left for
Macedonia.
When Bruce Bryant Scott (Diocesan Executive
Officer) called me and said that the Bishop wanted me to go to St.
Mary’s, I said YES, and on Feb 15th. 2009 you said YES.
And here we all are, and this by the moving and direction of God’s
Holy Spirit.
You know, I often wonder what new directions,
what possibilities and ministries the Holy Spirit has for us as
individuals, and for us as the Parish of St. Mary. On Tuesday this week
council will be praying about as many as six new ministries/events:
community dances, special youth programs. There is a well loved hymn in
many of our older hymnbooks that goes;
Have
your own way Lord, have your own way
You are
the potter, I am the clay.
Mould me
and make me after your will,
While I
am waiting, yielded and still.
Now the city of
Philippi was an important city for the spread of
the Gospel. It was placed right at the intersection of major trade
routes of the day; so what happened in Philippi travelled out into
central
Europe. No wonder the Holy Spirit called Paul and his friends, and no
wonder they said YES.
Paul found small beginnings in
Philippi: just a quiet place of prayer beside the river, and just a few
“God Fearers”. And among them there was a woman listening to God. The
Lord opened
Lydia’s heart to respond and she, along with all the members of her
household were baptized.And she invited them into her
home for a meal! Small beginnings with fantastic results…and all
the work of God the Holy Spirit! Just a few years later Paul is
writing to the Church in
Philippi, and he’s excited. He’s thanking God for their strong
partnership in the Gospel, for their deep and abounding love for one
another, for their steady increase in discernment and depth of insight
into the things of the Gospel. YES, small beginnings and fantastic
results!
You know, this is the way it
happens; a few people gathered in a quiet place for prayer...just a
few people who are listening to God and who are willing to do His
will...just a few baptisms here and there and then it’s whole families
baptized...and then the neighboursYES!
As we walk with
God there are surprises along the way.
The writings today are filled with excitement and
hope! In the Revelation John is talking about God’s careful plans for The
New Jerusalem, a new kingdom where swords are beaten into
ploughshares, and spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up
sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore; a new
kingdom where the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to
decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God!
I was interested in a comment made this
week that the Judeo-Christian view of the future is not endless cycles.
Rather the scriptures talk about our walking and working with God,
towards a new world. He will wipe every tear from our eyes, there will
be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of
things has passed away. Such will be the glorious consummation of
human history. And this is not God’s negation of our history, varied as
it is. It is simply God’s tending the seeds already germinating in our
lives today! There is in the Gospel today, one of those all-important
seeds that God is tending and nurturing for the kingdom … what I’d
like you to do is to love one another sacrificially! W.H Auden wrote
a poem in 1957 entitled The more Loving One:
If equal
affection cannot be,Let the more loving one be me.
How should we like
it were stars to burn
With a passion for
us we could not return?
If equal passion cannot be,Let the more loving be
me.
Such is the preferential love God is looking for in
building The New Jerusalem.
Now as we walk with God towards a new future there
are surprises along the way! We do have a habit of “fast
freezing” our theology, vacuum packing it, selling it and finally making
it into an icon! Peter and his friends were like that. Indeed Peter
went to sleep one night and got the surprise of a lifetime! In a
vision he saw a sheet coming down from heaven and in that sheet there
were both “clean and unclean animals” (kosher & not kosher). He
heard a voice saying “get up Peter, kill and eat!” And Peter said, “No,
it’s against my religion! I’m not to eat what is unclean”. The voice
spoke from heaven a second time, “do not call anything impure that God
has made clean”! Surprise!
In my fifteen years with B.C. Corrections I was often
asked as Chaplain to facilitate visits, and religious services for
Moslem, Sikh and Hindu residents. I was always asked to not only
organize these services, but also to attend these services. Without
reference to peoples’ “ultimate destination, or to the details of
“Comparative Religion”, I was always surprised by their welcome
and inclusion and love. I was often reminded of something Albert
Einstein said, “after every good religious conversation, even about
differences, there is a sense of awe”.
Now back to Peter. Up to this point he believed the
“good news” was for the Jews only, but in his testimony afterwards he
speaks of his personal epiphany. He says “I used to think we
Jews shouldn’t associate or visit with the Gentiles…but I have
discovered that God doesn’t show favouritism…he has no favourites! He
accepts men and women from every nation who fear Him and who do right! Acts
10:34 ff.
As it
turns out, this dream was an encouragement for Peter to accompany some
Gentile strangers to the home of Cornelius, also a Gentile. Cornelius
was already on his way towards God…the Holy Spirit of God was already
chatting with him, drawing him, welcoming him. And I believe there
are many in this area of Nanoose Bay who live in respect of God, even in
respect of Christ, who are simply awaiting our non-judgmental and
loving invitation to join our journey.
I close with a question:How do glimpses of God’s new heaven and new earth inspire
us to bring renewal and transformation right here, right now.
And a Prayer:
Creator of all that has been, all that is, and all that shall be, come
to us today. Wipe every tear from our eyes, that we might behold all
things made new by your saving love.Amen
