May 11, 2008

God’s BIG Give: the Holy Spirit

The Greatest Stimulus Package in History

Acts 2:1-4

Opening Words: On March 2 the ABC Television Network premiered a brand new show, Oprah’s Big Give. It stars America’s newest golden girl, Oprah Winfrey. The eight one hour episodes are a competition. The contestants are asked to find creative ways to help complete strangers in some of life’s most challenging situations. As the ABC website states, “lives are changed in the blink of an eye.” When I read that I knew there was a sermon series inside. I found it!

I have called my newest sermon series God’s BIG Give. Consider these three things. First, just like Oprah, God has been giving away some amazing things for a long time. Second, just like Oprah, God’s gifts changed our lives in the blink of an eye. Third, just like Oprah, God expects us to improve the lives of complete strangers. In this seven part sermon series we are looking at some divine gifts. This morning we look at the gift the Holy Spirit. When was the last time you thanked God for the third person of the trinity? Let me call this morning’s message: The Greatest Stimulus Package in History. Let us hear God’s word on this Pentecost Sunday from Acts 2:1-4.

Acts 2:1-4 1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

I love the story of the A Sunday School class, who was studying the Apostles Creed. Each member of the class was given a section of the creed to memorize. The next Sunday the entire class would recite the entire Apostle Creed, each class member reciting their part. When the big day arrived the activity began as planned. The first child stood up and said "I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth." The second student stood and said "I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord." Then something went wrong. There was a few moments of awkward silence, before one girl spoke up: "I'm sorry sir, but the boy who believes in the Holy Spirit is absent today." Do you believe in the Holy Spirit? Perhaps, this is a more relevant question for you today. Do you understand the Holy Spirit?

If any group should understand Pentecost and the Holy Spirit it should be us good United Methodists. We were born in the aftershock of one of the great Pentecostal experiences in history. Do you remember the story? The date is May 24, 1738. The man was John Wesley. He is near the end of his great spiritual pilgrimage. To that point he had only known failure. After being raised in a Christian home but he struggled to find his way in the world. Having failed in his homeland of England he travels to America to be a missionary among the Indians of Georgia. He fails again and finds himself sailing back to England, searching for God’s purpose in his life. It is while he is on that wooden ship headed home that a great storm strikes. Wesley finds himself in tears; he is afraid he is going to die. However, it is while he is in that defeated state that he hears something that changes his life. Another group of passengers, the Moravians are sings songs of praise to God. The contrast is shocking. Wesley sees his own deficiencies and knows things must change in his heart. Wesley goes on a great spiritual quest trying to develop his faith. On May 24, 1738 he arrives. He is on Aldersgate Street. He writes in his journal these words, “His heart was strangely warmed.” We really don’t know what happened to Wesley on that date but it is safe to say this: Wesley days as a failure were over. The Holy Spirit changed his life. Because of the work of the Holy Spirit Wesley did accomplished some amazing things.

John Wesley only stood 5’3” tall? He was a small man of stature but he had no small man syndrome. Did you know rode 250,000 miles on horseback to preach the Gospel? That is approximately ten trips around the world on horseback. He preached 40,000 sermons. He and his brother, Charles, wrote 7,000 hymns? (Some aren’t bad!) When he died in 1791 he left behind 71,000 followers in England and another 40,000 in America. The truth is his success lived beyond his death. In 1957 40,000,000 people were able to trace their denominational roots back to John Wesley, the one time failure. The Holy Spirit has the ability to change people’s lives. If you don’t believe the testimony of John Wesley’s then look at the New Testament reading for this morning.

The disciples are confused; their confidence is shaken; their nerves are rattled; their strength is sapped; their energy is depleted; their hearts are empty; they feel like failures. Can you really blame them? Over the previous weeks they had been on an emotional rollercoaster ride. There was the joy of Palm Sunday, the concern of Maundy Thursday, the sadness of Good Friday, the confusion of Easter. What emotion do you think they felt was Jesus ascended in front of their very eyes? Then came a ten day period of waiting, how many questions do you think they ask during that ten day period? Jesus told them to wait in Jerusalem but wait for what? On Pentecost Sunday they were rewarded for their patience. Wesley simply said, “His heart was strangely warmed.” Luke, the writer of Acts says, “A sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.” I do not believe the words can capture the complete experience but I do know a great transformation took place in the lives of those twelve men. In the past they were always confused and bewildered but from that moment on they became lions of the faith.

Pentecost is not just about the transformation of the disciples 2,000 years ago or John Wesley 270 years ago. Pentecost is about today! The events of Pentecost were the greatest stimulus package in the history of the world. Yes, the American church is struggling; our human efforts are not enough. Many clergy feel like failures. If you get nothing else out of this message then remember this: we are dependant on the Holy Spirit to maximize our human efforts. Human efforts and that is not enough. Without the Holy Spirit we are irrelevant. (The church is the bridge between our world and heaven.) Without the Holy Spirit we would forget our purpose for existing. (The church is the only organization that exists for the benefits of our non-members.) Without the Holy Spirit we would not be able to make a single disciple. (We are in the disciple making business!) We are dependant on our divine partner

Today, I want to talk about two great assets our partner brings to the church today. There are more but time limits me to just two. What we really need is a whole sermon series that covers the Holy Spirit in full. The two I have picked today a re really significant to our ministry in the world. So if you are ready to uncover two assets the Holy Spirits bring to the ministry of any church. So if you are ready to hear how the Holy Spirit helps our efforts here at Western Reserve say, “Amen!” Come Holy Spirit Come!

The Holy Spirit Redeems Situations

The first asset the Holy Spirit brings to our partnership is the ability to redeem situations. People are interested in ability. God is interested in availability. If you think about that fact, it is true.

On Friday I turned fifty-one years old. It is amazing how dumb I have become. When I was in seminary I thought I knew everything. I served a little congregation outside of Danville, Kentucky, the Pleasant Grove Christian Church. The congregation dated back to the late 1860s. The founders of that church were Confederate survivors of the battle of Perryville. They promised God they would start a church, if they lived. My parishioners were their descendants. They were wonderful people. They were very patient with me. My sermons on Sunday morning were nothing more then notes from the previous weeks classes. I though they were great! I quoted all the great theologians. I was trying to impress them intelligence. The only one who was really impressed was myself. Then one evening everything changed.

A great storm ripped through Boyle County. Everyone said it was a tornado. The next morning I made my way to the church. When I arrived some of my church members were there. The ancient trees that circled the church building were all down. However, quite miraculously the building was unharmed. I lead them in a prayer of thanksgiving. When I closed the prayer I discovered everyone was crying tears of joy. When I saw their tears I was overcome with emotion. I tried to come up with a quote but instead I started to cry like a baby. A woman by the name of Norma Marcum gave me a hug and a shoulder. When I drove home I could have kicked myself. I thought they needed a strong leader, not a crying baby.

Several years ago I went back to Kentucky for a continuing education event at Asbury. I visited Norma Marcum. I wanted to know how sons were doing. She wanted the latest news about my life. I got a little uncomfortable when the big storm came up. She said, “I don’t want you to give you a big head but I consider you the finest pastor we ever had.” I thought she was talking about the quotes. I did my best to impress. She said, “I will never forget the way that you cried in my arms. You showed me the ministry wasn’t just a job. You were one of us!” God did must more with my tears then my words. As humans we are preoccupied with a person’s ability. God will always use a person who makes themselves available. That is one of the assets our divine partner brings. The Holy Spirit redeems situations. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

The Holy Spirit Reminds Us of the Truth

The second asset the Holy Spirit beings to our partnership is the ability to remind us of the truth. How often have we gotten so busy doing church work that we have forgotten the real work of the church? The Holy Spirit reminds us of the divine truths.

Last week I talked about one of my favorite preachers, Fred Craddock. He tells the story of helping with his church’s Vacation Bible School one summer while he was home from seminary. In those days VBS lasted for two weeks! He was asked to teach the Junior High class. The first day he discovered there were no girls in his class. It was him verses 15 thirteen year old boys who thought they were too old for Vacation Bible School. Each boy was a challenge he recalls but one boy stood out, Jeremy. He did everything possible to ruin the class. Fred admitted later he knew God loved Jeremy but grew to hate Jeremy. One night he prayed that Jeremy would become sick so he would be absent. On Thursday of the second week Fred walked into his class. There was Jeremy with a smirk on his face. He couldn’t sit there in that smelly Sunday school on that hot day so decided to give his class a project. Everyone was to go outside and find something that reminded them of God. The boys ran out the door like the building was on fire. Sometime later they returned with a collection of strange items that reminded them of God. One boy had a rock, which reminded him that God made the world. One boy had a flower, which reminded him God made all the beautiful things in the world. One boy had an old brown leaf, which reminded him that God set up the seasons in perfect order. One by one Fred went around the room and the boys told of their discovers. The last boy to talk was Jeremy. He had nothing. He was holding his little sisters hand. Fred thought he just wanted to go home. Fred was going to ignore him but Jeremy wanted to talk. Jeremy said I found my little sister, Jennifer. She reminds me that God answers prayers. I prayed for a baby brother or sister and she was born. Fred didn’t know what to say. He said later Jeremy taught him more in Vacation that his year’s worth of classes in seminary. But maybe it wasn’t Jeremy’s words? Maybe it was our divine partner, the Holy Spirit, reminding us of the truth. The second asset the Holy Spirit beings to our partnership is the ability to remind us of the truth. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

The great preacher and author Leslie Weatherhead once told a wonderful story about visiting that place where Wesley had his heart strangely warmed, Aldersgate. The original chapel is long gone, replace by another. Weatherhead said there was no great monument to the experience, only a simple plague. It is mounted on the side of the Wesley pew. The words simple say: On this spot on May 24, 1738 John Wesley’s heart was strangely warmed. He sat in the pew for a moment of meditation and prayer in dark corner of the sanctuary. It was at that moment an elderly gentleman walked in and read the plague: On this spot on May 24, 1738 John Wesley’s heart was strangely warmed. Thinking he was alone the gentle dropped to his knees next to the plaque and he prayed out loud, “Do it again, Lord! Do it again for me!”

That is my prayer for us today. We are part of the great Wesleyan tradition, “Do it again, Lord! Do it again for us!” And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”