Day of Pentecost (4)

CALL TO WORSHIP

We may come from different places to worship today. Across the world, Christians of every nation and language will gather to worship the same God who calls us here. The Spirit knows no boundaries and speaks all languages. Let us open our hearts and minds to receive the Spirit.

152 This is the day the Lord has made.

A GATHERING PRAYER

Lord, be here with us today. Let us hear you speaking with words that speak deep in our being. As we hear your voice, comfort, encourage, challenge, and motivate us. May your Holy Spirit inspire us, and guide us. Amen.

A PRAYER OF ADORATION

Almighty God, lighten our darkness. Melts our cold hearts and warms us to the core. Reveals your truth to us. Almighty God, you are the essence of our being, the source of our life, the reason for our living, cleaning our sin. Almighty God, you are the one we adore – faithful, unshakeable, for ever. Amen.

A PRAYER OF CONFESSION

O God, despite our failings, you welcome, embrace and enfold us. Despite our deaf ears, you continue to speak to us. Despite our blind eyes, you continue to show us the way. Despite hearts hardened to the world’s needs, you always love us. Despite our uncertainty, you trust us with your message. Despite our faltering and mumbling, you entrust us with your Word. Despite the fact that we are unworthy, you see worth in us. In our wanderings and wonderings, you stick with us. All this and so much more, O God: you offer us your forgiveness. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS

We fail you O God, yet loud and clear you speak words of acceptance and forgiveness to us: my child, your sins are forgiven. Amen.

370 Breath on me breath of God.

READING

Acts 2: 1-21

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

5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,[b] 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”

13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

Peter Addresses the Crowd

14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

17 “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’[c]

John 7: 37-39

37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”[a] 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

566 Take my Life, and let it be.

SERMON

Imagine if you will you are in the desert, you’re thirsty. It’s hot, the sun is beating down, the land and the rivers are dusty and dried up. You long for a cool refreshing drink, but your water bottle is empty. Then you catch in the distance the faint sound of flowing water, a small waterfall trickling through a rocky gorge. It’s music to your very soul. It’s life-giving water! Jesus lived in a thirsty land where flowing water was scarce and precious. He also sensed the deep spiritual thirst in many of those he encountered like the Samaritan woman at the well.

People can last around three days without water.

This may be a lot less in a scorching desert.

In today’s reading from John’s gospel Jesus tells the people and us today that he is the living water.

The timing of this was during the feast of Tabernacles at a time when the people lived in booths or tents, and although this was a probably a happy event with singing and dancing it recalls the time when Moses lead the people out into the desert, from Egypt.

So, at that time the people as a nation came together to recollect the time of wandering in the wilderness and the scarcity of water, and we know from Exodus not long after they had left Egypt, they complained to Moses about the lack of lifegiving water.

So, Moses called out to God To help his people.

What did God do? He provided them with water to quench their thirst.

But what does the reading mean to us today. we are asked the simple question are we thirsty?

do we thirst after the word of God?

If we do, then this reading is for us.

37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.

So, I suppose the question is to each one of us, do we drink from the words of Jesus?

Do we take on and live his words for us?

Because when we do, like everything God provides, he does it in abundance, not only do we become full, but we become full to overflowing, so much so, that through Jesus we can become a stream in the desert.

We become that stream as the words of Jesus fill us completely.

Trust me we are in a desert a spiritual desert, we are surrounded by people who are dying from thirst, and they don’t even know it, they don’t know or understand the water that gives a true and fulfilling life can only come from a relationship with Jesus.

But again, I say this living water can’t flow from us unless we ourselves are already filled.

But how do we reach out to these people who aren’t aware of their need?

One thing is for sure we can’t do this in our own strength, this can only come from God.

However, we are not left alone, as we desire to become closer to God, and as we gather today to celebrate the promise that Jesus gave his followers, that he would send a helper.

What happened on the Pentecost morning?

As the Holy Spirit came down.

This was different than any other time the Holy Spirit appeared On earth.

Unlike In the OT when the Holy Spirit came upon certain people and prophets, for a specific task but never remained. Once the work or message was given the HS left the person.

That is the major difference at the coming of the HS in Acts when the Spirit came onto Jesu’s followers it remained with them.

When this happened it was a time of another festival this is the feast of weeks or Pentecost which happens 50 days after the feast of first fruit it was the feast when the first harvest of grain was to be brought as a sacrifice.

NEW GRAIN

Is that not interesting?

New grain, the beginning of a new thing!

There is so much symbology in this reading.

There is that image of a tongues of fire coming and resting on each of the disciples.

We can recall the image of God in Exodus appearing as fire and smoke on the mountain visible to his people. Or Moses seeing a burning bush

Fire is used many times to symbol of divine presence and power of God.

Another strange event happened.

In verse 4 we read 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.

I have a couple of little stories about language. The first one is a personal one.

Many years ago, I went to Germany on business, now I don’t speak German other than a couple of words.

I was travelling with someone who spoke fluent German.

One morning I went into town on my own, it was very beautiful, it was like a chocolate box.

Which brings me to the story, I saw a cholate shop and decided to buy some. I have my money and thought it through.

Simple point at what I want, give the money, transaction done.

Well, the first part went ok, I pointed to the chocolates I wanted.

Then the lady spoke to me, I hadn’t a clue what she said so I repeated the word Chocolate and pointed.

She then did a very English thing and repeated the words louder and slower, as we know this always works doesn’t it?

Well, no it never works.

Luckily my friend turned up and explained she was asking if I wanted it gift wrapped!

The second story perhaps more relevant is as follows:

A minister on a trip to Kenya attended an African Pentecostal church where he was invited to speak at a big event. They listened politely to what he had to say with the aid of a translator, but he didn't really engage with them.

However, when the next speaker started to talk in their local language the people’s response was immediate because she spoke out of the shared knowledge of their culture, and they lapped up her words. The message was embodied in her, and it spoke to them. It was truly the work of the Spirit.

It's often said that this passage is a reversal of the story of Babel, but it is even more remarkable than that. The fact that God-fearing people from every corner of the earth gathered in one place to worship during the festival was already if you like a reversal of that scattering of the people.

What was new, about what happens that day was that people didn’t need to come back to some centre, but rather the word would go out to every corner of the earth.

At its core, Pentecost, is about God coming to us in our fallen condition more than it is about us finally getting to God. Breaking down the cultural and language barriers.

At Pentecost, there where crowds from a whole variety of people who heard God speaking to them in their own tongue. They had come to celebrate for the great pilgrim feasts in Jerusalem.

So, many would return home declaring ‘God speaks our language. What also must have occurred to them was that the Gospel message wasn’t just for Jews, otherwise the Spirit of God would just speak in Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek – although it did take a little time for that penny to drop.

The events of Pentecost show that Christianity is a global faith and not just for one culture or ethnic group. God’s love is for sharing, but to do that it must be lived out and communicated in a language that is understood.

Can you imagine this whilst we are sitting here today, suddenly a wind blows through the building, what do you do, first check the doors are closed? If they are where is this coming from?

Should we be surprised if the Breath of God came upon this Church today?

Should we not expect this to happen?

Should we not be waiting in anticipation for this to happen? That, is the celebration we share today the very same HS who came upon the disciples so long ago, never left and was not given to some special people for a certain message, but is available to all who call Jesus Lord, this is an invitation if we accept, he will come and give us life in its fulness.

And who then knows what the future may hold.

OFFERING DURING HYMN

372 Come down O love divine.

PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING AND INTERCESSION

On this day of Pentecost, we give praise to you, Almighty God. For the glorious gifts of your Spirit: For visions of life, light and truth: For tongues of fire and gleaming light: For lightening dark corners in our lives: For all you enable us to do and so much more: For the comfort the guiding the support it offers us: we give our heartfelt thanks and praise. Amen.

Holy Spirit of peace, we pray for homes and nations where there is discord and conflict. Pour out your breath of peace that people may listen to each other; may respect one another; may honour each other. we pray for those who live in despair.

for those who can see no purpose in their lives; for those who can’t see a way ahead; for those who feel completely alone. Holy Spirit of unity, we pray for your Church, for its ministry to the faithful; for its mission to the world. May the Spirit of Pentecost breathe upon us, that we may witness to the world the comfort, meaning and love that you offer. Heal our differences and make us one in you. Holy Spirit, hear us. In the name of our Saviour we pray. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

545 Be Though My Vision

BLESSING

Loving Lord, thank you that you speak to us in language we understand. With love and grace, forgiveness, and hope in our hearts, help us to speak to others – with or without words – so that they might hear you speaking through us. Amen.