From the Pastor |
I love receiving gifts. Don’t you? It is such fun to open and find out what someone else has thought to give to you. But… have you ever had that embarrassing moment when you’ve been given a beautifully wrapped gift… you open it while the giver is watching you, anticipating your joy-filled reaction… and you look at it… and… have absolutely no idea what it is?
That is how Pentecost seems to be like to me… a beautiful gift that brings such a sense of uncertainty. Today is the festival of Pentecost and our reading the book of Acts, reminds us of what happened during the Jewish feast of Pentecost shortly after Jesus’ ascension. A great gift was given to the followers of Christ who were gathered there that day… given in a very dramatic way. The disciples and other followers of Jesus were all gathered in one place when suddenly there was the sound of rushing wind like a tornado (inside the house), then tongues of fire appeared resting on every head. These events brought to all gathered there a beautiful… wonderful gift that came directly from God. God gave them the wondrous gift of the Holy Spirit... just as Jesus had promised. It is the same gift God gives to all who come to believe… all who follow Jesus. However, when we look at this gift… when we open it up (so to speak)… we have to wonder… what is it, really? What is it for? Well, Jesus did tell the disciples, “When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you shall receive power.” So maybe, the gift we get at Pentecost is the gift of power, and God knows we need it. Strength, power… But one important question must be asked: what kind of power? …the awesome explosive power like we have seen in the Atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Or is the quiet steady power you might find in a nuclear reactor? I think that perhaps… just perhaps… it is both! The Spirit can manifest power in spectacular… fairly explosive ways… just like on that Day of Pentecost so long ago. Creating howling wind, tongues of fire and instant miracles… Power that can shake buildings… heal the sick and cast out demons… even raise the dead… that’s the power of God that is more easily recognized… but if we are to be honest… we would have to admit… that type immense power is not the norm for most Christians. The Holy Spirit can and does bring power to God’s people but usually in more subtle and unexpected ways. First of all, it can ease our suffering, put our minds at peace and the power the Spirit often brings is the quiet strength needed to endure adversity… not simply escape it. A second unexpected power of the Spirit is the power to love. No wonder people are confused about the Spirit’s power… In the eyes of the world, loving and forgiving are measures of weakness not strength. Vengeance, not forgiveness, is the law of earthly power. However, Jesus taught his disciples something completely different. He commanded them to love their enemies, not just those who were kind to them. Going the extra mile, turning the other cheek, and forgiving without limit were to be the true signs of spiritual power for Jesus’ men and women. The Lord knew, as his modern disciples must learn, that real power never needs to hate or destroy only to love. But that is not all… The Spirit also provides the power to serve. Service is not often a mark of power in our fallen world. In fact, in our world a powerful person is to be served not serve. Ruling, controlling, and manipulating the lives of others… for our society… these are the marks of power. Not so with Jesus! On his last night with his disciples, Jesus demonstrated his radical attitude toward power. He removed his cloak, took up a towel, and washed his followers’ feet. Surely he had better things to do! Someone else could assume such a lowly role! However, Jesus insisted that the highest privilege one could have was to serve another. Strength to endure adversity, loving, serving… that’s the awesome power the Holy Spirit provides! And when we look at the drama of this story it seems that the gift of Pentecost is the gift of energy and excitement as well as power… The Holy Spirit is God's way of shaking off the moss, blowing away the cobwebs, and allowing electricity and excitement to reenergize the church. Well, that is a gift we do need… Some energy and some excitement in the church! Wouldn't it be nice to be lifted up and to have the life of the church flying like a flag, snapping in the powerful wind of the Spirit, with energy and excitement? However… When all is said and done, the gift that we get when the Holy Spirit comes upon us is not the superficial gift of energy and excitement; it is not merely power, and strength. The gift we get on Pentecost is the one gift we and the world most desperately need. Strangely enough, the true gift of Pentecost, of the Spirit, is the gift of having something to say, a Word to speak in the brokenness and tragedy of the world that is unlike any other word. Did you notice what happened when the Spirit was given to the disciples? They stood up… went out among the people… and spoke. They moved from hiding away to boldly speaking the Good News of Jesus. They talked and the world around them heard and understood the good news in its own languages. As the prophet Joel said, “In the latter days, I will pour out my Spirit on all of humanity. And your sons and your daughters will prophesy.” You and future generations will have a Word to speak… they will tell all who will listen that love is stronger that hatred, that life overcomes death; that hope is deeper than despair; that every tear will be dried, and that in the power of Christ's resurrection, death and pain will be no more. There's the gift at Pentecost: the Word to speak to the world; a word of good news and hope that is unlike any other word. After all, that is the task Jesus gave his disciples just before he ascended into Heaven. He said “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” That was the task the disciples were commanded to do… to go to Jerusalem, to await the arrival of the Holy Spirit and then to be witnesses to the ends of the earth. That is how it was at that first Pentecost. They had become a group of unique individuals who were united for this great purpose… this task of truly being witnesses for Christ. That is what we are… followers of Christ in the world today… empowered by the Holy Spirit to speak the gospel… the Good news of Christ… witnesses to the ends of the earth. Followers of Christ in every church... every city... every nation are called to be united in this great task and we have all been given the Gift of Pentecost for this reason. So what is holding us back? Why are we so weak in this task? What are we afraid of? Are we afraid of ridicule? Of being labeled religious fanatics? Do we not want to disrupt the status quo? Do we think that we do not have the power? How many times have we heard ourselves say “Lord, if only I had more…?” “If only I had more power, just think of the great things I could do!” “If only we had more money, think of all the people we could help!” “If only we had…more people… more time… If only Lord!” The only problem with asking for more is that we will most likely get the response: “Why? Why should I give you more? What are you doing with the little bit of power I’ve already given you? If you aren’t using what I have already given… what would make me think you would use more?” Phillip Brooks must have understood this spiritual truth when he wrote these words, “Do not pray for easy lives, pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle but you shall be a miracle. Every day you shall wonder at yourself at the richness of life which has come by the grace of God.” On the day of Pentecost, God made available to all believers the most powerful force in the universe. So, let the gospel be preached and the Holy Spirit poured
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Yeon Shin
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