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If you were to ask people who read the Bible who their favorite disciple is,
by and large I think you would hear the name Peter. We love Peter. He is impulsive,
jumps to conclusions, and is open hearted. We recognize in him some of what
is good and much of what is vulnerable in ourselves. We too are filled at
times with faith followed by times of doubt that makes our hearts and lives
sink. We are dedicated disciples and yet to our dismay we too fail to give
proper witness even to the point of denial.
The crazy thing is we can love the early, flawed Peter so much and identify
with him so much that we do not receive the whole testimony of scriptures
regarding his life. Peter, who would try to keep Jesus as well as himself
from harms way, becomes fearless. Peter who denied Christ becomes bold in
his proclamation. Peter, who despite words of faith seemed to have little
understanding, becomes able to give a clear description of the gospel.
If we understand ourselves in need of strength, purpose, faith, and wisdom
then it’s time for us to move with Peter from his early years of discipleship
into Pentecost and beyond. We need to receive the promise of Pentecost that
we would be a people who can give living testimony to the transforming power
of God. Words of testimony like some we will hear this morning.
In the context of the sermon I would have different people stand up and begin
their testimony with one of the following phrases;
Where there is weakness, God can bring strength.
Where there is a stumbling journey, God can create a journey of purpose.
Where there is doubt, God can create a person of faith.
Where there is confusion, God can bring wisdom.
Where there is a stumbling disciple, God can create a strong dynamic leader.
God desires to pour out himself on all the gathered people. Today’s scripture
makes it clear that wherever you are from, whatever your language, whatever
your background the God who has done amazing, abundant and manifold works
wants to do a good work in you and through you. We need to begin to pray these
scriptures. Pray that the mighty rushing wind would come and begin to blow
apart our comfortable ways.
We should not be satisfied with our weakness, waywardness, doubts and confusion.
We should hear the good news that God desires to do something more in our
lives. We have only begun to know God’s Pentecostal power.
Peter was created for something more than to simply be a lovable, quick-tempered
curmudgeon. He was created to be this dynamic leader of the early church.
God forgive us if we settle for being an early version of Peter's life. God
forgive us if we refuse to enter into the good news of Pentecost.
How do we enter into the good news of Pentecost?
Peter and the followers of Christ had displayed certain attitudes before Pentecost.
There was certainly fear, confusion and doubt. We might recognize some of
those feelings as our own. There were also some other attitudes that came
through in those days of waiting. They were:
Brokenness. The early followers of Christ were not satisfied with how they
responded in the time of crisis. There was also a sense in which they knew
that despite the uncertainty of the future they still could not go back to
the past.
Openness. They wanted to know more of God. They were ready to receive this
gift from the Father that Christ had told them about. Having no understanding
what it would mean to be “baptized with the Holy Spirit”(Acts 1:5),
they still waited upon God.
Obedience. They were willing to say "whatever" to God in the true
act of submission. They gathered in a room, took care of details, waited on
God and prayed.
They had the distinct privilege of being participants the Pentecost celebration.
God poured out his Spirit, and gave birth to a new people. A people who were
saved by Christ, marked by Christ, proclaiming Christ all in the power of
the Holy Spirit. God continues to make a promise of the outpouring of his
Spirit. God continues to have a great desire to do mighty acts of transformation
in the lives of his people. There is more that God wants to do in your life,
my life, our church and the church universal.
When we hear this passage from Acts and imagine this wind filling the whole
house, I am reminded once again that the name Bethel means “House of
God”. I find myself praying with brokenness, not satisfied with who we
are. Praying with openness, wanting to know more of God. Praying with obedience,
submissive to the direction of God. Praying that the Holy Spirit would fill
the entire house!
The results would be that we would be made new creations. That places of struggle
would be overcome, failure defeated, and brokenness healed. We would give
witness to a deeper experience of God's grace, God's transforming power and
God's strength. A people who are being transformed by a God who dream dreams
and gives visions for our individual lives and life together.
Here are some of the signs we find in the gift of the Holy Spirit to the church:
They began to speak in the native languages of all present:
They were able to communicate the good news of the gospel to all the people
around them. In this case they were hearing the different dialects of their
hometown. We might not have those kinds of languages but what about our native
tongues? Are we able to and do we: proclaim the good news of Christ in our
home language, work language and neighbor language? Can we find a way to verbalize
the good news in such a way that those around us would hear and understand?
The Spirit is poured out upon all people:
This community is marked by inclusiveness. There is not a hierarchy of some
order by which people were receiving the Holy Spirit. It is not for just the
pastor or some designated leader group. The Spirit is freely poured out. What’s
been available in my life is available in yours. What was available in Peter's
life is available in ours. This is the birth of the church. A people who have
encountered a living, loving, life transforming, redeeming, holy God.
You will see visions and dream dreams:
These were a forward-looking people. These who had witnessed the death, resurrection
and ascension of Jesus Christ, these who now experienced the wonders of Pentecost,
know that their God works in amazing ways. They also know the future is God’s.
We are a people born of the Spirit. A people who are so filled with the sense
of God's redeeming presence that we are eager to know "What's next?".
What is God going to be about doing in this place and time? What does God
want of me on this day? God is still giving dreams and visions and I want
to share in those dreams and visions. I want to participate in those dreams
and visions.
Dreams are born by the Spirit among us every day. There are so many Christians
who have settled for the good when God desired to do a better thing. Dare
to dream, for you have a God who wants to dream in you. There needs to be
a thread in our journey as a disciple that consistently asks, "God, what
new thing do you want to do within me today?" That new thing can be a
neighbor laid on our heart, it can be a family member with whom we need to
make peace, it may be a ministry dream that begins to percolate, it may mean
a missions trip, a job change filled with risk, it may mean taking on the
challenge of building facilities for the future, it may mean a whole variety
of things. The crucial beginning for dreams is the willingness to be open
to imagine beyond where we are and stretch across the edges of our assumptions.
Pentecost is the birth of the church. The church is people who in Christ are
created to be dreamers, people, alive unto God.
The early church was consistently charged with drunkenness or insanity because
of the startling way they lived their lives:
-unfettered by cultural barriers
-sacrificing personal comfort to care for each other
-proclaiming in the streets the good news of Jesus Christ
When was the last time someone mistook our holy zeal for drunkenness or insanity?
We are invited into this kind of living community. We are invited into the
life of God.
All Glory to God – amen
Gaebelien, F. (ed.), Longenecker, R., The Expositor’s Bible Commentary:
Acts. Grand Rapids, Zondervan Publishing House, 1981.
Marshall, I., Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: Acts. Leicester,
Inter-Varsity Press, 1980.
Newsome, C. and Ringe, S. (eds.) O’Day, G., The Women’s Bible
Commentary. “Acts”, Louisville, John Knox Press, 1992.
Soards, M., Dozeman, T., McCabe, K. Preaching the Revised Common
Lectionary: Year A: After Pentecost 1. Nashville, Abingdon Press,
1992.
