Overall, AC was good, but it had its ups, its downs, and its strange moments. This may have been the strangest Annual Conference I’ve ever attended, and I’ve been going for 11 years.
Day 1: Opening Day
The first day of Annual Conference began with an informal opening worship, followed by clergy session. During clergy session, we elected 21 provisional members into our Annual Conference.
Following that, we had opening worship, where the bishop encouraged us to “Burn, Baby, Burn.” He implored us to be motorcycle churches rather than lawnmower churches: getting out and taking risks rather than playing it safe. It was a good sermon to kick off our theme for the week, which centered on our mission as the Western PA Annual Conference of the UMC. Our vision is “to ignite and sustain a passionate spiritual connection with Christ among all people in Western Pennsylvania.”
Immediately following worship was strange moment #1 of 2009 AC. One of the first things we have to do on the business end is approve the agenda – usually a simple task. Well, someone made a motion to amend the agenda. The amendment proposed that we move the constitutional amendment voting up to Friday afternoon. In an extremely rare moment, the vote on amending the agenda was so close that we had to count votes, and 30 minutes later, we passed it as amended.
The rest of Thursday was pretty boring, all things considered. We had our legislative section meetings, then dinner, then a memorial service.
Day 2: Inappropriateness, Inexplicable Voting Rules, Ironic Pizza, and Hoisting the Cup
Friday began harmless enough, with Bible study followed by reports from various people: the conference lay leader, the cabinet, etc. But strange moment #2 of 2009 AC came just before lunch, when a woman came to the podium and announced she would lead us in a time of stretching and meditation as part of our new “Health as Wholeness”* focus. She began by asking us to stand and give our neighbor a shoulder massage. Now, for me, it would mean turning and giving my secretary a massage, which I considered awkward, uncomfortable, inappropriate, and probably a violation of our denomination’s Safe Sanctuaries policy. So we went to lunch instead.
Friday afternoon, we voted on the constitutional amendments. It went smoother than I expected.
Strange moment #3 came on Friday evening. It was Mission Night, but it was also the night of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. We heard a great sermon by a pastor from Mozambique in celebration of Mission Night, including stories about how parents in his country can barely feed their children one cup of tea for dinner. This heartbreaking story of widespread poverty was immediately followed by our bishop announcing he had ordered 80 large pizzas so we could all watch the rest of the hockey game together in the plenary room. On top of that, the pizzas were placed directly in front of the Health as Wholeness information table. It was the most irony-laced pizza party I’ve ever attended.
*In light of the rampant obesity plaguing our clergy, our conference is promoting “Health as Wholeness” in an attempt to make us better pastors, as well as cheaper employees to insure.
Day 3: Legislating, Reporting, and Questioning
Lisa came up for the day. We also had one of the young adults in our congregation spend the day with us, as he wanted to see what AC was all about. They got to see some reports, as well as debate over some legislation. (You can find summaries of the more interesting legislative action in the long form report.)
Saturday evening was Ministry Night, where we celebrated the ministry of the laity, of the local pastors, and of the clergy. Bishop Will Willimon preached a wonderful sermon.
Day 4: Ordaining and Returning Home
Sunday morning was the ordination service. Many people I know were ordained or commissioned, including a long time close friend, Matt Johnson. We were groomsmen in each other’s weddings, and we both love United Methodist polity and legislation more than almost anyone else. I’m glad that we are now officially colleagues in ministry, and look forward to being ordained in the same class in 2011.
As always, Annual Conference was many things. More than anything else, it was a celebration of our connectional nature. We became one body for just a few days, then dispersed again for another year of ministry throughout the mountains and valleys of Western Pennsylvania, where we will ignite and sustain a passion for Christ among all people. May it be so.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Annual Conference Recap: The Long Form
As always, I thoroughly enjoyed Annual Conference this year. I couldn’t sleep the night before, and now that it’s over I am sad that I have to wait an entire year before we come together again for holy conferencing. Overall, AC was good, but it had its ups, its downs, and its strange moments. This may have been the strangest Annual Conference I’ve ever attended, and I’ve been going for 11 years.
Day 1: Opening Day
The first day of Annual Conference began with an informal opening worship, followed by clergy session. During clergy session this year, we elected 21 provisional members into our Annual Conference. They will be on the new two year track to ordination, meaning most of them will be ordained with my class of 10 from last year. That will be a long ordination service in 2011.
Following that, we had opening worship, where the bishop encouraged us to “Burn, Baby, Burn.” He implored us to be motorcycle churches rather than lawnmower churches: getting out and taking risks rather than playing it safe. He charged us with this task: “Take the church out on the open road, give it the gas, and see what the old baby will do!” It was a good sermon to kick off our theme for the week, which centered on our mission as the Western PA Annual Conference of the UMC. Our vision is “to ignite and sustain a passionate spiritual connection with Christ among all people in Western Pennsylvania.”
Immediately following worship was strange moment #1 of 2009 AC. The first order of business every year is simple administrative tasks: filling out attendance cards, setting the bar, approving the agenda, etc. Well, when we got to approving the agenda, someone made a motion to amend the agenda. We were scheduled to vote on the very important constitutional amendments on Saturday afternoon, but many clergy leave early each year for a variety of reasons: golfing, officiating weddings, camping, preaching on Sunday – all those things that do NOT trump our obligation to attend all of Annual Conference. Well, the amendment proposed that we move the constitutional amendments up to Friday afternoon so that those who wish to skip out early can do so.
In an extremely rare moment, the vote on amending the agenda was so close that the bishop had to call a division of the house. Tellers who hadn’t organized themselves had to haphazardly count votes, and 30 minutes after we started looking at the agenda, we finally passed it as amended. I doubt I will ever see a division of the house on the agenda again in my lifetime.
The rest of Thursday was pretty boring, all things considered. We had our legislative section meetings, then dinner, then a memorial service.
Day 2: Inappropriateness, Inexplicable Voting Rules, Ironic Pizza, and Hoisting the Cup
Friday began harmless enough, with Bible study followed by reports from various people: the conference lay leader, the cabinet, etc. But strange moment #2 of 2009 AC came just before lunch, when a woman came to the podium and announced she would lead us in a time of stretching and meditation as part of our new “Health as Wholeness”* focus. We realized she wasn’t kidding when she asked us to stand and give our neighbor a shoulder massage. Now, for me, it would mean turning and giving my secretary a massage, which I considered awkward, uncomfortable, inappropriate, and probably a violation of our denomination’s Safe Sanctuaries policy. So we went to lunch instead. Whoever came up with the idea of asking me to give a massage to my secretary in the middle of holy conferencing needs to rethink some things.
Friday afternoon, we voted on the constitutional amendments. By “we” I mean everyone around me. As a provisional clergy member, I was not allowed to vote. Our congregation’s lay delegate, who was at Annual Conference for the first time ever, was allowed to vote. One of the interesting things about the UMC is that when you become a local pastor or provisional clergy member, you actually lose the power to vote on certain things, including constitutional amendments. It appears that some of that may be corrected in the near future, but for the time being, my M. Div. and license for pastoral ministry means I’m less qualified to weigh in on important denominational decisions than laity. For the record, most lay delegates I talked with agreed that this is silly.
Strange moment #3 came on Friday evening. Well, actually, all of Friday night was strange. It was Mission Night, but it was also the night of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, in which our beloved Penguins were attempting to capture the crown for the first time in 17 years. We heard a great sermon by a pastor from Mozambique in celebration of Mission Night, including stories about how parents in his country can barely feed their children one cup of tea for dinner. This heartbreaking story of widespread poverty was immediately followed by our bishop announcing he had ordered 80 large pizzas so we could all watch the rest of the hockey game together in the plenary room. On top of that, the pizzas were placed directly in front of the Health as Wholeness information table. It was the most irony-laced pizza party I’ve ever attended.
But it was fun. By the end of the game, many people had left, but there were still several hundred of us there when the final seconds drained off the clock. It was fun to watch the Pens win the cup while at Annual Conference, and it was the first time I’ve seen us take time at AC to be in fellowship with each other outside of our hurried meals at the college’s dining halls.
*In light of the rampant obesity plaguing our clergy, our conference is promoting “Health as Wholeness” in an attempt to make us better pastors, as well as cheaper employees to insure.
Day 3: Legislating, Reporting, and Questioning
I know the reports on pensions and health benefits are necessary, but to echo Lance’s assertion, “heavens, they’re boring.” At least that boredom was countered by the enthusiasm and excitement our youth always bring in their youth moment. We have weird, crazy, spunky youth, and every year they get the biggest applause of the entire week. I love our youth and the commitment we make to including them in our Annual Conference.
Lisa came up for the day. We also had one of the young adults in our congregation spend the day with us, as he wanted to see what AC was all about. Well, they got to see the boring BOPHB reports, but they also got to see us debate some legislation. I will share some of the more interesting legislation here, without opinion – but many of you can probably guess where I stand on these.
RS 103 and RS 104 – Immigration Reform
Both these resolutions suggested we encourage the government to make immigration reform. Some thought it would be going too “soft” on illegal immigrants, others thought the current immigration laws and actions are inhumane. We passed them both.
RS 702 – Studying Homosexuality
To paraphrase this resolution, we affirm that there are a lot of United Methodist resources congregations can use to study homosexuality, and we encourage churches to study this important issue as a means of opening dialogue. We voted it down, meaning we are against encouraging churches to use the plethora of denominational resources to study an uncomfortable issue.
P 74 – On Evolution and Intelligent Design
Just a few quotes from this petition, since I wouldn’t know where to begin paraphrasing it:
“WHEREAS, the theory of evolution has not been proven as factual truth.”
“WHEREAS…the theory of evolution carries with it an attendant philosophy and set of applied social principles that teach moral relativism, self determinism, and the ultimate resignation to meaninglessness and death that are incompatible with Christian theology and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
“WHEREAS, [accepting the United Methodist stance that affirms evolution is a foundational scientific truth means] implicitly rejecting the authenticity and authority of Holy Scripture, declaring the Bible fundamentally in error, proclaiming God and Christ liars, making salvation in Christ meaningless and robbing the church of its foundation for evangelism and discipleship.”
“THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Western PA Conference of the United Methodist Church petitions the General Conference of The United Methodist Church in 2012 to:
1) Reject the theory of evolution and affirm both Creationism and Intelligent Design as both Biblical and truthful.”
2) Reject the notion that cosmological, geological, and biological evolution is ‘foundational scientific truth that has stood up to rigorous scrutiny and upon which much of human knowledge and achievement rests.’”
There was more to this petition, but these were the foundational elements of the document. We very narrowly voted it down, meaning we want to keep the current UM stance on science and evolution as is.
RS 1002 – Clergy Housing Study
We finally updated our “Living and Working Conditions of the Pastor” standards for the first time since 1991. We added internet and a basic cell phone plan to the list of utilities to be provided at the parsonage, and recommended air conditioning. We also formed more stringent standards on making the parsonage handicap accessible. An amendment was proposed by one pastor to remove cell phone and cable TV from the list of basic utilities, as these are luxuries. It was defeated. Another amendment was proposed to give recommend 2 days off per week for pastors (it had been one day). It passed pretty easily.
Saturday evening was Ministry Night, where we celebrated the ministry of the laity, of the local pastors, and of the clergy. We again recognized the years of service given by our retirees, and the historical questions were asked to the incoming class of ordinands and the incoming class of provisional members. The mantle was passed from the retiring class to the incoming class. Bishop Will Willimon preached a wonderful sermon.
Day 4: Ordination and Returining Home
Sunday morning was the ordination service. Many people I know were ordained or commissioned, including a long time close friend, Matt Johnson. We were groomsmen in each other’s weddings, and we both love United Methodist polity and legislation more than almost anyone else. I’m glad that we are now officially colleagues in ministry, and look forward to being ordained in the same class in 2011.
As always, Annual Conference was many things. It was a time of joy and celebration, and a time of heartbreak over some of the decisions made. It was a church family reunion with hundreds of people I know. It was a tiring week, magnified by sleeping in a non-air conditioned college dormitory. We worshiped, sang, celebrated our common ministry, heard excellent preachers, debated difficult issues, and debated not-so-difficult issues. We shared in the excitement of a championship hockey team over stacks of pizza. We prayed together and played together. We became one body for just a few days, then dispersed again for another year of connectional ministry throughout the mountains and valleys of Western Pennsylvania, where we will ignite and sustain a passion for Christ among all people. May it be so.
Day 1: Opening Day
The first day of Annual Conference began with an informal opening worship, followed by clergy session. During clergy session this year, we elected 21 provisional members into our Annual Conference. They will be on the new two year track to ordination, meaning most of them will be ordained with my class of 10 from last year. That will be a long ordination service in 2011.
Following that, we had opening worship, where the bishop encouraged us to “Burn, Baby, Burn.” He implored us to be motorcycle churches rather than lawnmower churches: getting out and taking risks rather than playing it safe. He charged us with this task: “Take the church out on the open road, give it the gas, and see what the old baby will do!” It was a good sermon to kick off our theme for the week, which centered on our mission as the Western PA Annual Conference of the UMC. Our vision is “to ignite and sustain a passionate spiritual connection with Christ among all people in Western Pennsylvania.”
Immediately following worship was strange moment #1 of 2009 AC. The first order of business every year is simple administrative tasks: filling out attendance cards, setting the bar, approving the agenda, etc. Well, when we got to approving the agenda, someone made a motion to amend the agenda. We were scheduled to vote on the very important constitutional amendments on Saturday afternoon, but many clergy leave early each year for a variety of reasons: golfing, officiating weddings, camping, preaching on Sunday – all those things that do NOT trump our obligation to attend all of Annual Conference. Well, the amendment proposed that we move the constitutional amendments up to Friday afternoon so that those who wish to skip out early can do so.
In an extremely rare moment, the vote on amending the agenda was so close that the bishop had to call a division of the house. Tellers who hadn’t organized themselves had to haphazardly count votes, and 30 minutes after we started looking at the agenda, we finally passed it as amended. I doubt I will ever see a division of the house on the agenda again in my lifetime.
The rest of Thursday was pretty boring, all things considered. We had our legislative section meetings, then dinner, then a memorial service.
Day 2: Inappropriateness, Inexplicable Voting Rules, Ironic Pizza, and Hoisting the Cup
Friday began harmless enough, with Bible study followed by reports from various people: the conference lay leader, the cabinet, etc. But strange moment #2 of 2009 AC came just before lunch, when a woman came to the podium and announced she would lead us in a time of stretching and meditation as part of our new “Health as Wholeness”* focus. We realized she wasn’t kidding when she asked us to stand and give our neighbor a shoulder massage. Now, for me, it would mean turning and giving my secretary a massage, which I considered awkward, uncomfortable, inappropriate, and probably a violation of our denomination’s Safe Sanctuaries policy. So we went to lunch instead. Whoever came up with the idea of asking me to give a massage to my secretary in the middle of holy conferencing needs to rethink some things.
Friday afternoon, we voted on the constitutional amendments. By “we” I mean everyone around me. As a provisional clergy member, I was not allowed to vote. Our congregation’s lay delegate, who was at Annual Conference for the first time ever, was allowed to vote. One of the interesting things about the UMC is that when you become a local pastor or provisional clergy member, you actually lose the power to vote on certain things, including constitutional amendments. It appears that some of that may be corrected in the near future, but for the time being, my M. Div. and license for pastoral ministry means I’m less qualified to weigh in on important denominational decisions than laity. For the record, most lay delegates I talked with agreed that this is silly.
Strange moment #3 came on Friday evening. Well, actually, all of Friday night was strange. It was Mission Night, but it was also the night of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, in which our beloved Penguins were attempting to capture the crown for the first time in 17 years. We heard a great sermon by a pastor from Mozambique in celebration of Mission Night, including stories about how parents in his country can barely feed their children one cup of tea for dinner. This heartbreaking story of widespread poverty was immediately followed by our bishop announcing he had ordered 80 large pizzas so we could all watch the rest of the hockey game together in the plenary room. On top of that, the pizzas were placed directly in front of the Health as Wholeness information table. It was the most irony-laced pizza party I’ve ever attended.
But it was fun. By the end of the game, many people had left, but there were still several hundred of us there when the final seconds drained off the clock. It was fun to watch the Pens win the cup while at Annual Conference, and it was the first time I’ve seen us take time at AC to be in fellowship with each other outside of our hurried meals at the college’s dining halls.
*In light of the rampant obesity plaguing our clergy, our conference is promoting “Health as Wholeness” in an attempt to make us better pastors, as well as cheaper employees to insure.
Day 3: Legislating, Reporting, and Questioning
I know the reports on pensions and health benefits are necessary, but to echo Lance’s assertion, “heavens, they’re boring.” At least that boredom was countered by the enthusiasm and excitement our youth always bring in their youth moment. We have weird, crazy, spunky youth, and every year they get the biggest applause of the entire week. I love our youth and the commitment we make to including them in our Annual Conference.
Lisa came up for the day. We also had one of the young adults in our congregation spend the day with us, as he wanted to see what AC was all about. Well, they got to see the boring BOPHB reports, but they also got to see us debate some legislation. I will share some of the more interesting legislation here, without opinion – but many of you can probably guess where I stand on these.
RS 103 and RS 104 – Immigration Reform
Both these resolutions suggested we encourage the government to make immigration reform. Some thought it would be going too “soft” on illegal immigrants, others thought the current immigration laws and actions are inhumane. We passed them both.
RS 702 – Studying Homosexuality
To paraphrase this resolution, we affirm that there are a lot of United Methodist resources congregations can use to study homosexuality, and we encourage churches to study this important issue as a means of opening dialogue. We voted it down, meaning we are against encouraging churches to use the plethora of denominational resources to study an uncomfortable issue.
P 74 – On Evolution and Intelligent Design
Just a few quotes from this petition, since I wouldn’t know where to begin paraphrasing it:
“WHEREAS, the theory of evolution has not been proven as factual truth.”
“WHEREAS…the theory of evolution carries with it an attendant philosophy and set of applied social principles that teach moral relativism, self determinism, and the ultimate resignation to meaninglessness and death that are incompatible with Christian theology and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
“WHEREAS, [accepting the United Methodist stance that affirms evolution is a foundational scientific truth means] implicitly rejecting the authenticity and authority of Holy Scripture, declaring the Bible fundamentally in error, proclaiming God and Christ liars, making salvation in Christ meaningless and robbing the church of its foundation for evangelism and discipleship.”
“THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Western PA Conference of the United Methodist Church petitions the General Conference of The United Methodist Church in 2012 to:
1) Reject the theory of evolution and affirm both Creationism and Intelligent Design as both Biblical and truthful.”
2) Reject the notion that cosmological, geological, and biological evolution is ‘foundational scientific truth that has stood up to rigorous scrutiny and upon which much of human knowledge and achievement rests.’”
There was more to this petition, but these were the foundational elements of the document. We very narrowly voted it down, meaning we want to keep the current UM stance on science and evolution as is.
RS 1002 – Clergy Housing Study
We finally updated our “Living and Working Conditions of the Pastor” standards for the first time since 1991. We added internet and a basic cell phone plan to the list of utilities to be provided at the parsonage, and recommended air conditioning. We also formed more stringent standards on making the parsonage handicap accessible. An amendment was proposed by one pastor to remove cell phone and cable TV from the list of basic utilities, as these are luxuries. It was defeated. Another amendment was proposed to give recommend 2 days off per week for pastors (it had been one day). It passed pretty easily.
Saturday evening was Ministry Night, where we celebrated the ministry of the laity, of the local pastors, and of the clergy. We again recognized the years of service given by our retirees, and the historical questions were asked to the incoming class of ordinands and the incoming class of provisional members. The mantle was passed from the retiring class to the incoming class. Bishop Will Willimon preached a wonderful sermon.
Day 4: Ordination and Returining Home
Sunday morning was the ordination service. Many people I know were ordained or commissioned, including a long time close friend, Matt Johnson. We were groomsmen in each other’s weddings, and we both love United Methodist polity and legislation more than almost anyone else. I’m glad that we are now officially colleagues in ministry, and look forward to being ordained in the same class in 2011.
As always, Annual Conference was many things. It was a time of joy and celebration, and a time of heartbreak over some of the decisions made. It was a church family reunion with hundreds of people I know. It was a tiring week, magnified by sleeping in a non-air conditioned college dormitory. We worshiped, sang, celebrated our common ministry, heard excellent preachers, debated difficult issues, and debated not-so-difficult issues. We shared in the excitement of a championship hockey team over stacks of pizza. We prayed together and played together. We became one body for just a few days, then dispersed again for another year of connectional ministry throughout the mountains and valleys of Western Pennsylvania, where we will ignite and sustain a passion for Christ among all people. May it be so.
Monday, June 8, 2009
The Call at the Table
Sermon for Sunday, June 7 - Trinity Sunday, Communion Sunday
Scripture: Isaiah 6:1-8
I like mornings. Mornings just feel so fresh and new and peaceful, and it seems like you start again with a “clean slate.” When you wake up in the morning, yesterday officially becomes a memory. It doesn’t matter what you said or did yesterday, because it’s gone and you can’t change it. The page has turned, and today is a blank page just waiting to be filled.
Wayne Albertson, my pastor in college, used to start all conversations with the phrase, “Welcome to the day.” It didn’t matter what time of day it was, he was ready to welcome you to the day. “Welcome to the day” – what an inviting phrase. It was a subtle reminder that every day begins anew. Every day is a fresh start, a “re-do” called out from the kickball field in the schoolyard. Every day is a clean slate waiting to be written on, a blank page waiting to be filled. Every day invites us to new opportunities, new possibilities, new challenges. Each day is a new day, a day that the Lord has made, a day for us to shed our old mistakes and start over.
We’d all be foolish to say we’ve gone through a day without messing something up. A few weeks ago, I had one of those days where I was just a model citizen, a model Christian, a model husband, and so on. I was just being as loving and caring as someone could be. I was helping out friends, family, and even a stranger or two along the way. I’ll tell you, I took that new day and made the most of it. I filled that blank page with all sorts of good deeds. But by dinnertime, I’d begun to notice how awesome I was being. And a thought crept into my head: “Man, I’m such a good person. I’m just doing everything right today. God must be so proud of me right now!”
And just like that, my perfect day was ruined by my ego. Just like that, all the humility I’d displayed all day was completely cancelled out by my sin of pride. Just like that, my perfect day was over. No matter how awesome, how loving we are in a particular day, we’re going to mess up at some point. Sin is going to reign over us sooner or later – it’s not a question of if sin enters our lives, but when.
Isaiah was a sinner, just like us – and just like everyone else. “Woe is me!” he cried. “I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips.” As he says this, he is standing in the temple, in the presence of the Lord. Isaiah is overcome with the sight of flowing robes and seraphs, the sound of heavenly praises, the smell of holy smoke, and the feeling of God’s power whipping through the doorways. Surely the presence of the Lord surrounds him – which is exactly what Isaiah has come for. Isaiah has come to the temple, approaching the throne of God, and lo and behold, God has filled the place with the sights and sounds and smells of His presence!
But Isaiah didn’t initially come to the temple to confess his sin. He didn’t come expecting to cry out, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips!” He wasn’t lost – he knew exactly where he was. But encountering God at the temple convinced him of his need to repent. It was a moment of conviction. This temple experience reminded him that he’s not “all that and a bag of chips.” It caused a moment of self-reflection, where Isaiah recognizes he is unclean – he is a sinner, just like everyone else.
We often fool ourselves into believing that we are not sinners. Or, even if we admit we’re sinners, the sins we commit are just little mistakes on the way – not like the sins of those “other” people. Isn’t it interesting how the sins we’re guilty of always turn out to be just minor hiccups, and the sins that we never personally commit are the ones that are always the most awful? It’s just another way of building ourselves up. “I’m not a sinner,” we say. Or, “Yeah, I’m a sinner, but I’m not as bad as those sinners over there – they’re way worse sinners than I am.” Maybe we say this instead: “I’m a sinner, but so is everyone else, so what’s the big deal?” And have you heard this one: “I was a sinner, but God redeemed me, so now I’m all set. No need for any more redemption here.”
Whatever tactic we use, we like to rationalize and reason our way out of our continual need to receive God’s grace. We continually convince ourselves that we’re “not that bad,” that “we generally believe in God and follow God, so it’s alright.” We’re God’s chosen ones, the once-lost but now-saved, and we are worthy of the God’s favor.
Or, alternatively, we sink into total despair. “No matter what I do, I’m a sinner in the eyes of God.” Or, “There’s nothing I can do to receive God’s grace.” Maybe you’ve heard or even used this one: “I don’t deserve God’s love. I don’t deserve God’s grace.” Again, we rationalize our way out of letting God love us, because “what’s the use? We’re just going to screw up again anyway!”
Both these arguments are common as we approach the Lord’s Table for Holy Communion. Either we say, “Hey, I earned it. I deserve to receive God’s grace. I’m worthy of partaking of the bread and cup.” Or, we lament, “Woe is me! I am unclean! I don’t deserve this! I shouldn’t receive this!” It is a central paradox of Communion – the question, “Who is worthy to receive?”
Who is worthy to receive? This is a question that has surrounded this sacrament since its inception. Who is worthy to receive? No one. Who is worthy to receive? Everyone. Let me explain:
All of us are, by nature, sinful. All of us are people of unclean lips, just as Isaiah is. All of us are unworthy to receive such a holy, perfect, and pure sacrament. No one is worthy to receive the Lord’s Supper. Yet, in the same token, through the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, all are made worthy to receive God’s grace. Christ cleanses us, wipes our slate clean, breaks us from the bondage of sin, so that we may perfectly approach the table and receive such grace. So we are totally unworthy of receiving Communion, yet Christ has made us totally worthy. At the same time, we are completely worthy and completely unworthy. Talk about a holy mystery!
The liturgy we use to celebrate Communion is relatively unchanged from the liturgy used by Christians for the past 1700 years. And it is no coincidence that our liturgy begins with a very Isaiah-like confession, admitting our sinfulness. You will notice that our first prayer together is the prayer of confession and pardon. We confess our sins – “Woe are we, for we are people of unclean lips, living among people of unclean lips!” The first step of communion is recognizing that we are not worthy – a recognition brought about by encountering God at the temple. And the second step is confessing those sins. After confession, we are then able to approach God with the intention of being made clean.
And so we will move through this liturgy in just a few minutes, making a similar confession to that of Isaiah. We’ve come to encounter God in the temple. But that encounter has convicted us, calling us into self-examination of our sinful nature. And we will approach the table with the same lamenting cry as Isaiah: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man [or woman] of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips!” We will admit our complete unworthiness to receive such a holy gift, the bread and cup.
“Forgive us,” we will pray. “Free us for joyful obedience, so we may more perfectly love you, O Lord.” Make us worthy through the suffering, death, and resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ. Make us worthy to receive this holy gift. And then we will proclaim the refrain many of you have committed to memory: “In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!”
We’ll come to Christ’s table, kneeling as totally unworthy and totally worthy people, sinners that have been forgiven. We will, like Isaiah, be completely aware of the continual need for the cleansing of our souls, a cleansing that can come only from the God who sits on the highest throne. “Woe is me! I am lost, and I have somehow found my way to your temple and to your table!” This is why John Wesley believed in receiving communion as frequently as you can – because we are always sinners in need of God’s grace, and kneeling at the Lord’s Table reminds us of this truth.
Of course, this morning we will not be receiving a fiery coal from a heavenly being like Isaiah did. Instead, we will receive the bread and cup from the outstretched arms of Jesus Christ. And when these elements touch our lips, our guilt will depart and our sin will be blotted out. What a glorious and celebratory moment that is – the cleansing of our souls, the blotting out of sin, the departing of guilt – all wrapped up in the mystery we encounter at Christ’s table.
Communion is, among many things, a reminder of the love and forgiveness of God, offered in the form of Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Communion is a reminder of the cleansing work of the cross. Communion is an act of getting a fresh start – wiping the slate clean, turning the page, waking up to a new day, turning over a new leaf. However you want to say it, letting the bread and cup touch our lips blots out the past and flushes out the guilt. It frees us for a new day of joyful obedience and perfect love of God and neighbor.
We may approach the table, tired and weary from our days of sin and guilt. “Woe is me! I am lost!” But when we let the bread and cup touch our lips, we are welcomed to a new day. “Welcome to the day,” God says in this sacrament. Welcome to a new day where your guilt has departed and your sin has been blotted out. Whatever mistakes you’ve made, whatever transgressions you’ve committed, and no matter how lost you’ve become by wandering away from God, the gift of forgiveness awaits you. Welcome to the day – to your fresh start in Christ Jesus.
Isaiah came to the temple, and stumbled upon a meaningful encounter with God. He cried out for salvation, and it was given to him in a mysterious act. But the most amazing thing about Isaiah’s call narrative is what happened after he is cleansed of sin and guilt. Once his sin and guilt is cleared away, he suddenly becomes aware of the voice of God. It seems the Lord had already been talking to him, but not until his sin and guilt departed was he able to hear the voice of God. Sin and guilt was like waxy buildup in Isaiah’s ear, and the fiery coal acted as a Q-tip, opening up the pathway to hearing God’s call.
"Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Isaiah has turned the page to a new day, and discovered that this new day is calling out to him. “Welcome to the day,” says the Lord. “Will you live this day for me? Will you be my servant today?”
Folks, when we celebrate communion and let sin and guilt depart from us, we then become freed for that joyful obedience we ask for. When we turn the page, we find the Lord calling out to us, asking us to take his message to the people of unclean lips. But we cannot hear this call unless we are first cleansed from sin and guilt. We cannot hear this call unless we let the bread and cup touch our lips, reminding us that we are forgiven and reconciled people, called to respond to our temple experience on this day. Isaiah, a sinner, was cleansed by the Lord, and responded by living the life that God called him to. All of us, sinners like Isaiah, are cleansed by the Lord, and our call this morning through the sacrament of Holy Communion is to live out a life that is acceptable and pleasing to God. We’ve been given the gift of a new day. What will we do with this precious gift? In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Scripture: Isaiah 6:1-8
I like mornings. Mornings just feel so fresh and new and peaceful, and it seems like you start again with a “clean slate.” When you wake up in the morning, yesterday officially becomes a memory. It doesn’t matter what you said or did yesterday, because it’s gone and you can’t change it. The page has turned, and today is a blank page just waiting to be filled.
Wayne Albertson, my pastor in college, used to start all conversations with the phrase, “Welcome to the day.” It didn’t matter what time of day it was, he was ready to welcome you to the day. “Welcome to the day” – what an inviting phrase. It was a subtle reminder that every day begins anew. Every day is a fresh start, a “re-do” called out from the kickball field in the schoolyard. Every day is a clean slate waiting to be written on, a blank page waiting to be filled. Every day invites us to new opportunities, new possibilities, new challenges. Each day is a new day, a day that the Lord has made, a day for us to shed our old mistakes and start over.
We’d all be foolish to say we’ve gone through a day without messing something up. A few weeks ago, I had one of those days where I was just a model citizen, a model Christian, a model husband, and so on. I was just being as loving and caring as someone could be. I was helping out friends, family, and even a stranger or two along the way. I’ll tell you, I took that new day and made the most of it. I filled that blank page with all sorts of good deeds. But by dinnertime, I’d begun to notice how awesome I was being. And a thought crept into my head: “Man, I’m such a good person. I’m just doing everything right today. God must be so proud of me right now!”
And just like that, my perfect day was ruined by my ego. Just like that, all the humility I’d displayed all day was completely cancelled out by my sin of pride. Just like that, my perfect day was over. No matter how awesome, how loving we are in a particular day, we’re going to mess up at some point. Sin is going to reign over us sooner or later – it’s not a question of if sin enters our lives, but when.
Isaiah was a sinner, just like us – and just like everyone else. “Woe is me!” he cried. “I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips.” As he says this, he is standing in the temple, in the presence of the Lord. Isaiah is overcome with the sight of flowing robes and seraphs, the sound of heavenly praises, the smell of holy smoke, and the feeling of God’s power whipping through the doorways. Surely the presence of the Lord surrounds him – which is exactly what Isaiah has come for. Isaiah has come to the temple, approaching the throne of God, and lo and behold, God has filled the place with the sights and sounds and smells of His presence!
But Isaiah didn’t initially come to the temple to confess his sin. He didn’t come expecting to cry out, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips!” He wasn’t lost – he knew exactly where he was. But encountering God at the temple convinced him of his need to repent. It was a moment of conviction. This temple experience reminded him that he’s not “all that and a bag of chips.” It caused a moment of self-reflection, where Isaiah recognizes he is unclean – he is a sinner, just like everyone else.
We often fool ourselves into believing that we are not sinners. Or, even if we admit we’re sinners, the sins we commit are just little mistakes on the way – not like the sins of those “other” people. Isn’t it interesting how the sins we’re guilty of always turn out to be just minor hiccups, and the sins that we never personally commit are the ones that are always the most awful? It’s just another way of building ourselves up. “I’m not a sinner,” we say. Or, “Yeah, I’m a sinner, but I’m not as bad as those sinners over there – they’re way worse sinners than I am.” Maybe we say this instead: “I’m a sinner, but so is everyone else, so what’s the big deal?” And have you heard this one: “I was a sinner, but God redeemed me, so now I’m all set. No need for any more redemption here.”
Whatever tactic we use, we like to rationalize and reason our way out of our continual need to receive God’s grace. We continually convince ourselves that we’re “not that bad,” that “we generally believe in God and follow God, so it’s alright.” We’re God’s chosen ones, the once-lost but now-saved, and we are worthy of the God’s favor.
Or, alternatively, we sink into total despair. “No matter what I do, I’m a sinner in the eyes of God.” Or, “There’s nothing I can do to receive God’s grace.” Maybe you’ve heard or even used this one: “I don’t deserve God’s love. I don’t deserve God’s grace.” Again, we rationalize our way out of letting God love us, because “what’s the use? We’re just going to screw up again anyway!”
Both these arguments are common as we approach the Lord’s Table for Holy Communion. Either we say, “Hey, I earned it. I deserve to receive God’s grace. I’m worthy of partaking of the bread and cup.” Or, we lament, “Woe is me! I am unclean! I don’t deserve this! I shouldn’t receive this!” It is a central paradox of Communion – the question, “Who is worthy to receive?”
Who is worthy to receive? This is a question that has surrounded this sacrament since its inception. Who is worthy to receive? No one. Who is worthy to receive? Everyone. Let me explain:
All of us are, by nature, sinful. All of us are people of unclean lips, just as Isaiah is. All of us are unworthy to receive such a holy, perfect, and pure sacrament. No one is worthy to receive the Lord’s Supper. Yet, in the same token, through the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, all are made worthy to receive God’s grace. Christ cleanses us, wipes our slate clean, breaks us from the bondage of sin, so that we may perfectly approach the table and receive such grace. So we are totally unworthy of receiving Communion, yet Christ has made us totally worthy. At the same time, we are completely worthy and completely unworthy. Talk about a holy mystery!
The liturgy we use to celebrate Communion is relatively unchanged from the liturgy used by Christians for the past 1700 years. And it is no coincidence that our liturgy begins with a very Isaiah-like confession, admitting our sinfulness. You will notice that our first prayer together is the prayer of confession and pardon. We confess our sins – “Woe are we, for we are people of unclean lips, living among people of unclean lips!” The first step of communion is recognizing that we are not worthy – a recognition brought about by encountering God at the temple. And the second step is confessing those sins. After confession, we are then able to approach God with the intention of being made clean.
And so we will move through this liturgy in just a few minutes, making a similar confession to that of Isaiah. We’ve come to encounter God in the temple. But that encounter has convicted us, calling us into self-examination of our sinful nature. And we will approach the table with the same lamenting cry as Isaiah: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man [or woman] of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips!” We will admit our complete unworthiness to receive such a holy gift, the bread and cup.
“Forgive us,” we will pray. “Free us for joyful obedience, so we may more perfectly love you, O Lord.” Make us worthy through the suffering, death, and resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ. Make us worthy to receive this holy gift. And then we will proclaim the refrain many of you have committed to memory: “In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!”
We’ll come to Christ’s table, kneeling as totally unworthy and totally worthy people, sinners that have been forgiven. We will, like Isaiah, be completely aware of the continual need for the cleansing of our souls, a cleansing that can come only from the God who sits on the highest throne. “Woe is me! I am lost, and I have somehow found my way to your temple and to your table!” This is why John Wesley believed in receiving communion as frequently as you can – because we are always sinners in need of God’s grace, and kneeling at the Lord’s Table reminds us of this truth.
Of course, this morning we will not be receiving a fiery coal from a heavenly being like Isaiah did. Instead, we will receive the bread and cup from the outstretched arms of Jesus Christ. And when these elements touch our lips, our guilt will depart and our sin will be blotted out. What a glorious and celebratory moment that is – the cleansing of our souls, the blotting out of sin, the departing of guilt – all wrapped up in the mystery we encounter at Christ’s table.
Communion is, among many things, a reminder of the love and forgiveness of God, offered in the form of Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Communion is a reminder of the cleansing work of the cross. Communion is an act of getting a fresh start – wiping the slate clean, turning the page, waking up to a new day, turning over a new leaf. However you want to say it, letting the bread and cup touch our lips blots out the past and flushes out the guilt. It frees us for a new day of joyful obedience and perfect love of God and neighbor.
We may approach the table, tired and weary from our days of sin and guilt. “Woe is me! I am lost!” But when we let the bread and cup touch our lips, we are welcomed to a new day. “Welcome to the day,” God says in this sacrament. Welcome to a new day where your guilt has departed and your sin has been blotted out. Whatever mistakes you’ve made, whatever transgressions you’ve committed, and no matter how lost you’ve become by wandering away from God, the gift of forgiveness awaits you. Welcome to the day – to your fresh start in Christ Jesus.
Isaiah came to the temple, and stumbled upon a meaningful encounter with God. He cried out for salvation, and it was given to him in a mysterious act. But the most amazing thing about Isaiah’s call narrative is what happened after he is cleansed of sin and guilt. Once his sin and guilt is cleared away, he suddenly becomes aware of the voice of God. It seems the Lord had already been talking to him, but not until his sin and guilt departed was he able to hear the voice of God. Sin and guilt was like waxy buildup in Isaiah’s ear, and the fiery coal acted as a Q-tip, opening up the pathway to hearing God’s call.
"Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Isaiah has turned the page to a new day, and discovered that this new day is calling out to him. “Welcome to the day,” says the Lord. “Will you live this day for me? Will you be my servant today?”
Folks, when we celebrate communion and let sin and guilt depart from us, we then become freed for that joyful obedience we ask for. When we turn the page, we find the Lord calling out to us, asking us to take his message to the people of unclean lips. But we cannot hear this call unless we are first cleansed from sin and guilt. We cannot hear this call unless we let the bread and cup touch our lips, reminding us that we are forgiven and reconciled people, called to respond to our temple experience on this day. Isaiah, a sinner, was cleansed by the Lord, and responded by living the life that God called him to. All of us, sinners like Isaiah, are cleansed by the Lord, and our call this morning through the sacrament of Holy Communion is to live out a life that is acceptable and pleasing to God. We’ve been given the gift of a new day. What will we do with this precious gift? In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
In the Garden
Last night, Lisa organized a trip to the Hunger Garden in nearby Madison. The Hunger Garden is a couple acres of land donated by a local farmer to the Westmoreland County Food Bank. It is run and farmed completely by volunteers, grows many different crops, and 100% of the crops produced are distributed through the food bank to the hungry in our midst. It is a wonderful project on so many levels -- feeding the poor, practicing environmental stewardship by distributing locally grown food, tithing of land by one individual, the work of many to be the hands and feet of Christ, etc.
Our congregation (average Sunday attendance: 61) took 11 people last night on the first of hopefully many trips to the Hunger Garden. We spent about 2.5 hours farming, then grabbed ice cream together on the way home. Among those 11 were 4 youth, 2 of whom were confirmed in worship just one day earlier. These two girls, Natalie and Alex, professed their faith, remembered their baptism, and promised to support Christ's holy church with their time and resources. Then they wasted no time in literally getting down and dirty for the kingdom, right next to fellow brothers and sisters from all over the area that had come to plant hope at the garden.
What a witness! I could not be more proud of Natalie, Alex, and the rest of our group than I am right now. This morning I sit in my office, beaming with the joy at the miracle I witnessed last night. Moments like last night give me hope to live out another day as a member of the body of Christ. This congregation has a future filled with hope. This region has a future filled with hope. This world has a future filled with hope. And God's kingdom has a future filled with hope. Now we wait for the harvest to come, where that hope will finally be fulfilled.
Our congregation (average Sunday attendance: 61) took 11 people last night on the first of hopefully many trips to the Hunger Garden. We spent about 2.5 hours farming, then grabbed ice cream together on the way home. Among those 11 were 4 youth, 2 of whom were confirmed in worship just one day earlier. These two girls, Natalie and Alex, professed their faith, remembered their baptism, and promised to support Christ's holy church with their time and resources. Then they wasted no time in literally getting down and dirty for the kingdom, right next to fellow brothers and sisters from all over the area that had come to plant hope at the garden.
What a witness! I could not be more proud of Natalie, Alex, and the rest of our group than I am right now. This morning I sit in my office, beaming with the joy at the miracle I witnessed last night. Moments like last night give me hope to live out another day as a member of the body of Christ. This congregation has a future filled with hope. This region has a future filled with hope. This world has a future filled with hope. And God's kingdom has a future filled with hope. Now we wait for the harvest to come, where that hope will finally be fulfilled.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Go With the Flow
Sermon for Sunday, May 31, 2009 - Pentecost Sunday
Scripture: Acts 2:1-21
We are in a spirit of celebration today, the last day of May. Summer has arrived, we have all these confirmands among us, we celebrate the birth of the church through the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, the school year has ended for some, and it is just about to end for others. We even have high school and college graduates in our midst, and our beloved hockey team is poised to bring back the Stanley Cup.
Indeed, what a time of celebration. Each year at this time, when Alice Cooper’s song “School’s Out” becomes a daily fixture on the radio, I remember the scenes from the last day of school: students joyously running through the halls, throwing papers around like confetti, hugging and dancing with each other, because there’s “no more pencils, no more books, no more teachers’ dirty looks.”
School’s out, which leads to mass celebration – hopefully non-destructive, healthy celebration, of course. And what happens is that students seem to spill out of school, as if the building can no longer contain the people and the enthusiasm it once held. And that’s how this scene in the 2nd chapter of Acts unfolds. The disciples have gathered for a house meeting, presumably coming together to worship the resurrected Christ. Suddenly, the Holy Spirit descends on them, and before we know it they are out in the streets, speaking of the good deeds of God’s power.
What I find most intriguing about this passage is that there’s obvious movement from inside to outside, but Luke, the writer of Acts, does not include that in the narration. It’s as if Luke assumed he didn’t have to tell us that the disciples moved out into the streets, because it’s common knowledge that the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives would move us out into the world to meet the curious crowds.
When the disciples are out in the streets, or maybe even before that, everyone around knows there’s something going on. It’s obvious that this is not just another normal day. Here are a dozen men speaking in their own language, Aramaic, yet these foreign Jews understand in their own languages. Part of the crowd is asking, “What’s going on?” while the rest of the crowd is asking, “Have you guys been hitting the sauce a little early this morning?” Believers and doubters alike are asking questions. Everyone has a question on this day, because something inexplicable is going on. Everyone has a question on the day of Pentecost. That much is obvious.
Occasionally, Lisa and I attend Pittsburgh Steelers football games. My favorite part of attending a game at the stadium is after a win, when a spirit of victory and celebration resonates through the concourses and the ramps. The crowd spills out of the stadium, many of them over the bridge and into downtown, and clueless bystanders can instantly figure out if the game was a win or a loss, depending on how the black and gold crowd is acting. And the same questions come: either “What’s going on?” or “Are you drunk?” I must say that at times I’ve been so raucous at sporting events that people will often ask me if I’m drunk. Even though I’m not, I still get mistaken for someone who is, because it’s obvious I’m filled with some kind of spirit, whether it’s spirituous drinks or the spirit of victory.
When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, it’s obvious to all onlookers that something’s going on. Some may mistake our fervor for drunkenness, but others may stop and ask us why we are acting just so: “What’s gotten into you?” It is obvious from reading this passage that the Holy Spirit is not something that can be contained. Why do you think scripture talks about the Holy Spirit as wind or fire? It’s because wind and fire are two things that are difficult to contain. They’re two things that run free and wild, overflowing through the world.
And when the revelry from a sporting event pours out into the streets, it usually gathers more people into the crowd. It has a snowball effect, picking up more and more people as it flows, much like the parade scene from the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. If you’ve seen that movie, then you know that Ferris is a high school student who decides to skip school one day. He and a couple friends head to downtown Chicago to live it up, and do they ever. At one point, Ferris sneaks into a parade, where he sings “Donka Shane,” followed by “Twist and Shout.” His spirited singing attracts people toward the parade, where they join in the singing and dancing. Ferris is so filled with enthusiasm that it overflows into those around him – his spirit spreads like wildfire through the streets of downtown Chicago.
The Holy Spirit spread like wildfire through the streets on the Day of Pentecost. It was contagious – the disciples were so filled with the Holy Spirit that they could not be contained in their house. The Holy Spirit was overflowing, pouring out of the house and out of the disciples, so that everyone knew something was going on. What a strange sight this must have been – a normal morning on the street turning into an event so raucous that the only logical explanation was drunkenness.
And it was caused by drunkenness – being drunk on the Holy Spirit. And the Spirit with which the disciples were filled was poured out not just on them, but as Peter said, “upon all flesh.” The Holy Spirit came for everyone – not just the disciples meeting inside, not just for the onlookers who believed, but all flesh. Every living thing has received the gift of the Holy Spirit. It has been poured out for you and for many – for you, for me, for us, for them, for everyone. And so much of the Holy Spirit has been poured out, it overflows from inside to outside. The house cannot contain the Holy Spirit, and so it flows into the busy streets.
As Christ’s disciples, the Holy Spirit comes to fill us. The Holy Spirit comes to push us out of our homes, out of our place of worship, and into the world where that same spirit can spill out into the streets, flowing right through the middle of everything. The Holy Spirit is not like a piece of cake received at a celebration, passing through us for a time but then forgotten about. The Holy Spirit is a radical, transformative catalyst that gets us moving. A radical, transformative catalyst – a more sophisticated way of saying that the Holy Spirit is the fire that God has lit under our butts.
Can you feel that fire under your posterior? Can you feel the wind carrying you out into the world? Can you feel the Holy Spirit filling you up so much that you’re overflowing with love? As you flow through the world, are you making a scene? Do people notice that you’re filled with some spirit, even if they can’t figure out what spirit you’re filled with? Is it obvious that something’s happening when people look at you and hear you? Are the good deeds of God’s power proclaimed by your words and actions? Are others catching the contagious Holy Spirit that flows through you?
My friends, the Holy Spirit is ready to move us and lead us. Just as the Youghiogheny River flows straight through the center of this town, the Holy Spirit is supposed to flow right through the center of our hearts. And when we allow that to happen, then the Holy Spirit is then supposed to flow right through the center of this world, making a scene, causing a ruckus, attracting curious believers AND sneering doubters, pouring out God’s love on everyone and everything. Will we go with the flow of the Holy Spirit in this world, letting that wind pick us up, or will we let the Holy Spirit flow right by, denying ourselves the possibility for transformation and jubilation? In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Scripture: Acts 2:1-21
We are in a spirit of celebration today, the last day of May. Summer has arrived, we have all these confirmands among us, we celebrate the birth of the church through the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, the school year has ended for some, and it is just about to end for others. We even have high school and college graduates in our midst, and our beloved hockey team is poised to bring back the Stanley Cup.
Indeed, what a time of celebration. Each year at this time, when Alice Cooper’s song “School’s Out” becomes a daily fixture on the radio, I remember the scenes from the last day of school: students joyously running through the halls, throwing papers around like confetti, hugging and dancing with each other, because there’s “no more pencils, no more books, no more teachers’ dirty looks.”
School’s out, which leads to mass celebration – hopefully non-destructive, healthy celebration, of course. And what happens is that students seem to spill out of school, as if the building can no longer contain the people and the enthusiasm it once held. And that’s how this scene in the 2nd chapter of Acts unfolds. The disciples have gathered for a house meeting, presumably coming together to worship the resurrected Christ. Suddenly, the Holy Spirit descends on them, and before we know it they are out in the streets, speaking of the good deeds of God’s power.
What I find most intriguing about this passage is that there’s obvious movement from inside to outside, but Luke, the writer of Acts, does not include that in the narration. It’s as if Luke assumed he didn’t have to tell us that the disciples moved out into the streets, because it’s common knowledge that the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives would move us out into the world to meet the curious crowds.
When the disciples are out in the streets, or maybe even before that, everyone around knows there’s something going on. It’s obvious that this is not just another normal day. Here are a dozen men speaking in their own language, Aramaic, yet these foreign Jews understand in their own languages. Part of the crowd is asking, “What’s going on?” while the rest of the crowd is asking, “Have you guys been hitting the sauce a little early this morning?” Believers and doubters alike are asking questions. Everyone has a question on this day, because something inexplicable is going on. Everyone has a question on the day of Pentecost. That much is obvious.
Occasionally, Lisa and I attend Pittsburgh Steelers football games. My favorite part of attending a game at the stadium is after a win, when a spirit of victory and celebration resonates through the concourses and the ramps. The crowd spills out of the stadium, many of them over the bridge and into downtown, and clueless bystanders can instantly figure out if the game was a win or a loss, depending on how the black and gold crowd is acting. And the same questions come: either “What’s going on?” or “Are you drunk?” I must say that at times I’ve been so raucous at sporting events that people will often ask me if I’m drunk. Even though I’m not, I still get mistaken for someone who is, because it’s obvious I’m filled with some kind of spirit, whether it’s spirituous drinks or the spirit of victory.
When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, it’s obvious to all onlookers that something’s going on. Some may mistake our fervor for drunkenness, but others may stop and ask us why we are acting just so: “What’s gotten into you?” It is obvious from reading this passage that the Holy Spirit is not something that can be contained. Why do you think scripture talks about the Holy Spirit as wind or fire? It’s because wind and fire are two things that are difficult to contain. They’re two things that run free and wild, overflowing through the world.
And when the revelry from a sporting event pours out into the streets, it usually gathers more people into the crowd. It has a snowball effect, picking up more and more people as it flows, much like the parade scene from the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. If you’ve seen that movie, then you know that Ferris is a high school student who decides to skip school one day. He and a couple friends head to downtown Chicago to live it up, and do they ever. At one point, Ferris sneaks into a parade, where he sings “Donka Shane,” followed by “Twist and Shout.” His spirited singing attracts people toward the parade, where they join in the singing and dancing. Ferris is so filled with enthusiasm that it overflows into those around him – his spirit spreads like wildfire through the streets of downtown Chicago.
The Holy Spirit spread like wildfire through the streets on the Day of Pentecost. It was contagious – the disciples were so filled with the Holy Spirit that they could not be contained in their house. The Holy Spirit was overflowing, pouring out of the house and out of the disciples, so that everyone knew something was going on. What a strange sight this must have been – a normal morning on the street turning into an event so raucous that the only logical explanation was drunkenness.
And it was caused by drunkenness – being drunk on the Holy Spirit. And the Spirit with which the disciples were filled was poured out not just on them, but as Peter said, “upon all flesh.” The Holy Spirit came for everyone – not just the disciples meeting inside, not just for the onlookers who believed, but all flesh. Every living thing has received the gift of the Holy Spirit. It has been poured out for you and for many – for you, for me, for us, for them, for everyone. And so much of the Holy Spirit has been poured out, it overflows from inside to outside. The house cannot contain the Holy Spirit, and so it flows into the busy streets.
As Christ’s disciples, the Holy Spirit comes to fill us. The Holy Spirit comes to push us out of our homes, out of our place of worship, and into the world where that same spirit can spill out into the streets, flowing right through the middle of everything. The Holy Spirit is not like a piece of cake received at a celebration, passing through us for a time but then forgotten about. The Holy Spirit is a radical, transformative catalyst that gets us moving. A radical, transformative catalyst – a more sophisticated way of saying that the Holy Spirit is the fire that God has lit under our butts.
Can you feel that fire under your posterior? Can you feel the wind carrying you out into the world? Can you feel the Holy Spirit filling you up so much that you’re overflowing with love? As you flow through the world, are you making a scene? Do people notice that you’re filled with some spirit, even if they can’t figure out what spirit you’re filled with? Is it obvious that something’s happening when people look at you and hear you? Are the good deeds of God’s power proclaimed by your words and actions? Are others catching the contagious Holy Spirit that flows through you?
My friends, the Holy Spirit is ready to move us and lead us. Just as the Youghiogheny River flows straight through the center of this town, the Holy Spirit is supposed to flow right through the center of our hearts. And when we allow that to happen, then the Holy Spirit is then supposed to flow right through the center of this world, making a scene, causing a ruckus, attracting curious believers AND sneering doubters, pouring out God’s love on everyone and everything. Will we go with the flow of the Holy Spirit in this world, letting that wind pick us up, or will we let the Holy Spirit flow right by, denying ourselves the possibility for transformation and jubilation? In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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