Coffee and Muffins this Saturday!

Dunbar Lutheran will have a little coffee and muffins stand set up next to the Church Garden this Saturday for the people of the neighbourhood, starting at about 9:30 am. Please join us for some good morning conversation!

PENTECOST 2010

Pentecost 2010: John 4:8-17

Two thousand years ago, Pentecost was a very important event on the Jewish Calendar. Every male Jew who lived within twenty miles of Jerusalem was legally bound to attend. Imagine being legally bound to attend a worship service. Some of us might call that the good old days! Pentecost was celebrated fifty days after Passover, at a time of year when traveling conditions were at their best, when a large, international, crowd would make their way to Jerusalem, to celebrate God’s giving the Law to Moses. And that Law stated that no work was to be done in that day, none at all, by anyone. The crowd was large and diverse. Jewish pilgrims from far and wide would be there to celebrate. And in and amongst this large gathering on that Holy Day of Pentecost in the first century, were the disciples of Jesus. They lived in Jerusalem, but like many of those in attendance, they too, had been on a journey, but a journey unlike any other. They had  been on a journey with Jesus. For Peter, the journey with Jesus began on that day, that day of fishing on the Sea of Galilee. It continued with Jesus as he proclaimed his message. It continued as Peter saw Jesus arrested and crucified. But the journey did not end there. Peter saw Jesus resurrected, spoke with Jesus, and ate with Jesus, and saw Jesus ascend into heaven. This was a remarkable incredible journey  which defies human logic, and boggles the mind. But this was the journey—a journey not made without purpose or direction or aim or goal. It was a journey made with the express purpose of establishing God’s everlasting and eternal kingdom.

The coming of this kingdom was the promise of Jesus, who spoke to his disciples many times and in many ways about the kingdom coming. So it was natural that before Jesus had ascended into heaven, the gathered disciples had a very important question to ask Jesus about the coming kingdom. Was this the time? Was this the time when Jesus would restore the kingdom to Israel. Was this the time when all that Jesus had spoken about would be fulfilled? This was the burning question  which was on their hearts and minds. Awakening on that Pentecost morning, none of the disciples would have imagined that this would be the day—this would be the day that the kingdom  which their hearts ached for would be established. But this was the day.

This would be the day that the Kingdom of God, ruled by Jesus, would be established on earth. And spite of what ideas the disciples and others may have had about what the kingdom would be like, Jesus had been clear about what the kingdom would be. Surely many were expecting and hoping for a visible, external, kingdom, of the kind King David ruled. It would be like folks today hoping for the perfect government, ruled by perfect justice and love. But Jesus told them that kingdom not be physical and outward, but would be inward, invisible, and spiritual. 

Membership into the spiritual kingdom cannot be obtained but human effort but can only bestowed by its leader. It is a kingdom of astounding vitality, and the Word of God is the seed from which it develops. It is a kingdom where God will have His dwelling place in the heart of each of its members. The mission of this kingdom is to be the salt of the earth and a light to the world. The members of this kingdom will carry good tidings into all of the world and testify to their Lord. This Kingdom is the ECCLESSIA; this kingdom is the church. And on the Holy Day of Pentecost  the ascended Christ had sent the Holy Spirit upon his disciples, and when that happened the Church was established, and the kingdom of God became a reality.

This raises a question. It’s a good question and it needs to be answered. Some would look back across the vast span of history and see all of the bad things, the evil things, done in the name of Christ—the wars, the persecutions. Some would point out contemporary scandals which has inflicted many denominations. Some would point out the  evil people who have claimed membership in churches. Is this the kingdom of God on earth? Is this the ECCLESSIA?

We must remember that the definition of what the True Church is very simple. What makes one a member of the Christian Church is an inward fellowship with Christ. Membership is a matter of the heart. It is a spiritual connection, and only a spiritual connection which makes one a Christian. And this spiritual connection comes about and only comes about through the work of the Holy Spirit; for it is only through the Holy Spirit that anyone can claim Jesus Christ as Lord. Some in the church today look back to the 1950’s as the glory days, the days when full pews and high memberships and many, many congregations were the norm right across this country. Many want to see a return to those days. But please keep this in mind. Many who attended church in those days did so because they felt they had to, because it was the socially prescribed thing to do.  As soon as the social pressure was off, they left. The seed which was planted did not take root in the heart.

Many, many people have sat in churches for years, have been members of Church organizations, but have not had faith, have not been connected inwardly. The heart membership was not there. Despite any outward appearance, they were not true members of the Church of Christ.

 Martin Luther spoke of the visible and hidden church. The visible church is the physically assembled group. The invisible church consists of those who truly believe, who truly confess Christ as Lord. The reason it is invisible, is because only God can see it. Only God can judge what is in a person’s heart. It is not up to any human to judge the faith of another, to judge whether another person is truly a Christian, truly a member of that great and glorious kingdom. But know this. If you confess Jesus as Lord, and believe this in your heart, then you are a member of the Body of Christ. And this body of Christ exists across, and includes all assemblies which confess  faith in the triune God.

Only God makes His church, only Jesus forms his ecclesia. Before he ascended into heaven, the disciples could come to Christ directly. They could speak with Him, eat with Him, and through that contact He was present with them directly. After he ascended that kind of contact was no longer possible.

But on the Holy Day of Pentecost, on that Holy Day, the ascended Christ made direct contact. The Holy Spirit came down from heaven, and when we read the text from Acts we read how this happened. A sound came from heaven, like a rush of violent wind and it filled the house where the disciples of Jesus were sitting. Tongues of fire rested on each of them. They were then filled with Holy Spirit. Being filled with the Spirit, they began to speak in languages they had not known. Visitors to Jerusalem were astonished and amazed when they heard their own languages being spoken by these Galileans. Some dismissed the disciples, saying that they were drunk on new wine. But Peter, knew. He knew what was really happening. He declared, and declared boldly that the prophecy of Joel had been fulfilled. God had poured his Spirit upon all flesh, and great signs and wonders were made manifest. The day of the Lord had arrived, the kingdom had been established on earth, had been established to declare the end of the last days and the dawn of God’s new and glorious age which was yet to come. Just as Jesus promised, the advocate had come. The Holy Spirit  filled the disciples and enlightened and purified them. Their faith was made perfect as they were brought into close fellowship with the exalted Saviour and also with one another. On that Holy Day of Pentecost the Church was born, and today we celebrate that birthday, celebrate the day Christ’s ecclesia was established through the work of the Holy Spirit.

But know this. The Holy Spirit continues to work. And the work of the Holy Spirit has been a hot topic of debate amongst Christians. Some have argued that the Holy Spirit is only present in someone if they manifest a spiritual gift such a speaking in tongues or prophecy. But this isn’t true. The work of the Holy Spirit is to create faith in Jesus, and sustain faith in Jesus, to strengthen and to maintain the work of the church. The Holy Spirit works in all Christians, not only those who are given special spiritual gifts.

Today’s reading in acts ends with Peter affirming what was happening on that Holy day. It was the fulfillment of prophecy. As the chapter continues we read about why it was happening—we read about Peter confessing Christ as Lord.. We read about people being cut to the heart by this proclamation. We read about people asking, crying out, from the very depth of their being, “ What must we do?” What is his answer? Well, his answer does not include speaking in tongues; it does not include having visions or prophesying. He tells them to repent and be baptized, and to break bread together, and to pray. Peter directs them to what are called the means of grace. For it is through these means of Grace that Jesus is made present to the community of believers. Jesus himself instituted these means of grace, these sacraments of baptism and holy communion, so that through them people could receive him in faith and love.  The sacraments may not be spectacular, but they are no less powerful, and no less filled with the Holy Spirit then the events which we read about today.  They are the means by which Jesus makes direct physical and spiritual contact with you. They are the gifts of God intended to  build the community of God, a community whose purpose aim and intention is perhaps nowhere better described than in Acts 2: 43-47. It is a life of fellowship. It is a life of community. It is a life of generosity. It is a life of love. These are the marks of the kingdom of God.  Any spiritual gift given by God has one intention, and one intention only, and that is to build and strengthen the body of Christ.  As the Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians: “ If I speak in tongues of mortals and of angels, but not have love, I am a noisy gong or clanging cymbal.”

So Today we celebrate. We celebrate the Work of the Holy Spirit, and that great and glorious day which Christ sent the Spirit to form his church. We celebrate our being gathered here today. We celebrate the Spirit working to change and transform our hearts. We celebrate being bound together as one in the Body of Christ. Amen.