Sermon illustrations for Day of Pentecost (2013)
Illustration
Object:
Acts 2:1-21
Fire is an interesting image with which to describe the effect of the Holy Spirit upon those who follow Jesus. First, fire illuminates its surroundings, like a candle in a dark room; the disciples were enlightened to preach with understanding about their experience with Jesus. Second, fire changes the energy level of that to which it is near, like when an electron jumps a shell when energized by an outside force; the disciples were excited to get out of the room and onto the streets with the gospel. Third, fire changes the consistency of that which it touches for a period of time, like when heat is added to hydrogen and oxygen to make water; the timid and fearful disciples were made bold and confident by the power of God's spirit, becoming leaders in the faith and not just followers.
Mark M.
Acts 2:1-21
Wow! Wouldn't you like to live then to see all those miracles? Don't you wish you could see them some Sunday in your church? Too often many find boredom in their faith and their church. Is it the pastor's fault? Is it the service that is the same every Sunday, and we repeat it without thinking about what we are saying? Wouldn't we wake up if we saw flames of fire descending? Some denominations expect to see some of the signs of that day! Even some Lutherans speak in tongues. Our church used to be afraid of it but now it suggests that we talk with some members who have had this experience. One thing I did in my last church was to have members who knew different languages come forward and read the scripture in their ancestral language to give us the feel of what people back then must have experienced. In some cases I know that the "tongue" is a known language, as it was to some in the day of Pentecost, but sometimes it seems like gibberish. Paul tells us that (assuming it was really given by the Spirit) someone else who has the Spirit will have to interpret it, though he goes on to suggest that we are better off hearing a few words that we can understand! It can seem like nonsense to those who think it is just the product of those who had too much wine in the communion! Ours is not to judge. Luther warned against those whose enthusiasm was not based on God's Spirit.
Then it was Peter's turn to explain. He points up that this experience was foretold in the scriptures they had, and they could read about it! That is a good rule. If we don't understand something, check it out in God's word -- or ask a pastor to check it out. Hopefully our people will see the Holy Spirit at work in us... tongues or no tongues!
Bob O.
Romans 8:14-17
Times are tough for the Holy Spirit among mainline Protestants. A 2008 Barna Research Group poll found that 2 out of 3 Americans regard the Holy Spirit as merely a symbol of God's presence and not a living reality. But Paul testifies that the Spirit lives and has a real job to do. Sinners that we are, we would not be following Jesus were it not for the Holy Spirit. It is like Martin Luther once wrote: "I believe that by my own reason or strength I cannot believe in Jesus Christ my Lord, or come to him. But the Holy Spirit has me through the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, and sanctified and preserved me in true faith" (The Book of Concord [Tappert ed.], p. 345).
Famed modern theologian Karl Barth went further in emphasizing the Holy Spirit's role in bringing us to faith: "Christians... are those who wake up... as they awaken they look up, and rise, thus making the counter-movement to the downward drag of their sinfully slothful being. They are those who wake up, however, because they are awakened. (Church Dogmatics, Vol. III/4, p. 581).
The Holy Spirit is God's wake-up call to us!
Mark E.
Romans 8:14-17
Jesus reasoned that worrying will contribute neither to the length nor the quality of life. He desired every person to delight in the pleasure of each passing moment. In the comic strip Peanuts, Peppermint Patty is home, sitting at her desk, intent upon completing her assignment. Placing pencil to paper, she scrawls: "What I did on my Christmas vacation. I went outside and looked at the clouds. They formed beautiful patterns with beautiful colors. I looked at the clouds every morning and every evening, which is all I did on my Christmas vacation." Finished, she picks up the manuscript in order to study her composition. Suddenly suspicious that the class will question her ambition, Peppermint Patty places the report upon the desk and defensively concludes: "And what's wrong with that?"
Ron L.
John 14:8-17 (25-27)
"In" is an interesting preposition. Jesus uses "in" to describe his relationship with the Father and also with the believer and also with the praying person. "In" is a container metaphor, as explained by Lakoff and Johnson in their book Metaphors We Live By. They write: "Each of us is a container, with a bounding surface and an in-out orientation. We project our own in-out orientation onto other physical objects that are bounded by surfaces... There are few human instincts more basic than territoriality."
With this perspective in mind, we can understand Jesus saying to us: "Consider the Father and me on the same turf, about the same thing; and when you believe in me and pray in my name you are sharing the same spiritual space with me that unites us 'in' truth."
Mark M.
John 14:8-17 (25-27)
We need to emphasize that we have only one God. The Trinity means that he is in three persons. As I often remind my people, I am only one person, but I am a son -- and a father -- and a husband. I even use different words in each of these relationships. This is difficult for some to realize, but if we know Jesus, we also know the Father and the Spirit because they are one. The hardest part for us today is the miracle part. We don't expect them. In seminary there were even great theologians who tried to figure out what really happened back then. In this scientific age it is hard to believe what does not fit into our orderly minds. It may also depend on what we consider a miracle. I prayed for a woman in my congregation in Canada who just had a baby but continued to bleed. The doctors tested her and said she had a life-threatening tumor that had to be removed. When I visited her before surgery, we had a prayer for her healing. On the way out the nurse told me that if she survived, she would be wearing a colostomy bag. I waited with the family for a long time, then the doctor came in with surprise on his face: "We could find no cancer in her at all!" On the way down the elevator after surgery a nurse who rode with me saw my collar and said, "Pastor, there was no way that couldn't have been cancer! That was a miracle!" No, these things don't happen every day, but they do build our faith that God is still working today.
As I tell my people, our new converts in Nepal often came because they had witnessed a miracle. We saw many while we were there and the church in Nepal was growing enormously because of them, just as Jesus promised! We can be fools, but we have to have an open mind and faith to believe that God is still working today. If we have a solid faith we may not need to see miracles in order to believe, but we still have to keep our mind open to ask for help, even miraculous help in Jesus' name. Be prepared to witness what God can do.
God will give his Spirit to anyone who asks, and like he tells us, the world may not accept it and may call us fools so be prepared, but you will know when it is God working in you and for you! If the Spirit is in us, then he will teach us and remind us of all God has done and can do for us.
Remember that God gives us his peace, even in a world of trouble that we witness on television every night or the problems that might face us. Even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will not fear. We must ask ourselves, "Do we love him?" One sign of our faith is if we find ourselves obeying his commands. Are we spending time looking for the commands that God is giving us? That is one reason we come to church. We need to keep our ears (and our hearts open).
Bob O.
Fire is an interesting image with which to describe the effect of the Holy Spirit upon those who follow Jesus. First, fire illuminates its surroundings, like a candle in a dark room; the disciples were enlightened to preach with understanding about their experience with Jesus. Second, fire changes the energy level of that to which it is near, like when an electron jumps a shell when energized by an outside force; the disciples were excited to get out of the room and onto the streets with the gospel. Third, fire changes the consistency of that which it touches for a period of time, like when heat is added to hydrogen and oxygen to make water; the timid and fearful disciples were made bold and confident by the power of God's spirit, becoming leaders in the faith and not just followers.
Mark M.
Acts 2:1-21
Wow! Wouldn't you like to live then to see all those miracles? Don't you wish you could see them some Sunday in your church? Too often many find boredom in their faith and their church. Is it the pastor's fault? Is it the service that is the same every Sunday, and we repeat it without thinking about what we are saying? Wouldn't we wake up if we saw flames of fire descending? Some denominations expect to see some of the signs of that day! Even some Lutherans speak in tongues. Our church used to be afraid of it but now it suggests that we talk with some members who have had this experience. One thing I did in my last church was to have members who knew different languages come forward and read the scripture in their ancestral language to give us the feel of what people back then must have experienced. In some cases I know that the "tongue" is a known language, as it was to some in the day of Pentecost, but sometimes it seems like gibberish. Paul tells us that (assuming it was really given by the Spirit) someone else who has the Spirit will have to interpret it, though he goes on to suggest that we are better off hearing a few words that we can understand! It can seem like nonsense to those who think it is just the product of those who had too much wine in the communion! Ours is not to judge. Luther warned against those whose enthusiasm was not based on God's Spirit.
Then it was Peter's turn to explain. He points up that this experience was foretold in the scriptures they had, and they could read about it! That is a good rule. If we don't understand something, check it out in God's word -- or ask a pastor to check it out. Hopefully our people will see the Holy Spirit at work in us... tongues or no tongues!
Bob O.
Romans 8:14-17
Times are tough for the Holy Spirit among mainline Protestants. A 2008 Barna Research Group poll found that 2 out of 3 Americans regard the Holy Spirit as merely a symbol of God's presence and not a living reality. But Paul testifies that the Spirit lives and has a real job to do. Sinners that we are, we would not be following Jesus were it not for the Holy Spirit. It is like Martin Luther once wrote: "I believe that by my own reason or strength I cannot believe in Jesus Christ my Lord, or come to him. But the Holy Spirit has me through the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, and sanctified and preserved me in true faith" (The Book of Concord [Tappert ed.], p. 345).
Famed modern theologian Karl Barth went further in emphasizing the Holy Spirit's role in bringing us to faith: "Christians... are those who wake up... as they awaken they look up, and rise, thus making the counter-movement to the downward drag of their sinfully slothful being. They are those who wake up, however, because they are awakened. (Church Dogmatics, Vol. III/4, p. 581).
The Holy Spirit is God's wake-up call to us!
Mark E.
Romans 8:14-17
Jesus reasoned that worrying will contribute neither to the length nor the quality of life. He desired every person to delight in the pleasure of each passing moment. In the comic strip Peanuts, Peppermint Patty is home, sitting at her desk, intent upon completing her assignment. Placing pencil to paper, she scrawls: "What I did on my Christmas vacation. I went outside and looked at the clouds. They formed beautiful patterns with beautiful colors. I looked at the clouds every morning and every evening, which is all I did on my Christmas vacation." Finished, she picks up the manuscript in order to study her composition. Suddenly suspicious that the class will question her ambition, Peppermint Patty places the report upon the desk and defensively concludes: "And what's wrong with that?"
Ron L.
John 14:8-17 (25-27)
"In" is an interesting preposition. Jesus uses "in" to describe his relationship with the Father and also with the believer and also with the praying person. "In" is a container metaphor, as explained by Lakoff and Johnson in their book Metaphors We Live By. They write: "Each of us is a container, with a bounding surface and an in-out orientation. We project our own in-out orientation onto other physical objects that are bounded by surfaces... There are few human instincts more basic than territoriality."
With this perspective in mind, we can understand Jesus saying to us: "Consider the Father and me on the same turf, about the same thing; and when you believe in me and pray in my name you are sharing the same spiritual space with me that unites us 'in' truth."
Mark M.
John 14:8-17 (25-27)
We need to emphasize that we have only one God. The Trinity means that he is in three persons. As I often remind my people, I am only one person, but I am a son -- and a father -- and a husband. I even use different words in each of these relationships. This is difficult for some to realize, but if we know Jesus, we also know the Father and the Spirit because they are one. The hardest part for us today is the miracle part. We don't expect them. In seminary there were even great theologians who tried to figure out what really happened back then. In this scientific age it is hard to believe what does not fit into our orderly minds. It may also depend on what we consider a miracle. I prayed for a woman in my congregation in Canada who just had a baby but continued to bleed. The doctors tested her and said she had a life-threatening tumor that had to be removed. When I visited her before surgery, we had a prayer for her healing. On the way out the nurse told me that if she survived, she would be wearing a colostomy bag. I waited with the family for a long time, then the doctor came in with surprise on his face: "We could find no cancer in her at all!" On the way down the elevator after surgery a nurse who rode with me saw my collar and said, "Pastor, there was no way that couldn't have been cancer! That was a miracle!" No, these things don't happen every day, but they do build our faith that God is still working today.
As I tell my people, our new converts in Nepal often came because they had witnessed a miracle. We saw many while we were there and the church in Nepal was growing enormously because of them, just as Jesus promised! We can be fools, but we have to have an open mind and faith to believe that God is still working today. If we have a solid faith we may not need to see miracles in order to believe, but we still have to keep our mind open to ask for help, even miraculous help in Jesus' name. Be prepared to witness what God can do.
God will give his Spirit to anyone who asks, and like he tells us, the world may not accept it and may call us fools so be prepared, but you will know when it is God working in you and for you! If the Spirit is in us, then he will teach us and remind us of all God has done and can do for us.
Remember that God gives us his peace, even in a world of trouble that we witness on television every night or the problems that might face us. Even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will not fear. We must ask ourselves, "Do we love him?" One sign of our faith is if we find ourselves obeying his commands. Are we spending time looking for the commands that God is giving us? That is one reason we come to church. We need to keep our ears (and our hearts open).
Bob O.
