When the Spririt Moves
Stories
Contents
“When the Spririt Moves” by Peter Andrew Smith
“Children of God?” by Keith Wagner
“Love Beyond Limits” by Keith Wagner
When the Spirit Moves
by Peter Andrew Smith
Acts 2:1-21
Karen turned the page of her Bible. She used her finger to follow the words and when she got to the bottom of the page she set the Bible down on the kitchen table and sighed deeply.
“Is there a problem?” her grandmother asked.
“I’m supposed to talk about the story of Pentecost at this week’s Youth Group meeting,” she said. “I have no idea what I’m going to talk about. I’m lost”
“Why are you lost? I’ve always thought the story from Acts was pretty straightforward.”
“Straightforward? There’s wind, fire, and people speaking in different languages.” Karen threw up her hands. “How am I supposed to talk about that?”
“I think you just did.”
“Grandma, you know what I mean.”
“No, I don’t think I know what you mean.” Her grandmother sat down at the table beside her.
“What exactly is the problem with the story?”
“What’s the problem? The story is just so incredible.”
“The big stories in the Bible usually are.” Her grandmother tilted her head to one side. “Which I suppose is why people keep telling them down through the ages and why we keep studying them. People love to hear about God doing incredible things.”
“Well, sure God can do incredible things.”
“So what’s the problem?”
Karen opened her Bible. “I’m okay with the disciples being in the house and I guess I can understand the wind blowing. But fire? Wouldn’t that set the house ablaze?”
“In a way it did.” Her grandmother grinned. “That’s why the disciples spilled onto the street.”
“Grandma, you know what I mean.”
Her grandmother leaned forward and pointed. “The verse says that when the Holy Spirit arrives there are ‘tongues, as of fire’ which come and rest on the disciples.”
“Huh,” Karen peered at the verse. “So you mean it might not have been actual tongues of real fire?”
Her grandmother shrugged. “Maybe they were or maybe that was just the best way the writer of the book had to describe what happened.”
Karen nodded. “Okay. I guess I can accept that. Then they pour out into the streets and start talking about Jesus and everyone hears them in their own language.”
“That’s what the story says.”
“How did that happen?” Karen asked. “I mean how were they able to do that?”
“The Holy Spirit I guess.” Her grandmother tapped her chin. “I think the more interesting question is why did it happen.”
“Huh?”
“Think about it.” Her grandmother sat back in the chair. “The disciples saw Jesus crucified and buried. They encountered the Risen Jesus when the tomb was empty. They waited and prayed after Jesus returned to heaven because he had told them they had to wait for the one who would help them.”
“So the Holy Spirit arrives and they do what they were waiting to do.”
“Exactly.”
“That doesn’t seem too difficult to understand.” Karen frowned. “What makes the “why” a more interesting question?”
Her grandmother smiled. “What did they have to do?”
“They have to spread the news about Jesus being alive to everyone.”
Her grandmother nodded. “And who exactly is ‘everyone’?”
“Well, the people in Jerusalem.”
“You mean the people who called for Jesus to be crucified?”
Karen paused. “Yes, I guess them.”
“Who else?”
“Well people in other countries, I guess.”
Her grandmother considered her. “Do you remember when we traveled and you didn’t know the local language. How well did that turn out when you needed directions?”
“That was super awkward and hard.” Karen frowned. “So I guess that the Holy Spirit gave them the languages so they could tell everyone about Jesus.”
“Certainly,” her grandmother said. “But did the Holy Spirit make it easy for them?”
Karen opened her mouth and closed it before she replied. She looked off into space for a few minutes. “I guess the Holy Spirit made sure they could tell others about Jesus. I don’t think that knowing the language would make it any easier to tell about the death and resurrection.”
“I agree. Which is the reason that I think the interesting question is why the disciples poured onto the streets. They had a hard job to do even if the Holy Spirit gave them the words they needed. Remember many of them died sharing the gospel in the places they went.” Her grandmother sat back in the chair. “And yet they did so with passion and enthusiasm and with such grace that we consider most of them saints.”
Karen looked back at her Bible. “They certainly had great faith.”
Her grandmother smiled. “That’s another reason I think people love to hear the story of Pentecost. It reminds us how when we have faith, when we go where the Spirit moves us, that we can do great things and change the world.”
Karen smiled. “You know what Grandma? I think maybe I know what I’m going to talk about,”
“What’s that?”
“I’m going to talk about how the Christians who came before us inspire us to keep following Jesus.”
“I think that is a lovely message to share and one which will generate a lot of discussion.” Her grandmother kissed her on the forehead. “But don’t forget to also talk about how when you as young people follow Jesus that you end up inspiring us older people too.”
* * *
Children of God?
by Keith Wagner
Romans 8:22-27
One time my brother, Gary, asked me and my older brother to help him build his garage. He lived in Florida and it was in the summer. It was hot and exhausting work. At one point we were putting a support gable in place and we were having difficulty holding it in place. Gary yelled out, “Hey guys, you have to keep this stable while I secure it.” The two of us looked at each other and replied, “Tell you what we are going to take a break.” He had forgotten we had volunteered to help and we weren’t professional contractors.
The two of us climbed down from the roof and got a cold drink. Meanwhile, my mother was listening to our exchange of words and she said, “Now boys, you just all need to get along.” The three of us needed a little supervision.
In Romans, Paul is reminding us that we need direction. Basically he wrote that when we are moved by the Spirit we become children of God. I believe that to be children of God means we acknowledge God as our divine parent.
In the early church life had become complex and people’s identity had become skewed. The faith community had forgotten who they were and what they were about. They needed to be reminded that to be believers in Jesus Christ had a direct connection with their actions and deeds.
My mother had a habit of preaching to my brothers and I about the importance of getting along. She told us it was her wish that we remained close after she was gone. My mother also explained that it troubled her that her only brother and her only sister did not speak for years. She finally intervened and discovered that her sister has the wrong phone number for her brother. A lame excuse perhaps, but it worked and the two of them finally reconciled.
When my brothers and I were young we fought like normal children, but now we remain fairly close. The incident at my brother’s garage was just one of many. Unfortunately we have not always been the best communicators. After our mother died we all exchanged cell phone numbers and emails. During that exchange we recalled our mother’s wish about keeping in touch. Now that we are all older, we get together more frequently and even travel together.
Sometimes the slightest obstacle can separate people. It may be something as simple as a lack of information. On the other hand it could be stubbornness or selfishness or revenge.
For me, to be children of God is to have common sense.
One time Martin Luther King was riding with his brother. In his sermon, A Knock at Midnight, he told this story: "My brother and I were driving one evening to Chattanooga, Tennessee, from Atlanta. He was driving the car. And for some reason the drivers were very discourteous that night. Many of them didn’t dim their lights. I remember very vividly, my brother A. D., looked over and in a tone of anger said: ‘I know what I’m going to do. The next car that comes along here and refuses to dim the lights, I’m going to fail to dim mine and pour them on in all of their power.’ I looked at him right quick and said: ‘Oh no, don’t do that. There’d be too much light on this highway, and it will end up in mutual destruction for all. Somebody got to have some sense on this highway.’”
Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Those were great words of wisdom. Unfortunately force begets force and hate begets hate. Somebody must have sense enough to cut off the chain of hate and the chain of evil in the universe. The only way is to practice real love.
Brotherly love begins with our own brothers and sisters. However, Jesus’ love goes beyond family. By resisting retaliation, having the courage to break the cycle of violence and loving everyone is to be faithful to our Devine parent.
* * *
Love Beyond Limits
by Keith Wagner
John 14:8-17 (25-27)
“I will not leave you orphaned,” Jesus said. In other words, whatever evil we may face we don’t have to face it alone. There may be times when we feel alone or times when we feel that God has abandoned us. God is there, but there are times when we are just too anxious to realize God’s presence.
Sometimes God is with us through others, like when a friend or relative helps us through a difficult time.
In my Interviewing and Counseling Techniques class at Edison Community College, there was a video series that has a variety of counseling sessions. In one exchange there was an elderly woman whose only daughter has died. A counselor, by the name of Lourdes, made visits to her home, trying to help Myra cope with her grief.
Things were progressing slowly since Mrya was hesitant to express her feelings. Lourdes was not very successful and tried several approaches but none seemed to work. One day she asked Mrya to tell her about the things that reminded her about her daughter. She said that their favorite thing was to take walks together. Lourdes got an idea and asked Myra if it would be okay if they took a walk together. They did, and Myra finally began to open up. She realized that what she missed was the opportunity to talk to someone younger than herself.
Whenever someone befriends us in such a way it enables us to experience life again. We no longer feel the emptiness and void of being alone. Lourdes realized that she couldn’t replace Myra’s daughter nor did she intend to. Her friendship however, enabled Myra to awaken from her sorrow and experience the love of interacting with another human being.
To overcome loneliness we may need a friend like Lourdes. The friendship that Jesus gives us is not limited to people. The presence he has left us with could be something else.
In the book, God’s Little Lessons for Graduates, there is a story about a woman named Mary Lennox. She was orphaned at the age of nine. Her parents died of cholera. Mary was unaffectionate and uncaring. She had been largely ignored by her parents while living in India. After her parents died she was sent to England to live with her uncle. But the move did nothing to improve her attitude. She expected everyone to jump at her command.
In her loneliness, overtime, Mary began to change. She was so desperate she asked a robin in the garden to be her friend. She then began to treat others with more respect. She was nice to the maid and even the maid’s little brother, Dickson. Mary started asking his advice on things and shared with him the story of her friend the robin. As she grew and became more loving toward others her life was completely transformed. She thought less of herself and began to see the need in others. Eventually, she convinced her crippled cousin, Colin, to grab hold of life and live with courage. She became much happier and was surrounded by many friends.
The friend God gives to us could be one of God’s creatures like Mary’s robin. A friend could also be a complete surprise.
When Christopher Columbus was sailing to the new world his hired sailors were threatening mutiny. The voyage was long and hard and there was no land in sight for weeks. One day Columbus saw an encouraging sign. Floating on the ocean swells was a small tree branch. The branches’ leaves were green, indicating that land could not be far away. The green branch gave the sailors enthusiasm and a renewed hope. Soon after its discovery land was sighted from the sailor in the crow’s nest.
When all seems hopeless God has a way of surprising us and being present, even in the loneliest places. It is not God who is absent but we who have ceased to believe in a God who loves us, sometimes more than we love ourselves.
Here is John we find the disciples feeling abandoned since Jesus will be leaving them soon. Jesus assured them that there would be a comforter, a counselor, an advocate who would be their friend and helper. Jesus would continue to “abide in them,” as the Holy Spirit and therefore they would continue to experience the presence and assurance of God. And that same spirit is within us as well.
*****************************************
StoryShare, June 9, 2019, issue.
Copyright 2019 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
“When the Spririt Moves” by Peter Andrew Smith
“Children of God?” by Keith Wagner
“Love Beyond Limits” by Keith Wagner
When the Spirit Moves
by Peter Andrew Smith
Acts 2:1-21
Karen turned the page of her Bible. She used her finger to follow the words and when she got to the bottom of the page she set the Bible down on the kitchen table and sighed deeply.
“Is there a problem?” her grandmother asked.
“I’m supposed to talk about the story of Pentecost at this week’s Youth Group meeting,” she said. “I have no idea what I’m going to talk about. I’m lost”
“Why are you lost? I’ve always thought the story from Acts was pretty straightforward.”
“Straightforward? There’s wind, fire, and people speaking in different languages.” Karen threw up her hands. “How am I supposed to talk about that?”
“I think you just did.”
“Grandma, you know what I mean.”
“No, I don’t think I know what you mean.” Her grandmother sat down at the table beside her.
“What exactly is the problem with the story?”
“What’s the problem? The story is just so incredible.”
“The big stories in the Bible usually are.” Her grandmother tilted her head to one side. “Which I suppose is why people keep telling them down through the ages and why we keep studying them. People love to hear about God doing incredible things.”
“Well, sure God can do incredible things.”
“So what’s the problem?”
Karen opened her Bible. “I’m okay with the disciples being in the house and I guess I can understand the wind blowing. But fire? Wouldn’t that set the house ablaze?”
“In a way it did.” Her grandmother grinned. “That’s why the disciples spilled onto the street.”
“Grandma, you know what I mean.”
Her grandmother leaned forward and pointed. “The verse says that when the Holy Spirit arrives there are ‘tongues, as of fire’ which come and rest on the disciples.”
“Huh,” Karen peered at the verse. “So you mean it might not have been actual tongues of real fire?”
Her grandmother shrugged. “Maybe they were or maybe that was just the best way the writer of the book had to describe what happened.”
Karen nodded. “Okay. I guess I can accept that. Then they pour out into the streets and start talking about Jesus and everyone hears them in their own language.”
“That’s what the story says.”
“How did that happen?” Karen asked. “I mean how were they able to do that?”
“The Holy Spirit I guess.” Her grandmother tapped her chin. “I think the more interesting question is why did it happen.”
“Huh?”
“Think about it.” Her grandmother sat back in the chair. “The disciples saw Jesus crucified and buried. They encountered the Risen Jesus when the tomb was empty. They waited and prayed after Jesus returned to heaven because he had told them they had to wait for the one who would help them.”
“So the Holy Spirit arrives and they do what they were waiting to do.”
“Exactly.”
“That doesn’t seem too difficult to understand.” Karen frowned. “What makes the “why” a more interesting question?”
Her grandmother smiled. “What did they have to do?”
“They have to spread the news about Jesus being alive to everyone.”
Her grandmother nodded. “And who exactly is ‘everyone’?”
“Well, the people in Jerusalem.”
“You mean the people who called for Jesus to be crucified?”
Karen paused. “Yes, I guess them.”
“Who else?”
“Well people in other countries, I guess.”
Her grandmother considered her. “Do you remember when we traveled and you didn’t know the local language. How well did that turn out when you needed directions?”
“That was super awkward and hard.” Karen frowned. “So I guess that the Holy Spirit gave them the languages so they could tell everyone about Jesus.”
“Certainly,” her grandmother said. “But did the Holy Spirit make it easy for them?”
Karen opened her mouth and closed it before she replied. She looked off into space for a few minutes. “I guess the Holy Spirit made sure they could tell others about Jesus. I don’t think that knowing the language would make it any easier to tell about the death and resurrection.”
“I agree. Which is the reason that I think the interesting question is why the disciples poured onto the streets. They had a hard job to do even if the Holy Spirit gave them the words they needed. Remember many of them died sharing the gospel in the places they went.” Her grandmother sat back in the chair. “And yet they did so with passion and enthusiasm and with such grace that we consider most of them saints.”
Karen looked back at her Bible. “They certainly had great faith.”
Her grandmother smiled. “That’s another reason I think people love to hear the story of Pentecost. It reminds us how when we have faith, when we go where the Spirit moves us, that we can do great things and change the world.”
Karen smiled. “You know what Grandma? I think maybe I know what I’m going to talk about,”
“What’s that?”
“I’m going to talk about how the Christians who came before us inspire us to keep following Jesus.”
“I think that is a lovely message to share and one which will generate a lot of discussion.” Her grandmother kissed her on the forehead. “But don’t forget to also talk about how when you as young people follow Jesus that you end up inspiring us older people too.”
* * *
Children of God?
by Keith Wagner
Romans 8:22-27
One time my brother, Gary, asked me and my older brother to help him build his garage. He lived in Florida and it was in the summer. It was hot and exhausting work. At one point we were putting a support gable in place and we were having difficulty holding it in place. Gary yelled out, “Hey guys, you have to keep this stable while I secure it.” The two of us looked at each other and replied, “Tell you what we are going to take a break.” He had forgotten we had volunteered to help and we weren’t professional contractors.
The two of us climbed down from the roof and got a cold drink. Meanwhile, my mother was listening to our exchange of words and she said, “Now boys, you just all need to get along.” The three of us needed a little supervision.
In Romans, Paul is reminding us that we need direction. Basically he wrote that when we are moved by the Spirit we become children of God. I believe that to be children of God means we acknowledge God as our divine parent.
In the early church life had become complex and people’s identity had become skewed. The faith community had forgotten who they were and what they were about. They needed to be reminded that to be believers in Jesus Christ had a direct connection with their actions and deeds.
My mother had a habit of preaching to my brothers and I about the importance of getting along. She told us it was her wish that we remained close after she was gone. My mother also explained that it troubled her that her only brother and her only sister did not speak for years. She finally intervened and discovered that her sister has the wrong phone number for her brother. A lame excuse perhaps, but it worked and the two of them finally reconciled.
When my brothers and I were young we fought like normal children, but now we remain fairly close. The incident at my brother’s garage was just one of many. Unfortunately we have not always been the best communicators. After our mother died we all exchanged cell phone numbers and emails. During that exchange we recalled our mother’s wish about keeping in touch. Now that we are all older, we get together more frequently and even travel together.
Sometimes the slightest obstacle can separate people. It may be something as simple as a lack of information. On the other hand it could be stubbornness or selfishness or revenge.
For me, to be children of God is to have common sense.
One time Martin Luther King was riding with his brother. In his sermon, A Knock at Midnight, he told this story: "My brother and I were driving one evening to Chattanooga, Tennessee, from Atlanta. He was driving the car. And for some reason the drivers were very discourteous that night. Many of them didn’t dim their lights. I remember very vividly, my brother A. D., looked over and in a tone of anger said: ‘I know what I’m going to do. The next car that comes along here and refuses to dim the lights, I’m going to fail to dim mine and pour them on in all of their power.’ I looked at him right quick and said: ‘Oh no, don’t do that. There’d be too much light on this highway, and it will end up in mutual destruction for all. Somebody got to have some sense on this highway.’”
Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Those were great words of wisdom. Unfortunately force begets force and hate begets hate. Somebody must have sense enough to cut off the chain of hate and the chain of evil in the universe. The only way is to practice real love.
Brotherly love begins with our own brothers and sisters. However, Jesus’ love goes beyond family. By resisting retaliation, having the courage to break the cycle of violence and loving everyone is to be faithful to our Devine parent.
* * *
Love Beyond Limits
by Keith Wagner
John 14:8-17 (25-27)
“I will not leave you orphaned,” Jesus said. In other words, whatever evil we may face we don’t have to face it alone. There may be times when we feel alone or times when we feel that God has abandoned us. God is there, but there are times when we are just too anxious to realize God’s presence.
Sometimes God is with us through others, like when a friend or relative helps us through a difficult time.
In my Interviewing and Counseling Techniques class at Edison Community College, there was a video series that has a variety of counseling sessions. In one exchange there was an elderly woman whose only daughter has died. A counselor, by the name of Lourdes, made visits to her home, trying to help Myra cope with her grief.
Things were progressing slowly since Mrya was hesitant to express her feelings. Lourdes was not very successful and tried several approaches but none seemed to work. One day she asked Mrya to tell her about the things that reminded her about her daughter. She said that their favorite thing was to take walks together. Lourdes got an idea and asked Myra if it would be okay if they took a walk together. They did, and Myra finally began to open up. She realized that what she missed was the opportunity to talk to someone younger than herself.
Whenever someone befriends us in such a way it enables us to experience life again. We no longer feel the emptiness and void of being alone. Lourdes realized that she couldn’t replace Myra’s daughter nor did she intend to. Her friendship however, enabled Myra to awaken from her sorrow and experience the love of interacting with another human being.
To overcome loneliness we may need a friend like Lourdes. The friendship that Jesus gives us is not limited to people. The presence he has left us with could be something else.
In the book, God’s Little Lessons for Graduates, there is a story about a woman named Mary Lennox. She was orphaned at the age of nine. Her parents died of cholera. Mary was unaffectionate and uncaring. She had been largely ignored by her parents while living in India. After her parents died she was sent to England to live with her uncle. But the move did nothing to improve her attitude. She expected everyone to jump at her command.
In her loneliness, overtime, Mary began to change. She was so desperate she asked a robin in the garden to be her friend. She then began to treat others with more respect. She was nice to the maid and even the maid’s little brother, Dickson. Mary started asking his advice on things and shared with him the story of her friend the robin. As she grew and became more loving toward others her life was completely transformed. She thought less of herself and began to see the need in others. Eventually, she convinced her crippled cousin, Colin, to grab hold of life and live with courage. She became much happier and was surrounded by many friends.
The friend God gives to us could be one of God’s creatures like Mary’s robin. A friend could also be a complete surprise.
When Christopher Columbus was sailing to the new world his hired sailors were threatening mutiny. The voyage was long and hard and there was no land in sight for weeks. One day Columbus saw an encouraging sign. Floating on the ocean swells was a small tree branch. The branches’ leaves were green, indicating that land could not be far away. The green branch gave the sailors enthusiasm and a renewed hope. Soon after its discovery land was sighted from the sailor in the crow’s nest.
When all seems hopeless God has a way of surprising us and being present, even in the loneliest places. It is not God who is absent but we who have ceased to believe in a God who loves us, sometimes more than we love ourselves.
Here is John we find the disciples feeling abandoned since Jesus will be leaving them soon. Jesus assured them that there would be a comforter, a counselor, an advocate who would be their friend and helper. Jesus would continue to “abide in them,” as the Holy Spirit and therefore they would continue to experience the presence and assurance of God. And that same spirit is within us as well.
*****************************************
StoryShare, June 9, 2019, issue.
Copyright 2019 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
