Pentecost: Willingness not worthiness

As we’ve been thinking about in our service, today is Pentecost. It is of course the day when we remember how the Church was empowered by the Holy Spirit, and is empowered today… And this evening I want to pick out and think about just a few parts of our second reading (2 Cor 3:4-18)

Vs. 4&5 say, ‘Such is the confidence that we have through Christ towards God. Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, our competence is from God’.

We live in a society where people are encouraged to stand up for themselves, where the confident, it seems sometimes, can really get on in life fuelled by an attitude that says, ‘we’re good’. We can take credit all too easily for things that go well perhaps. It can be a tribute to hard work. It can be the recognition that something has gone well. 

And a spirit of celebration is great. We are right to celebrate the gifts that God has given us. And that is the crucial part of this – ‘the gifts God has given us’. 

When Crystal Palace won the FA Cup a few weeks ago, the winning goal scorer was interviewed at the end and said ‘it was down to God’, and in that statement I don’t think he was suggesting God is a Crystal Palace supporter (!) but that the gift to play football and be a part of that day was a gift from God. 

When Jesus promised the gift of the Holy Spirit to the early church he told them to wait for it – to wait to be clothed with the power. And what an incredible effect that power had. Followers of Jesus who, prior to the crucifixion ran and hid; followers of Jesus who after the crucifixion were mostly nowhere to be seen; followers of Jesus who, even after seeing the risen Jesus, were still not sure what it meant or what to do – these followers were transformed, not through their own ability or minds or pep talk from one of the leaders, but by God. 

And whilst some followers rightly didn’t think they were worthy of speaking for Jesus, God didn’t ask for worthiness, just willingness… 

And we begin to be transformed I think as we recognise God’s incredible grace and love, but also the power that he offers us in the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit offers a power that speaks wisdom and compassion, that speaks love and hope; the Spirit offers a power that can give confidence in our words and actions as we begin to recognise that God can use any and each of us powerfully. 

It is about our willingness, not our worthiness! 

And God wants our willingness, because he wants to continue his process of wonderful transformation in the world, and allowing us to be part of it… The Holy Spirit filled those early followers of Jesus in a dramatic way. Empowered they went out and spoke passionately and confidently. Empowered they went out with courage and determination. Empowered they went out preaching and practising love… And the church grew and grew… 

Today the Holy Spirit works in the same way, but I sometimes wonder if we do. For the Holy Spirit to work as powerfully as it did back then, we need to be expectant – expectant that with God’s strength we can do great things together for him. Sadly, for many, particularly in the Western Church, maybe the story of Pentecost has become so familiar that we can forget it’s real. And we have become so self-sufficient that we forget about the need to depend on anyone – even God… 

There’s a story told of a husband and wife both of whom were doctors - one a doctor of theology and the other a doctor of medicine. One day their daughter answered the front door, and the person at the door asked for ‘the Doctor’. The daughter replied, "Do you want the one who preaches or the one who practices?" 

The gift of the Holy Spirit was certainly given to enable us to preach, but it was also given to practice – to go out and be Jesus to others… As we celebrate the birthday of the Church, we celebrate that we are part of a church that is empowered to do that – we are part of those privileged to be given a chance to serve God and serve others, whilst enjoying the worship and fellowship and support with others. 

But one of the problems of the Church over quite a long period now has been that, too often, we’re happy to admit defeat; too often we’re happy to say we can’t do, rather than wondering what God can do through us; too often we’re happy to try and come up with our own ideas which match our abilities and our standards, instead of wondering what God is calling us to do, and God is empowering us to do. 

The story of the early Church is incredibly relevant to us today because it’s the story of a small group, not acting in line with the expectations of society, and not constrained by worries over what they could do. It’s the story of a small group outnumbered – but a group who were positive, a group who were ready to try things even when they seemed impossible. 

And they did this because they knew the power they had was from God… it was about willingness not worthiness; it was about being empowered by God… And when we recognise those things, we too can have confidence. We too can be passionate and confident, courageous and determined and preach and practise the sort of love that transforms individuals, churches, communities, and so far beyond… Let’s dream of that sort of power being unleashed through our churches and through each of us… 

And the next verse I want to think about is at the end of our reading (v.18), ‘And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.’

The privilege we are offered is to look at God, and we can see God in the person of Jesus, and as we’ve thought about already, he didn’t come and perform an earthly ministry, show us how it should be done and then leave us powerless, but he promised the gift of the Spirit, and with the confidence to trust and act in the power of the Spirit, we begin to become more like God ourselves… 

This verse is wonderful because it reminds us that Jesus has literally broken down all the barriers that we often imposed separating us from God… we begin to notice with unveiled faces the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror. From one degree to another, God is transforming us, as we allow… Willingness, not worthiness; through God’s love, not our merit… 

It was the message that transformed the early followers of Jesus and built a church which 2000 years later is still going strong, and is still in many places, growing. 

One of the things the church calendar regularly offers us is a chance for reflection, perhaps even a challenge to reflect – there are the obvious times of Lent and Advent, but even in the middle of the great celebration that is Pentecost, there is a challenge to reflect…. 

To reflect on the growth of the church through the centuries, to reflect on the growth of the church in some places today, to reflect on our own willingness to trust God, allowing ourselves to be filled and empowered with the Holy Spirit… 

Someone, and I’m not exactly sure who said, ‘If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95 percent of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference. If the Holy Spirit had been withdrawn from the New Testament church, 95 percent of what they did would stop, and everybody would know the difference.’

That’s our challenge and as we look at our churches and cathedrals in this country are we seeing and feeling the passion, the confidence, the courage, the wisdom, the hope, the vibrancy and the love of God shining out… maybe we are, or maybe we are sometimes… 

Our diocesan culture guide spoke of worship that is joyful, generous and loving; a culture of prayer and fellowship; it spoke of joyful celebrations; social action and loving service; care for the environment; loving welcome and generous hospitality; breaking down barriers to belonging and generously using the time, gifts and talents that God has given us…

I’ve used this story many times from a book called ‘Run baby run’ because it challenges me every time I hear it…. The book is the story of a man called Nicky Cruz who, in the late 1950’s and early 60’s became a gang leader in New York. He tells of the time when he first arrived in the City from Puerto Rico – alone and with very little money. 

He wrote ‘Moving on down the street I stopped in front of a Church. A heavy iron gate had been pulled across the front doors and it was fastened with a chain and padlock. I stood in front of the gray building, looking up at the steeple which pointed towards the heavens. The cold stone walls and dark stained glass windows huddled for protection behind the iron fence. The statue of a man with a kind face and sad eyes peered through the locked gate. His arms were outstretched and covered with snow. But he was locked in, and I was locked out…’ 

The story of Pentecost is the story of a day when the Church went out sharing an experience and a love which was never intended to be hidden, and every day since, it has gone out – Christians in all corners of the world have faithfully and courageously taken out and shared the gospel message. Through worship, fellowship, prayer and service, the Holy Sprit has empowered people to enjoy God and life to the full. 

And that has happened in all kinds of different places and circumstances – it has happened in times when people have struggled and have been hurting, it has happened at times of great celebration, it has happened just in the ordinary every day of life… 

And for most of us that is where the Holy Spirit continues to empower us today – if we are willing… Day by day our lives are continually changed if we are willing – day by day we can feel stronger, more complete and empowered to be Jesus to others, if we are willing… 

Jesus came to transform lives and he did it – people followed him, he preached, he did miracles, he fought injustice, he cared enough about others to even die for them – and he conquered death for evermore… 

When he ascended into heaven, he didn’t leave the church without a plan, or without an energy or power – the Holy Spirit that he promised came, and those small number of followers began the Church, and began to build an organisation that continues to grow 2000 years later – that is what we are part of… 

Don’t believe the stories of the demise of the Church – don’t get bogged down with the very real problems which too often seem to get highlighted – but trust in God and be empowered by the Spirit to live and to love in such a way that the world will take notice… 

And let’s always remember that the Holy Spirit is personal – and that we are invited into a personal relationship – a relationship that will change us, a relationship that will strengthen us and allow us to be the people God wants us to be, knowing that we are valued and loved – every single one of us… 

So let’s rejoice in that knowledge, celebrate the Church and our part in it, give thanks for the privileges we enjoy in our relationship with God and go out confident and empowered to do his work and glorify his name in all that we do and think and say. AMEN