Fired up - Pentecost 2016

Today we celebrate Pentecost. We’ve reached 50 days after the 40 days of Lent, and we have this challenge to think about what happened in lent and Holy Week and of what we celebrated at Easter, and to think about whether it’s changed us in any way, because while we have breath in us, we are constantly being changed by God… 

Our reading from Acts (2:1-21) reminds us that the disciples were gathered together in one place and they were waiting. Imagine what a time they’d had recently – there was the time spent with Jesus, the journey to Jerusalem, the arrest, the crucifixion and then incredibly, the resurrection… 

And then Jesus seemed to have left them and now the disciples were stuck in that period between what we call Ascension Day and this day of Pentecost, but they weren’t left with no hope. They may have been confused as to what to expect but Jesus had made promises that they would have a helper, that he would be them always and they listened and they waited… 

And the day came and a rush of wind filled the house where they were and tongues of fire appeared and rested on them and they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and everything changed again. Now these disciples who, not very long before ran away fearing for their lives, went out into the streets to tell people about God’s power – everything changed. 

And Peter who, as we know famously rejected Jesus, stood and gave a great speech for everyone to hear and the church was born… These disciples, whose spirits must have been raised by the resurrection now understood clearly that they were part of God’s work in the world. Nervous perhaps, but no longer terrified, they knew God’s power was with them to go out and play their part in building his kingdom. 

Nothing has changed for the church of today – filled by the Spirit we are still called to go out and make disciples. This week I’ve been on a Church in wales evangelism symposium looking at ways in which we do, or should do evangelism. It’s a word that scares so many people, but it’s simply about sharing good news – news so good that we can’t keep it to ourselves. In the feedback one of the diocesan groups (not ours) said that a ‘Church that is not involved in evangelism is not a church at all but a group of disobedient Christians joining together. 

The disciples were inspired to go out, feeling stronger, knowing that they were children of God (Romans 8:14-17), loved by him, inspired and strengthened by him and knowing he would never leave them – and these promises are the same today… God loves us, God fills us with his Spirit if we let him, God inspires us and strengthens us and God never leaves us…

Just as the early disciples were mobilised into urgent, joyful and excited actions, regardless of the cost, so surely we must be…. And yet, we often look at a church lacking, not in faith but in confidence, a church often afraid to look outside and expect that people’s lives will be changed.

There’s a story of a balloon family. A mummy balloon, daddy balloon and baby balloon, and they share a bed. But as the baby balloon gets bigger he’s worried he’s going to have to get out and go to his own bed and so one night when his mum and dad are asleep he lets a little bit of air out of daddy balloon, a little bit out of mummy balloon and a little bit out of himself, and things seem much more comfortable. 

But in the morning daddy balloon realises what has happened and he says to baby balloon, ‘Son, you’ve let me down, you’ve let your mother down, and you’ve let yourself down !’ Sometimes we, in the church, don’t accept God leading us, filling us with his Spirit, perhaps because we’re comfortable, because we like it where we are, but God doesn’t call us to stand still. He doesn’t send his Spirit to use if we feel like, he didn’t offer the command to go out and make disciples only if you feel like it !

God fills us with his Spirit to build his church, to build his kingdom, and he doesn’t call only on certain people but on all of his people. He gives us different gifts certainly but all of us who recognise his incredible love for us are called to share that love… 

Last weekend I helped lead an overnight conference for people in their first three years of ministry. It began as people were asked to go around the room and say how they were feeling and there were, naturally some who were tired and some who were worried or frustrated about some things and then there was one who was only ordained last year who said, ‘I’m just glad to be here. Last year it looked like my cancer would mean I wouldn’t be here, so I’m just so thankful and excited to be doing what God has called me to…’ 

It put some perspective on things – people often worry about not having time to do things, being too busy, not being able to do things, churches not having enough money or people or having problems with buildings but where is our perspective ?

Our message is one about a God who loves us so much that he sent his Son into the world to die for us and rise again. A God who trusts us so much that he sends his Spirit to fill us with power to do his work, and then we think of the fruits of God’s Spirit described by Paul in his letter to the Galatians (5:22,23) – ‘love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.’

Those are the gifts of the Spirit we are called to pour out into the world. As someone said on the conference I was at this week, ‘We are not to share the gospel by dragging the world kicking and screaming into the church, but by pouring a spirit filled church out of the doors into the world.’ 

God calls us to have perspective, to have thankful hearts as we respond to his love and his gifts. He doesn’t to call to have perfect lives. We get things wrong and sometimes we experience bad things – God is there in the midst of our problems, with us, strengthening us, loving us. He doesn’t guarantee us a perfect environment in which to work – the world is a messy place at times, and the people in it can sometimes seem a bit odd ! But they and we are all God’s people, created in his image, loved by him and we are called to love them too… 

And so, on this Pentecost Sunday, let’s ask ourselves honestly what difference we are allowing God to make in our lives ?How is he shaping us day by day ? And let’s respond to Pentecost by offering ourselves in the way the early disciples did – it probably won’t be as dramatic but it will be as important for the world today as it was then ?

As we joyfully share a message of love and joy and peace our churches, our communities, our world can all be changed – and we have to believe that from the God who raises people from the dead, from the God who can do all things… 

Pray to be filled with the Spirit and then confident in God’s power and recognizing his love for us may we not be afraid to joyfully and inspiringly proclaim a gospel that draws people not just to fill our churches, but to celebrate life. Jesus said in John’s gospel (10:10), ‘I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly’ or as the Message bible puts it, ‘I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of…’ 

That is God’s plan for us, his hope for us and for all of his world… May we be excited, may we be joyful, may we be ready and may we be a part of building God’s kingdom for all. AMEN