PENTECOST INTERRUPTIONS ~ Acts 2

(This drama needs a professional dancer, dressed in long flowing red skirt and top if it is a woman, and dark or red clothing if a man, who will be carrying American Style pom- pom sticks, and will  keep on interrupting my talk at certain intervals, on key words which are underlined. (The words in brackets describe her actions.)

 Begin seriously, and continue the sermon regardless of interruptions, but reactions to the interruptions can obviously be expressed.

I first saw this kind of sermon, though not the same one, in St Michael –in-the-Belfrey, York in a sermon by the late David Watson. The memory of the visuals of this drama has stayed with me all these years) It is a delight to watch, and so funny, yet so relevant.

An old American Indian legend tells of an Indian who came down from the mountains and saw the ocean for the first time. Overawed by the scene, he requested a jar. As he waded into the ocean, and filled the jar, he was asked what he was going to do with it.

‘Back in the mountains,’ he told them, ‘my people have never seen the Great Water. I will carry this jar to them and show them what it is like!’

For me to explain the work of the ‘Holy Spirit’ to you in the allotted time will be just as difficult a task, but I’m going to try my best.

Today, the church celebrates its birthday! The Day of PENTECOST, was when the power of God, fell upon the disciples in the upper room.

God’s own breath was breathed into them.

The reason the Holy Spirit comes is to fill our lives with Christ himself.

Unfortunately the power of the Holy Spirit to transform our lives and the life of our church has largely been ignored, overlooked, misunderstood and misused, through the ages, and it’s about time we stopped doing this!

We so much need God’s power to filter through into our world today.

When Jesus was alive, he made his disciples a promise, ‘I will send you a Helper, a Comforter’ he said …’I will not leave you orphans!

Jesus had said ‘Unless I go to the Father, the Holy Spirit cannot come to you!’

And so when Jesus died and returned to his Father in heaven, the Holy Spirit DID come **~ BIG TIME!

In fact people in the streets thought the disciples were either drunk or crazy when they staggered and stumbled outside to tell them what had happened!

But what was happening was exactly what Jesus told them WOULD happen to them when he said, ‘Wait in Jerusalem for God’s power from on high!’

The bible gives us this account of what went on in the upper room where they had been praying and waiting.

‘And when the Day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven a noise, like a violent rushing wind, filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues of flame distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.’

So on that same day, in a very powerful sermon, Peter told the people the truth, that Jesus had been killed at their hands. They were responsible!

They had crucified God’s own Son, the Author of Life and so the people cried out,

‘What must we do to be saved?

Peter told them they had to repent, be baptised and they too would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.                          

 Three thousand people responded that day. * Slide 7 Acts 2.38

And so the early church was born and many went through a real change in their lives.

More and more people were added to their number daily. The Holy Spirit had at last come among them! They continued to meet together to pray, and break bread; they shared their possessions, they were generous to people in need.

And so throughout history the Holy Spirit has come to live in people’s lives, to give them gifts with which to serve others, a whole variety of gifts, given in various ways as the Spirit chooses, so we can work together for the common good.

You know He still comes to us today if we ask him to….

So ...who is this person that Christ promised to send to earth in his place?

Who is this person who can utterly transform our lives and change us from within? Who is this gift Giver?

The Holy Spirit is a REAL person and not an ‘IT’.

That does it!

That’s better! I am most terribly sorry- I do apologise to you all! I hope you’re all still following the gist of what I’m saying! I’ll go on…

The bible also says that the Holy Spirit can also be hurt and upset by our attitudes, our ignorance, our refusal to have anything to do with HIM!

The Holy Spirit, let us remind ourselves, is also ‘of God’ himself.

He is eternal, all powerful, present everywhere

He is all-knowing, He was there at Creation, He is there in the book of Revelation speaking to the churches. He is the third member of the Triune God!!! He blows like the wind wherever he pleases!

(speaker shouts to block out the distraction)

In order to receive him we must admit that we are in need of God in our lives and we must believe in Jesus.

We must ask if there any sin blocking the way to receiving him?

Any fear within, that closes the door to renewal?

We need to be willing to TURN AWAY from the wrong we are doing.

We have indeed gone our own way, done our own thing, and taken no notice of what God is trying to say to us through his Spirit.

And finally we need to be willing to obey what it is we know God wants us to do; to be truly set free to serve him and only him.

A life touched by the Holy Spirit will want to sin no longer!

No longer must we live a sub-normal life

We ALL need REVIVAL not just today, but every single day!

With the Holy Spirit it is a new dawn, a new day, it’s a new life...and we should feel privileged he is present in us!

The Spirit alone gives us God’s own breath to breathe life into us, as we read and digest God’s word, and obey what it is he wants of us. Then we will be at peace within ourselves as we seek to bring His peace to others.

Let us encourage one another in the gifts he has given to us to build up His body here on earth.

Let us always pray each day to be open to the Holy Spirit filling us up to overflowing.

Let us pray for our lives to be lived to the glory of God.

Amen