PENTECOST

Sermon Summary (6/4/17) “Pentecost” (Acts 2, selected verses)

“Cappadocia.”  I’ve always loved the word “Cappadocia.” (Acts 2 lists 15 nations/regions of the world, north, south, east, west, friends and enemies, representative of the known world).  I love it because it means everybody is included in the Church of Jesus Christ, including me!  I love the word “Cappadocia.”  And Rome, the extent of the book of Acts, the target of the evangelism of the church in the first century is included.  Rome was there at Pentecost.  One of the mysteries of the early church is the founder of the church in Rome.  We don’t know the spiritual heritage, how Christ came to Rome.

Have you ever wondered about your spiritual heritage, who your spiritual ancestors were?  Mine came from Norway in the 19th century.  They probably received their faith from Germany through Denmark, but don’t know for sure.  What I do know is, that regardless of what happened in the middle-ages, my spiritual birthday was Pentecost.  Yours too.

In John 14, Jesus promises the Holy Spirit: “This is the Spirit of Truth….You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be with you.” (John 14:16-17)  In Acts 1, Jesus tells the disciples, “You will receive Power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.”  The Book of Acts is sometimes called the Gospel of the Holy Spirit.  It is the story of those Empowered by the Holy Spirit who spread the Gospel for Jerusalem, to all of Judea and Samaria to the ends of the earth. 

We have much to learn from those Empowered people.  We may not be able to preach like Peter, but power is available to us.  It’s just like the electrical junction box at our house.  We just have to tap into it.

Now, we may not be able to preach like the Empowered Peter, but we can follow Peter’s admonition to “always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting of the hope that is in you.” (1 Peter 3:15) We can do that, we can tap into the Holy Spirit and write that two minute response of the hope that is in us.

We may not become a martyr like Stephen, but we can by tapping into the Power of the Spirit, step out of our comfort zone.  Risk for Christ.

We may not be an evangelist like Philip, but by tapping into the Holy Spirit we can be ready to connect others so that they can understand the Scripture and the Good News of Jesus Christ.

We have received Power.  And as another of our spiritual ancestors said in commemoration of his conversion, “O for a thousand tongues to sing, my Great Redeemer’s praise.”  We can praise him.  Amen.