Acts 2:1-21
June 12, 2011: Pentecost Sunday
The Pentecost story marks the beginning of a long season in the church calendar; it lasts from today until Advent begins in November. This season is sometimes called the season of Pentecost, sometimes called ordinary time. The Presbyterians choose to call it ordinary time. But, truth be told, I prefer calling it the season of Pentecost, and it’s not just because I think the red paraments are beautiful. I fear that people think there is nothing extraordinary about ordinary time. There is – and it is tied to the extraordinary story we celebrate this morning.
When the book of Acts begins, the disciples are discouraged. I imagine them very much at loose ends. “What now?” they surely must have been asking. They lost their leader, they felt like the powers that be, the ones they meant to replace, had won. Their only hope was that the empty tomb meant Jesus was going to show up soon and finish what he started – but that obviously hadn’t happened yet, and they were beginning to wonder if it ever would.
I have no doubt the early church Luke wrote to decades later was feeling similarly. Discouraged, at loose ends. They didn’t get to be with Jesus while he was alive, and now Jesus still had not come back as they had expected. They had been in a holding pattern while they waited, but the more time ticked on with no return of Jesus, the more they must have felt like “What now?”.
In response, Luke tells the story of Pentecost and the birth of the church movement. It’s both inspiring and gives, I think, a way forward for a less-than-spirited, directionless church. God is not gone! That’s the message. God is here in the Spirit, and what that means is that everyone is ordained to ministry in the world. Everyone! When we read the rest of Acts, we see that the disciples got to work after Pentecost. They were, pun intended, on fire. The church was born, powered by nothing less than the Holy Spirit…which had come to rest on each and every person. And it came dramatically! This was no gentle breeze. Tongues of fire on each head! Even if the disciples thought Jesus was coming back in their lifetime, Luke had an idea of what to do in the meantime – and it was definitely not ordinary.
In the same way, churches today can, from time to time, grow discouraged. They feel like they are stuck in a holding pattern, or even like they are losing steam and purpose. But often, when you look at the ministries of churches – no matter how large or small their membership is – you will see that there is still life there, energy, flames flickering, dancing, moving out into the world. This season, Pentecost through Advent is about us – we, the Church – and our extraordinary call into ministry – about what we already do and the many ways we can find to live out what God intends. How do we respond to the Holy Spirit’s guidance?
We need to start by reminding ourselves regularly of how much life we already have here, and how much life we offer the world. We are alive, aflame, active in so many ways. Each of us has received the Holy Spirit and are ordained to ministry, and there are many, many ministries in this church through which we live out our call. We each have our part in the body of Christ, as the apostle Paul tells us so many times. When we give of ourselves to the ministries of the church, we do our unique, vital part of the larger picture. We’re not alone. We join our one flame with others to set the world on fire with God’s spirit.
This morning, I am going to remind us of what these ministries are. I’m going to remind you of some of the ways you live out your call. And we are all going to give great thanks – not just for one another, but thanks for the God that is still active in the world through us, through the spirit, placing the flames in our hearts that compel us to give of our time, talents, and resources.
Here’s how we’re going to do this – I’m going to name the ministries of the church. If you currently or have in the past given of your time, talents, or resources to support the ministry, wave your flame above your head. We will see how this congregation is alive (not to mention willing to try any questionable idea the pastor might have).
Education:
In order to grow in faith, in order to continue to listen for, discern, God’s call for us, in order to better asses the needs of our community and world, we need to constantly be educating ourselves, studying, practicing disciplines that give us the space to sense where the Spirit is moving in our lives. This is what we promise to do every time we baptize someone. And not only education for kids – we promise to continue helping people grow in their faith throughout their whole lives. There are people in our midst who make sure these opportunities exist and who give much time to educating this community.
• We have Sunday School and bible teachers for all our children, past teachers, youth group leaders – wave
• We have people who teach bible study to adults
• We have people who have led short courses on things they feel passionate about: book groups. Small group leaders. Environment class. Just to name some recent ones.
• We have a group of people – an education committee that oversees it all.
All of those folks wave your flames together. Thanks be to God!
Buildings and Grounds
I was reminded recently by someone in our church how integral the our buildings and grounds are to doing the work and ministry of this church. Just to have a place to come and worship alone is essential – a place set apart from the world, sacred, special. But it doesn’t stop there. We need space to do education, we need places for people to gather to share about their lives and faith. We also need a place – a buildings and grounds – that reflects who we are so that people can tell just by looking. A place that is inviting, warm, open. A place that is environmentally conscious – that shows our concern for our impact on creation. A place that radiates God’s love. People give a great deal of time and muscle to this ministry.
• People who work on the landscaping.
• People who tidy up the building both inside and out – moving tables, picking weeks, shoveling on Sunday morning.
• People who build things, from hangers for our paraments to fences next to the building or shelves in the office.
• People who oversee huge projects; anyone who has ever been on the buildings and grounds committee…new windows, new bathrooms, roof maintenance, greening the church. For that matter, anyone who was a part of the massive effort to build this very building – I know some of you are still around!
• People who have overhauled complete rooms to make them more inviting and usable.
• Anyone who has ever participated in a clean up day.
• Anyone who has ever set up for an event or cleaned up after.
EVERYONE WAVE TOGETHER: THANKS BE TO GOD!
Congregational life
The church exists for the sake of the world. This means for the sake of all who walk through our doors. The ministries of congregational life make people feel welcome, included; they draw us all closer together in fellowship; theses ministries help us care for each other at our most vulnerable; times like when we lose someone or go through a crisis. To put it simply, congregational life ministries are the church being the church.
• Who has organized or volunteered to help with funeral lunches
• Who is on the Prayer chain
• Who has ever baked Bread to give to visitors
• Who has ever helped with a Lenten lunch
• Who has organized things like retreats and family fun nights, epiphany parties, any fellowship event, small groups
• Who has helped with 3rd Sunday potlucks
• Who has ever talked to someone who is a first time visitor at the church
• Who has headed up one of the volunteer call lists
• Who has ever helped with the newsletter
ALL WAVE – THANKS BE TO GOD!
Mission
The church exists for the sake of the world. That means we also exist for the sake of people who will never enter our sanctuary but are in need of our care and compassion. This church is so good at reaching out to the community and world. Our youngest folks in this church are no exception – we see the same spirit of mission alive in them. There will be lots of times under this category for you to wave your flame high in the air! And these are only things going on right now – if we listed past things, we would need weeks.
• Kids against hunger
• Environment committee
• Sang in nursing homes,
• College group minitry
• Driving Grinnell community members to medical appointments out of town
• Deacons – care for those in the church, but also charged to care for the least among us – those on the margins – those in desperate need of compassion who don’t ever come to church.
• Heifer (anyone who has ever given a quarter, collected a quarter, helped with rummage sale, etc.)
• CROP Walk
• Trick-or-treated for Unicef,
• Community meals,
• Collected money, or given money, for One Great Hour of Sharing
• Given food to mica
• Anyone who has ever made an offering to the church no matter how big or small – helping local poor through mica gma our own local needs fund. – helping around the world PDA, peacemaking
WAVE TOGETHER: THANKS BE TO GOD!
Worship
Worship is at the heart of what we do. And it is not something we come to. Worship is the act of a community. You create worship every week by participating in whatever way you do. Worship is giving thanks to the one God – it is confessing – proclaiming – sharing – changing - motivating. Believe me, this is not the pastor’s job alone. And thank God. If I were, we’d all be in big trouble. Worship is what we do together, and how we do it depends on all of you.
• Liturgists
• Ushers
• Greeters
• Van drivers
• Choir / provided any music
• Communion servers
• Acolytes
• Nursery attendants
• Flowers, banners, decorated the communion table
• Served on the worship committee
*** All of you who come to worship – now listen carefully, this is not a “catch all” group. The church would be dead. The church would not live without the people coming together to give thanks, hear the word of God, encounter God’s transforming spirit. And these things would not happen without all of you. Think of the prayers of the people alone: Think of what you give to this community when you listen deeply to the prayers people bring each week and hold them up to God. Worship is an act of all the people. THANKS BE TO GOD!!!
We have so much life here. So much spirit working through us. But like the disciples the Spirit is still blowing – maybe it’s blowing you to something new. This will look very different for different people. It will look very different at different times in our lives. Sometimes our ministry is active, physical, verbal. Sometimes it’s quiet witness – being a witness to God’s transforming spirit in one life and letting that witness inspire those who come after us. Our abilities and limitations change over the course of our life, but the presence of the Holy Spirit is constant, and there is always a way God has for us to be a part of the church. I think of all of those in this congregation I have watched as they faced death – just one moment in their life, a time when they can’t lift a finger, yet minister powerfully to all of us about faith, meaning, life and God’s sustaining presence.
I hope you have been surprised to see how many things there are! I also hope you feel inspired to get involved, to listen for where the spirit is calling you today. We keep the church alive, as it has lived ever since that 1st Pentecost.
[TALK ABOUT AFTER WORSHIP]
We are a church of ordained people who show up and say, “Here I Am, God, what do you want me to do?” As we move into our ordinary time, think of the extraordinary things we do because of the movement of the Holy Spirit. Let’s keep the spirit alive! Amen.
