Pentecost And Baptism
Sermon
Dancing The Sacraments
Sermons And Worship Services For Baptism And Communion
Call To Worship:
It's Pentecost, God's Spirit here among us. Come, let us worship the Lord.
Hymn: "Holy, Holy, Holy"
(words: Reginald Heber; music: John Dykes)
Hymn: "Breathe On Me, Breath Of God"
(words: Edwin Hatch; music: Robert Jackson)
Children's Time:
Our Bible story for today tells how Jesus' friends gathered on the day of Pentecost, after his death, and a violent wind flooded the house, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, four children found themselves in the world of Narnia, where it was always winter and never Christmas, because it was ruled by the cruel White Witch. The White Witch had absolute power and control, and when an animal disobeyed, she turned it into a stone statue. When at last Aslan, the Great Lion, arrived, he bounded up to the stone lion and breathed on him and the lion awoke, and seeing Aslan, went bounding after him with delight. The children's eyes followed the lion. What they saw was so wonderful, for everywhere the statues were coming to life again. They rushed into the White Witch's castle where they opened every door and window and the whole house was filled with the wind and sweet air of spring.1
Talk Together:
"Let's pretend to be statues. Everyone stand up and stand still. I will pretend I am Aslan and will breathe God's breath of life into each of you and you will become alive." After the children are all "alive," ask, "What do you like best about being alive?"
Prayer:
Dear God, we thank you for life, eyes and ears, for feelings of love and gratitude, and your Holy Spirit in each of us. Amen.
Hymn: "Spirit Of Faith, Come Down"
(words: Charles Wesley; music: Sacred Harp [Mason])
The Sacrament Of Baptism
Prayer Of Confession:
Lord, we struggle in prayer as if we were strangers. Our words crawl and lie in heaps at your feet. Our spirit slumbers. Awaken us to an awareness and awe of your presence and accept our silent praise and thanksgiving. Amen.
Time Of Silence
Prayer Of Assurance:
Jesus says, "I have come so that the loser wins, the least becomes great, the liberated sing and dance, and the poor are filled. Therefore, be assured of my love and forgiveness."
Psalter Reading: Psalm 134
Old Testament: Deuteronomy 16:9--12 or Psalm 51:1--2, 10--17
Epistle: Romans 8:31--39
New Testament: Acts 2:1--4
Sermon:
Today is Pentecost. What does this mean? For me, Pentecost is the symbol of transformation. Fifty days after the death and resurrection of Jesus, his friends gathered together on the day of Pentecost, the feast of the Jews. Sadness filled the room. Now what? Their hope was dead. Jesus, their Friend and Master, had died on a cross. Without their leader they were weak and without direction. All they had was his promise that they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit and were to remain in Jerusalem and wait there.
Then suddenly from heaven the sound of a violent wind filled the house and tongues of fire rested on each of them. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and asked among themselves, "What does this mean?" A good question. All of us ask from time to time, "What does this mean ... to me?"
Children, being literal, ask, "Did their hair burn?" But as adults, we know it is the meaning of the story that matters. There is no purely objective world, only the interaction between the physical world and what we see, perceive, project onto the world, our spiritual reality. Our faith, what we believe, affects the physical world we see.
So we ask, with the participants at Pentecost, "What does this event mean to me? Am I filled with the Holy Spirit? What needs to change, to be transformed, in order for me to answer, 'Yes' "?
The breath of God blew over the waters of chaos in the beginning, blew fresh air, living spirit into the man of clay, as Aslan did into the animals whom the White Witch had turned into stone statues in Narnia; the breath of God, of which Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman, when he said: "God is spirit, and those who worship (God) must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24).
Our scripture tells us that on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came again to baptize with fire and wind. From physics we learn that wind is created as heat moves from place to place, expanding out from an area of high concentration. So we see Jesus' friends gathered, praying to the utmost of their high concentration, and the Holy Spirit, the wind and breath of God, filled the house and their being, moving them outward into the world with the love of God, Christ's message for all.
Heat will not stay bottled up in one spot. Nor will "good news." On fire with the good news of God's grace and love, they went out into all the world, speaking their own language, telling their own story of God's love in their lives, the meaning of their being.
Did it happen just that way? Does it matter? What matters is what it means for you and me today, and for me it means that it is happening all the time. Pentecost is not just an historical fact, for its meaning means that this story, God's story, contains the breath of God, God breathing on us new energy to do God's will of love.
Down through the ages, since that gathering recorded in Acts 2, Pentecost has meant that the people of God became "the church of Jesus Christ," acting out the spark of God's spirit within us, the fire and wind by which we live and move and have our being. Meaning is being, and as Christians, "being--in--Christ."
Those gathered that day of Pentecost were "dispersed," sent out into all the world. They were "on fire," filled with exuberance, celebration, for the love of God and its proclamation.
Being sprinkled, immersed, or soaked in the presence of God at baptism, we radiate that love wherever we go, the outpouring of being--in--God, for when God desired a world in which to share life and being, God made us a part of that explosion of God's generosity, God's abundance. How we accept that generosity reveals itself in our self--expression, in sending out our gifts into the world.
What does Pentecost and baptism mean to me? I am not baptized because it makes sense to be sprinkled with water and words but because without living words and renewing water, my life doesn't make sense. I lose my wonder and awe, the blessings of life. Reason defines and explains "darkness." But it is not a light.
Nicodemus came to Jesus, seeking. As a leader of the Jews, a Pharisee, he had what he was seeking, the Law, but Jesus said to him, "No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit."
We have learned that reality, what we can see and touch and taste, the visible, the physical, is not all. There is that which we cannot see with our senses: invisible, spiritual, difficult to define. So we use analogies, metaphors, images, the way we relate to truth.
The sacred story says that the promise and power of God is in the Spirit. When we feel the flicker of faith flame in our heart and the tears gather in our eyes because this is too good to be true, then the Word leaps up and out and the Holy Spirit "has come upon you."
The world does not see the Spirit, so we use the analogy of the wind for God's Spirit, that blows where it will, and we know neither from where it comes or where it goes.
A bishop pointed to the figure of Christ being baptized in the River Jordan depicted in a stained glass window and asked one of the candidates for confirmation, "Is he God?" Given an affirmative response, he pointed to the Holy Spirit hovering over the head of Christ. "And him?" "Yes." He then pointed to the Father in the clouds. "What about him?" The candidate agreeing, the bishop asked, "But that makes three Gods?" The boy corrected, "No, one God." The bishop mused, "But I don't understand." The boy said, "You're not supposed to understand. It's a mystery!"
One day I watched my granddaughter play in the swimming pool and kept score for her, for Amber, Lisa, and Tiger Lily. When she told me her game, I had a glimpse of the meaning of the Trinity, and wrote:
My granddaughter knows the meaning of Trinity.
She is Amber, and Lisa, and Tiger Lily, all three.
For as she said, trying to explain,
"All three are one in me."
I understand neither the atomic nor the atonement theory with my head, but I have experienced Jesus' atoning love in my heart. James Stephens once said, "I am convinced that the head does not hear until the heart has listened, and what the heart hears today, the head will understand tomorrow."
The heart prefers poetry, parable, and prayer to definition. God is Mystery, the Creator, the Source of life, the Word God speaks through the Son and the Holy Spirit, that love and creative energy within us.
So baptized in the spirit, sing your song. Pursue your dream. Flood creation with your goodness and became love in human form. Perhaps that is the meaning of Pentecost.
Affirmation Of Faith:
I believe in God who created the world out of fire, clay, and the word, and is creating still through Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit sets us "on fire" for God.
Prayers Of The People
Pastoral Prayer:
Dear God, we praise and thank you for the blessings of Pentecost, the church, and the Holy Spirit within and among us through the gift of baptism. Help us to spread the Spirit's gifts of wisdom and understanding, of knowledge and the fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:1--2). Amen.
The Lord's Prayer
Offering
Doxology
Hymn: "This Is the Spirit's Entry Now"
(words: Thomas E. Herbranson; music: Carl G. Glazer)
Benediction:
Blessed with the breath of God, baptized in the Spirit through Jesus Christ, the Word, go now into the world. Amen.
____________
1. C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (New York: Collier, 1950), pp. 164--166.
It's Pentecost, God's Spirit here among us. Come, let us worship the Lord.
Hymn: "Holy, Holy, Holy"
(words: Reginald Heber; music: John Dykes)
Hymn: "Breathe On Me, Breath Of God"
(words: Edwin Hatch; music: Robert Jackson)
Children's Time:
Our Bible story for today tells how Jesus' friends gathered on the day of Pentecost, after his death, and a violent wind flooded the house, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, four children found themselves in the world of Narnia, where it was always winter and never Christmas, because it was ruled by the cruel White Witch. The White Witch had absolute power and control, and when an animal disobeyed, she turned it into a stone statue. When at last Aslan, the Great Lion, arrived, he bounded up to the stone lion and breathed on him and the lion awoke, and seeing Aslan, went bounding after him with delight. The children's eyes followed the lion. What they saw was so wonderful, for everywhere the statues were coming to life again. They rushed into the White Witch's castle where they opened every door and window and the whole house was filled with the wind and sweet air of spring.1
Talk Together:
"Let's pretend to be statues. Everyone stand up and stand still. I will pretend I am Aslan and will breathe God's breath of life into each of you and you will become alive." After the children are all "alive," ask, "What do you like best about being alive?"
Prayer:
Dear God, we thank you for life, eyes and ears, for feelings of love and gratitude, and your Holy Spirit in each of us. Amen.
Hymn: "Spirit Of Faith, Come Down"
(words: Charles Wesley; music: Sacred Harp [Mason])
The Sacrament Of Baptism
Prayer Of Confession:
Lord, we struggle in prayer as if we were strangers. Our words crawl and lie in heaps at your feet. Our spirit slumbers. Awaken us to an awareness and awe of your presence and accept our silent praise and thanksgiving. Amen.
Time Of Silence
Prayer Of Assurance:
Jesus says, "I have come so that the loser wins, the least becomes great, the liberated sing and dance, and the poor are filled. Therefore, be assured of my love and forgiveness."
Psalter Reading: Psalm 134
Old Testament: Deuteronomy 16:9--12 or Psalm 51:1--2, 10--17
Epistle: Romans 8:31--39
New Testament: Acts 2:1--4
Sermon:
Today is Pentecost. What does this mean? For me, Pentecost is the symbol of transformation. Fifty days after the death and resurrection of Jesus, his friends gathered together on the day of Pentecost, the feast of the Jews. Sadness filled the room. Now what? Their hope was dead. Jesus, their Friend and Master, had died on a cross. Without their leader they were weak and without direction. All they had was his promise that they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit and were to remain in Jerusalem and wait there.
Then suddenly from heaven the sound of a violent wind filled the house and tongues of fire rested on each of them. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and asked among themselves, "What does this mean?" A good question. All of us ask from time to time, "What does this mean ... to me?"
Children, being literal, ask, "Did their hair burn?" But as adults, we know it is the meaning of the story that matters. There is no purely objective world, only the interaction between the physical world and what we see, perceive, project onto the world, our spiritual reality. Our faith, what we believe, affects the physical world we see.
So we ask, with the participants at Pentecost, "What does this event mean to me? Am I filled with the Holy Spirit? What needs to change, to be transformed, in order for me to answer, 'Yes' "?
The breath of God blew over the waters of chaos in the beginning, blew fresh air, living spirit into the man of clay, as Aslan did into the animals whom the White Witch had turned into stone statues in Narnia; the breath of God, of which Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman, when he said: "God is spirit, and those who worship (God) must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24).
Our scripture tells us that on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came again to baptize with fire and wind. From physics we learn that wind is created as heat moves from place to place, expanding out from an area of high concentration. So we see Jesus' friends gathered, praying to the utmost of their high concentration, and the Holy Spirit, the wind and breath of God, filled the house and their being, moving them outward into the world with the love of God, Christ's message for all.
Heat will not stay bottled up in one spot. Nor will "good news." On fire with the good news of God's grace and love, they went out into all the world, speaking their own language, telling their own story of God's love in their lives, the meaning of their being.
Did it happen just that way? Does it matter? What matters is what it means for you and me today, and for me it means that it is happening all the time. Pentecost is not just an historical fact, for its meaning means that this story, God's story, contains the breath of God, God breathing on us new energy to do God's will of love.
Down through the ages, since that gathering recorded in Acts 2, Pentecost has meant that the people of God became "the church of Jesus Christ," acting out the spark of God's spirit within us, the fire and wind by which we live and move and have our being. Meaning is being, and as Christians, "being--in--Christ."
Those gathered that day of Pentecost were "dispersed," sent out into all the world. They were "on fire," filled with exuberance, celebration, for the love of God and its proclamation.
Being sprinkled, immersed, or soaked in the presence of God at baptism, we radiate that love wherever we go, the outpouring of being--in--God, for when God desired a world in which to share life and being, God made us a part of that explosion of God's generosity, God's abundance. How we accept that generosity reveals itself in our self--expression, in sending out our gifts into the world.
What does Pentecost and baptism mean to me? I am not baptized because it makes sense to be sprinkled with water and words but because without living words and renewing water, my life doesn't make sense. I lose my wonder and awe, the blessings of life. Reason defines and explains "darkness." But it is not a light.
Nicodemus came to Jesus, seeking. As a leader of the Jews, a Pharisee, he had what he was seeking, the Law, but Jesus said to him, "No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit."
We have learned that reality, what we can see and touch and taste, the visible, the physical, is not all. There is that which we cannot see with our senses: invisible, spiritual, difficult to define. So we use analogies, metaphors, images, the way we relate to truth.
The sacred story says that the promise and power of God is in the Spirit. When we feel the flicker of faith flame in our heart and the tears gather in our eyes because this is too good to be true, then the Word leaps up and out and the Holy Spirit "has come upon you."
The world does not see the Spirit, so we use the analogy of the wind for God's Spirit, that blows where it will, and we know neither from where it comes or where it goes.
A bishop pointed to the figure of Christ being baptized in the River Jordan depicted in a stained glass window and asked one of the candidates for confirmation, "Is he God?" Given an affirmative response, he pointed to the Holy Spirit hovering over the head of Christ. "And him?" "Yes." He then pointed to the Father in the clouds. "What about him?" The candidate agreeing, the bishop asked, "But that makes three Gods?" The boy corrected, "No, one God." The bishop mused, "But I don't understand." The boy said, "You're not supposed to understand. It's a mystery!"
One day I watched my granddaughter play in the swimming pool and kept score for her, for Amber, Lisa, and Tiger Lily. When she told me her game, I had a glimpse of the meaning of the Trinity, and wrote:
My granddaughter knows the meaning of Trinity.
She is Amber, and Lisa, and Tiger Lily, all three.
For as she said, trying to explain,
"All three are one in me."
I understand neither the atomic nor the atonement theory with my head, but I have experienced Jesus' atoning love in my heart. James Stephens once said, "I am convinced that the head does not hear until the heart has listened, and what the heart hears today, the head will understand tomorrow."
The heart prefers poetry, parable, and prayer to definition. God is Mystery, the Creator, the Source of life, the Word God speaks through the Son and the Holy Spirit, that love and creative energy within us.
So baptized in the spirit, sing your song. Pursue your dream. Flood creation with your goodness and became love in human form. Perhaps that is the meaning of Pentecost.
Affirmation Of Faith:
I believe in God who created the world out of fire, clay, and the word, and is creating still through Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit sets us "on fire" for God.
Prayers Of The People
Pastoral Prayer:
Dear God, we praise and thank you for the blessings of Pentecost, the church, and the Holy Spirit within and among us through the gift of baptism. Help us to spread the Spirit's gifts of wisdom and understanding, of knowledge and the fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:1--2). Amen.
The Lord's Prayer
Offering
Doxology
Hymn: "This Is the Spirit's Entry Now"
(words: Thomas E. Herbranson; music: Carl G. Glazer)
Benediction:
Blessed with the breath of God, baptized in the Spirit through Jesus Christ, the Word, go now into the world. Amen.
____________
1. C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (New York: Collier, 1950), pp. 164--166.
