Only The Beginning ...
Sermon
Out From The Ordinary
First Lesson Sermons For Sundays After Pentecost (First Third)
It had not happened before, it has not happened since, and in that uncommon experience God was uniquely present; but it was only the beginning.
A shoeless shepherd stands awestruck before a burning bush not consumed. From the bush God speaks to call forth his people. It had not happened before, it has not happened since, and in that uncommon experience God was uniquely present; but it was only the beginning.
A rag-tag bunch of slaves, fleeing from their former masters, stand frightened before the Red Sea. And God parts the waters and paves the pathway to freedom. It had not happened before, it has not happened since, and in that uncommon experience God was uniquely present; but it was only the beginning.
A young woman, weary from a long journey, seeks refuge in a cave and gives birth unnoticed amid manger earthiness. And some even say she is a virgin! It had not happened before, it has not happened since, and in that uncommon experience God was uniquely present; but it was only the beginning.
Grief-stricken women hurry at dawn to anoint a dead body, only to find an empty tomb. And humankind has never looked at death the same way again. It had not happened before, it has not happened since; and in that uncommon experience God was uniquely present; but it was only the beginning.
Fifty days later a group gathered for the common purpose of prayer and something uncommon occurs! A new era in human history was begun. It had not happened before, it has not happened since, and in that uncommon experience God was uniquely present; but it was only the beginning.
The Day of Pentecost -- a text familiar to you through dozens of readings and countless sermons. What can I say about this text that you do not already know?
I could tell you about the Day of Pentecost. Occurring fifty days after Passover, it was a festival to celebrate the giving of the Law to Moses at Mount Sinai. About 120 people were gathered in prayer and expectation, not knowing exactly what to expect. "Lord, are you going to restore the fortunes of Israel at this time?" Still entertaining ideas of a militaristic Messiah, they were vague in their expectation. But you already know that.
We could talk about what happened on the Day of Pentecost. It was a festive, even frightening, experience. God visited the group in a unique way with the twin forces of fire and wind, symbolic of his presence and power. His majesty and might descended upon every believer. As the Spirit came upon every believer, they began to speak in different languages. Three times the Scripture reports that the words were heard in their own language by the people gathered from all over the world. The miracle was not only in the speaking but in the hearing as well. Notice that the purpose of the speaking in languages was to clarify the message spoken, never to conceal its meaning. As a result, the early Christians were empowered with a new boldness and freedom. No wonder the audience questioned, "What does this mean?" The mood of the day was a mixture of awe and anticipation. But you already know that.
We could reemphasize that the Spirit descended upon every believer. God descended upon everyone, not just the apostles, not just the leadership, not just upon a core group, not just upon the men, but upon everyone. But you already know that.
I could talk about how they did not completely understand the experience. Simon Peter preached a powerful sermon which captured the essence of the moment, but it was a truth he soon forgot! Later on in Acts and Galatians, Simon seems to struggle with the universal application of the sending of the Spirit. Could it be that many of the disciples did not completely comprehend as they are not included in the ongoing story of the book of Acts?
Some in the crowd were totally mystified as they thought the early Christians had been tipping the bottle. An awe-inspiring, even rollicking, experience had occurred and very few, if any, understood its lasting implications. But you already know that.
I could talk about this day being the one in which the mission of the church was given birth. The New Testament church was called, commissioned, and empowered to go out into all the world with its universal message, calling everyone to a personal faith in the risen Lord. Happy Birthday, Church! But you already know that.
So, what can I tell you that you do not already know? You know what the text says. But possibly we need to proceed a step further and ask, "What does it mean?" Only then can we take the next step and ask, "What am I to do about it?" These steps seem to be a natural progression for the proverbial three point sermon. But I am sure you already know that!
Maybe this text means that God is bigger than we are. We could be very critical of the provincial Jews as they put their thumbs behind their suspenders and boasted that God only worked through them, their laws, theology, priests, and places of worship. After all they were the chosen people! Are we any better? If we are not careful, we, too, can become just as narrow and restrictive and begin to feel that God can only work through our denomination, church, and theology.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge said, "He who begins by loving Christianity better than truth, will proceed by loving his own sect or church better than Christianity, and end in loving himself better than all."1 We must be reminded that God is bigger than Catholics or Protestants, Baptists or Presbyterians. And God certainly is bigger than I am. But if I forget that, I can come to church not to worship God but only to register my likes and dislikes, as if my experience is the standard by which God's work is measured.
My mentor and friend, Fred Craddock, tells of years ago when he served as pastor of a small congregation near Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Hordes of people began to move there because of the excitement and jobs associated with the utilization of atomic energy. Every residence for rent was quickly taken. Fearful of the incoming masses, the church voted, over the protest of the pastor, that one had to be a property owner in the county to be a member of the church. Years later Dr. Craddock took his wife Nettie by the site of the church. The building was still there. So were the masses: Parthians, Medes and Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, and so on. Over the door of the church building was a sign which read, "Bar-B-Q!" He remarked to his wife, "It's a good thing that this is a restaurant because if it were still a church, all these people would not be welcome here."
The text reminds us that those gathered from all over the world heard in their own language. The common experience of hearing and recognition broke down barriers and gave the experience coherence.
In 1990, Charles Slover, a Baptist deacon, was traveling by train from Seoul to Kumi, Korea, on business. The smoke-filled cabin was aggravating his lungs, so he moved to the platform outside the train car where others were gathered for a breath of fresh air. Slover tried to communicate with one of the Korean men, but unsuccessfully because the man seemed to speak no English and Slover spoke no Korean. Both experienced frustration and confusion. Having given up on finding a common word, the Korean then began to sing in clear English, "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me." Knowing nothing else to do, Slover joined the Korean in the rest of the first verse. Again they tried to communicate, but to no avail. So they sang another verse of "Amazing Grace." Knowing nothing else to do, they shook hands, hugged each other as brothers in Christ and never saw each other again. But they will.
In that each person heard in his or her own language, our text reminds us that the gospel is for everyone and is to go everywhere. Our faith cannot be so narrowly defined to one group or to one way of thinking. All heard and all were given an opportunity to respond.
A woman who had lived in a bayou tar paper shack while rearing and educating eight children all alone was interviewed by a television reporter. Every one of her children was a well-educated adult making a contribution to society. The television reporter asked her, "How were you able to do this?" She responded, "I seen a vision of a new world a 'coming!" Maybe God wanted the early Christians to see a vision of a new world in which every man, woman, boy, and girl has the responsibility and opportunity to respond to the love of God in Jesus Christ. We are to be the instruments of the Holy Spirit to make that happen. In short, God loves everybody. He is bigger than we are. In fact, the book of Acts is God's story of how the gospel overcame any and every obstacle, barrier, or boundary that man might erect before it. But you already know that.
Or maybe this text is trying to stress the importance of every single believer. Every single believer is vital and an important link in the chain of God's work. The Holy Spirit descended upon every one of the 120 who were there. It descended upon the young, as John Mark was probably a teenager. The Spirit descended upon the elderly, as Mary the mother of Jesus was in her late forties or early fifties, quite old for that day. The Spirit descended upon betraying cowards like Simon Peter and doubters like Thomas. It descended upon nationalistic Zealots like Simon and "good ole boys" like Andrew. The Spirit visited the women who supported Jesus financially. It descended upon the brothers of Jesus who initially did not believe. The Holy Spirit touched every one of them because every one of them was important. No one was omitted. Every single one of us is important and vital to what God is trying to accomplish through his church.
Never let it be said there is nothing you can do. She began in the cloistered position of teaching English to the rich of India -- a position of relative ease she enjoyed for fifteen years. Then war broke out. Supplies ceased. How do you care for 300 children with no resources? For the first time in fifteen years she went outside the cloister. There she saw the carnage of war -- 5,000 dead, another 1,500 wounded. She felt God calling her to do more. Permission was granted from her superiors to begin a two year "experiment" of ministry. She found the sick and dying everywhere in her travels. Then one day she found a woman in Calcutta whose face, arms, and feet had been eaten by rats. She had to do something. With her limited means she rented a one-room apartment, took the woman in, and searched for volunteers to help her. Now there are 568 such homes for the poor, lepers, hungry, and dying. Over 4,000 Missionaries of Charity help Mother Teresa in 128 countries. One person! One person made a difference in the world.
You might say, "A Mother Teresa I am not. What can I do?" You could be like James Mills of our congregation, who although developmentally challenged, gave flowers to every First Baptist member when they checked into the hospital where he worked in the laundry room. Ralph Graham of the same congregation, confined to a motorized wheelchair because of cerebral palsy, starts every day with the prayer, "God give me the opportunity to help someone today." Then there's Dan Greer. Once, while I paced nervously in the emergency room waiting area to hear of the severity of my son's injuries, Dan walked in and said to me, "You look like you could use a hug." I have never forgotten the grace of that moment. Whether it is serving thousands daily or giving flowers or a hug or waiting with expectancy the moving of the Spirit toward someone, there is something each one of us can do. You are important to God. But you already know that.
Or maybe this text is trying to show how the early church was called together into a unified mission. Here the church was called to face everything that separated them -- race, sexism, socio-economics, language -- and brought together to face the only thing that could unite them -- the power of the Holy Spirit. Possibly God is trying today to take away everything that separates us and bring us to the one thing that unites us -- God's presence in our lives leading us in unified mission. As we give over control of our lives to him, this becomes more and more of a reality.
A preacher friend of mine lives where a golf course once was. He was working in his yard one day and found an eyeglass lens. He picked it up and put it up to the light. It was exactly his prescription. He said, "This guy sees like me!" God wants you to see like Jesus. We don't see Parthians or Medes or Elamites and dwellers of Mesopotamia. We don't see black, white, red, and yellow. We don't see male and female. We don't see rich and poor. We don't see educated and uneducated. We don't see the haves and the have nots. We see people for whom Christ died. That's the work of the Spirit.
It is a true story they say. An elderly and very wealthy man died, but he left no will. They had no idea what to do with his vast estate. So they decided to have an auction. An elderly, wrinkled, and tired woman came to the auction. She shuffled through the bits of things to be auctioned off as if she were looking for something. She found a framed photograph of the wealthy man's son. He was born sickly and died at an early age. The elderly little lady had been his nurse. She loved the son and wanted something by which she could remember him. So she purchased for a very small amount of money the old and tattered framed photograph of the son.
As she was walking away from the auction, she noticed that the old framed photograph was rather thick; and as she turned it over to look, she saw something bulging. As she opened it, she found the will of the man who died. His will simply read, "Everything I have belongs to the one who honors my son by buying this photograph."2
Everything God has he wishes to give to you as you honor his son. Can you imagine all God wishes to give to you? Can you imagine what your life would be like as the Holy Spirit takes control? That may be one thing you do not know. But you can find out. And if you do, it's only the beginning.
____________
1. Elton Trueblood, The Company of the Committed (New York: Harper and Row, 1961), p. XII.
2. Preaching, Volume VI, Number 3, November-December, 1990 (Jacksonville: Preaching Resources, Inc.), p. 40.
A shoeless shepherd stands awestruck before a burning bush not consumed. From the bush God speaks to call forth his people. It had not happened before, it has not happened since, and in that uncommon experience God was uniquely present; but it was only the beginning.
A rag-tag bunch of slaves, fleeing from their former masters, stand frightened before the Red Sea. And God parts the waters and paves the pathway to freedom. It had not happened before, it has not happened since, and in that uncommon experience God was uniquely present; but it was only the beginning.
A young woman, weary from a long journey, seeks refuge in a cave and gives birth unnoticed amid manger earthiness. And some even say she is a virgin! It had not happened before, it has not happened since, and in that uncommon experience God was uniquely present; but it was only the beginning.
Grief-stricken women hurry at dawn to anoint a dead body, only to find an empty tomb. And humankind has never looked at death the same way again. It had not happened before, it has not happened since; and in that uncommon experience God was uniquely present; but it was only the beginning.
Fifty days later a group gathered for the common purpose of prayer and something uncommon occurs! A new era in human history was begun. It had not happened before, it has not happened since, and in that uncommon experience God was uniquely present; but it was only the beginning.
The Day of Pentecost -- a text familiar to you through dozens of readings and countless sermons. What can I say about this text that you do not already know?
I could tell you about the Day of Pentecost. Occurring fifty days after Passover, it was a festival to celebrate the giving of the Law to Moses at Mount Sinai. About 120 people were gathered in prayer and expectation, not knowing exactly what to expect. "Lord, are you going to restore the fortunes of Israel at this time?" Still entertaining ideas of a militaristic Messiah, they were vague in their expectation. But you already know that.
We could talk about what happened on the Day of Pentecost. It was a festive, even frightening, experience. God visited the group in a unique way with the twin forces of fire and wind, symbolic of his presence and power. His majesty and might descended upon every believer. As the Spirit came upon every believer, they began to speak in different languages. Three times the Scripture reports that the words were heard in their own language by the people gathered from all over the world. The miracle was not only in the speaking but in the hearing as well. Notice that the purpose of the speaking in languages was to clarify the message spoken, never to conceal its meaning. As a result, the early Christians were empowered with a new boldness and freedom. No wonder the audience questioned, "What does this mean?" The mood of the day was a mixture of awe and anticipation. But you already know that.
We could reemphasize that the Spirit descended upon every believer. God descended upon everyone, not just the apostles, not just the leadership, not just upon a core group, not just upon the men, but upon everyone. But you already know that.
I could talk about how they did not completely understand the experience. Simon Peter preached a powerful sermon which captured the essence of the moment, but it was a truth he soon forgot! Later on in Acts and Galatians, Simon seems to struggle with the universal application of the sending of the Spirit. Could it be that many of the disciples did not completely comprehend as they are not included in the ongoing story of the book of Acts?
Some in the crowd were totally mystified as they thought the early Christians had been tipping the bottle. An awe-inspiring, even rollicking, experience had occurred and very few, if any, understood its lasting implications. But you already know that.
I could talk about this day being the one in which the mission of the church was given birth. The New Testament church was called, commissioned, and empowered to go out into all the world with its universal message, calling everyone to a personal faith in the risen Lord. Happy Birthday, Church! But you already know that.
So, what can I tell you that you do not already know? You know what the text says. But possibly we need to proceed a step further and ask, "What does it mean?" Only then can we take the next step and ask, "What am I to do about it?" These steps seem to be a natural progression for the proverbial three point sermon. But I am sure you already know that!
Maybe this text means that God is bigger than we are. We could be very critical of the provincial Jews as they put their thumbs behind their suspenders and boasted that God only worked through them, their laws, theology, priests, and places of worship. After all they were the chosen people! Are we any better? If we are not careful, we, too, can become just as narrow and restrictive and begin to feel that God can only work through our denomination, church, and theology.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge said, "He who begins by loving Christianity better than truth, will proceed by loving his own sect or church better than Christianity, and end in loving himself better than all."1 We must be reminded that God is bigger than Catholics or Protestants, Baptists or Presbyterians. And God certainly is bigger than I am. But if I forget that, I can come to church not to worship God but only to register my likes and dislikes, as if my experience is the standard by which God's work is measured.
My mentor and friend, Fred Craddock, tells of years ago when he served as pastor of a small congregation near Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Hordes of people began to move there because of the excitement and jobs associated with the utilization of atomic energy. Every residence for rent was quickly taken. Fearful of the incoming masses, the church voted, over the protest of the pastor, that one had to be a property owner in the county to be a member of the church. Years later Dr. Craddock took his wife Nettie by the site of the church. The building was still there. So were the masses: Parthians, Medes and Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, and so on. Over the door of the church building was a sign which read, "Bar-B-Q!" He remarked to his wife, "It's a good thing that this is a restaurant because if it were still a church, all these people would not be welcome here."
The text reminds us that those gathered from all over the world heard in their own language. The common experience of hearing and recognition broke down barriers and gave the experience coherence.
In 1990, Charles Slover, a Baptist deacon, was traveling by train from Seoul to Kumi, Korea, on business. The smoke-filled cabin was aggravating his lungs, so he moved to the platform outside the train car where others were gathered for a breath of fresh air. Slover tried to communicate with one of the Korean men, but unsuccessfully because the man seemed to speak no English and Slover spoke no Korean. Both experienced frustration and confusion. Having given up on finding a common word, the Korean then began to sing in clear English, "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me." Knowing nothing else to do, Slover joined the Korean in the rest of the first verse. Again they tried to communicate, but to no avail. So they sang another verse of "Amazing Grace." Knowing nothing else to do, they shook hands, hugged each other as brothers in Christ and never saw each other again. But they will.
In that each person heard in his or her own language, our text reminds us that the gospel is for everyone and is to go everywhere. Our faith cannot be so narrowly defined to one group or to one way of thinking. All heard and all were given an opportunity to respond.
A woman who had lived in a bayou tar paper shack while rearing and educating eight children all alone was interviewed by a television reporter. Every one of her children was a well-educated adult making a contribution to society. The television reporter asked her, "How were you able to do this?" She responded, "I seen a vision of a new world a 'coming!" Maybe God wanted the early Christians to see a vision of a new world in which every man, woman, boy, and girl has the responsibility and opportunity to respond to the love of God in Jesus Christ. We are to be the instruments of the Holy Spirit to make that happen. In short, God loves everybody. He is bigger than we are. In fact, the book of Acts is God's story of how the gospel overcame any and every obstacle, barrier, or boundary that man might erect before it. But you already know that.
Or maybe this text is trying to stress the importance of every single believer. Every single believer is vital and an important link in the chain of God's work. The Holy Spirit descended upon every one of the 120 who were there. It descended upon the young, as John Mark was probably a teenager. The Spirit descended upon the elderly, as Mary the mother of Jesus was in her late forties or early fifties, quite old for that day. The Spirit descended upon betraying cowards like Simon Peter and doubters like Thomas. It descended upon nationalistic Zealots like Simon and "good ole boys" like Andrew. The Spirit visited the women who supported Jesus financially. It descended upon the brothers of Jesus who initially did not believe. The Holy Spirit touched every one of them because every one of them was important. No one was omitted. Every single one of us is important and vital to what God is trying to accomplish through his church.
Never let it be said there is nothing you can do. She began in the cloistered position of teaching English to the rich of India -- a position of relative ease she enjoyed for fifteen years. Then war broke out. Supplies ceased. How do you care for 300 children with no resources? For the first time in fifteen years she went outside the cloister. There she saw the carnage of war -- 5,000 dead, another 1,500 wounded. She felt God calling her to do more. Permission was granted from her superiors to begin a two year "experiment" of ministry. She found the sick and dying everywhere in her travels. Then one day she found a woman in Calcutta whose face, arms, and feet had been eaten by rats. She had to do something. With her limited means she rented a one-room apartment, took the woman in, and searched for volunteers to help her. Now there are 568 such homes for the poor, lepers, hungry, and dying. Over 4,000 Missionaries of Charity help Mother Teresa in 128 countries. One person! One person made a difference in the world.
You might say, "A Mother Teresa I am not. What can I do?" You could be like James Mills of our congregation, who although developmentally challenged, gave flowers to every First Baptist member when they checked into the hospital where he worked in the laundry room. Ralph Graham of the same congregation, confined to a motorized wheelchair because of cerebral palsy, starts every day with the prayer, "God give me the opportunity to help someone today." Then there's Dan Greer. Once, while I paced nervously in the emergency room waiting area to hear of the severity of my son's injuries, Dan walked in and said to me, "You look like you could use a hug." I have never forgotten the grace of that moment. Whether it is serving thousands daily or giving flowers or a hug or waiting with expectancy the moving of the Spirit toward someone, there is something each one of us can do. You are important to God. But you already know that.
Or maybe this text is trying to show how the early church was called together into a unified mission. Here the church was called to face everything that separated them -- race, sexism, socio-economics, language -- and brought together to face the only thing that could unite them -- the power of the Holy Spirit. Possibly God is trying today to take away everything that separates us and bring us to the one thing that unites us -- God's presence in our lives leading us in unified mission. As we give over control of our lives to him, this becomes more and more of a reality.
A preacher friend of mine lives where a golf course once was. He was working in his yard one day and found an eyeglass lens. He picked it up and put it up to the light. It was exactly his prescription. He said, "This guy sees like me!" God wants you to see like Jesus. We don't see Parthians or Medes or Elamites and dwellers of Mesopotamia. We don't see black, white, red, and yellow. We don't see male and female. We don't see rich and poor. We don't see educated and uneducated. We don't see the haves and the have nots. We see people for whom Christ died. That's the work of the Spirit.
It is a true story they say. An elderly and very wealthy man died, but he left no will. They had no idea what to do with his vast estate. So they decided to have an auction. An elderly, wrinkled, and tired woman came to the auction. She shuffled through the bits of things to be auctioned off as if she were looking for something. She found a framed photograph of the wealthy man's son. He was born sickly and died at an early age. The elderly little lady had been his nurse. She loved the son and wanted something by which she could remember him. So she purchased for a very small amount of money the old and tattered framed photograph of the son.
As she was walking away from the auction, she noticed that the old framed photograph was rather thick; and as she turned it over to look, she saw something bulging. As she opened it, she found the will of the man who died. His will simply read, "Everything I have belongs to the one who honors my son by buying this photograph."2
Everything God has he wishes to give to you as you honor his son. Can you imagine all God wishes to give to you? Can you imagine what your life would be like as the Holy Spirit takes control? That may be one thing you do not know. But you can find out. And if you do, it's only the beginning.
____________
1. Elton Trueblood, The Company of the Committed (New York: Harper and Row, 1961), p. XII.
2. Preaching, Volume VI, Number 3, November-December, 1990 (Jacksonville: Preaching Resources, Inc.), p. 40.
