Reflections on "You Left What?" Pentecost Sunday Acts 2: 1-21; John 14: 15-31

For me, it was sort of a strange Pentecost sermon.  I almost always preach on Pentecost about the power of the Holy Spirit as marked by blowing winds and tongues of fire.  Even if I preach off an Old Testament Scripture passage, it ties in with the Acts story.  This year, I spent more of the sermon on the Gospel of John's image of the Holy Spirit.  Very different feel to it.

We did not do anything particularly special in worship because of Pentecost (except the obligatory wearing of red), but we received eight new members, including four adult baptisms, which felt like a mini-Pentecost here in Troy

For the Sanctuary service, I pared  the John lesson down to 14: 15-26.  Since I did not connect the presence of the paraclete with Jesus' call for us to be at peace, it seemed superfluous.

Although I barely mentioned it, there is a great point that the Pentecost story is like the beginning of the church not only because of lots of people joining, but also because they were equipped (with he gift of languages) for sharing the gospel in the world.  That sounds like the church in a nutshell -- those called to follow Christ who are equipped for sharing Christ in the world.

I don't think the conclusion and its comparison of a helium balloon (Acts story) and a regular balloon (John story) worked particularly well.

(John 14:15-31) "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. "I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them." Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, "Lord, how is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?" Jesus answered him, "Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me. "I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, 'I am going away, and I am coming to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me; but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us be on our way. (NRSV)

“You Left What” ” May 15, 2016; FPC, Troy; John 14: 15-31; Acts 2: 1-22

Introduction: On this Pentecost Sunday, the Sunday we wear red and read about the Holy Spirit, we continue to reflect on questions we might ask the resurrected Christ."

Today's question might go something like this: “jesus, you have been resurrected, and we went along with it.

Then you ascended to heaven. We can handle that.

But now after Pentecost, we have to ask - “you left us what?”

After the infusion of the Holy Spirit as recorded in Acts, Jesus' followers are wondering what this Holy Spirit thing is all about.

As our two very different stories of the Holy Spirit indicate, Jesus could answer the question in a couple of ways.

Move 1: Jesus could say, “I left you the Holy Spirit, which is powerful, exciting, and maybe a bit scary.

a. That's the image of the Holy Spirit we discover in the passage from Acts, the traditional Pentecost story that most of us know.

1. The Spirit sweeps in on a windstorm with tongues of fire – a symbol of the power of the Holy Spirit.

2. Something amazing happens -- the people receive the gift of languages so that they can go out and share the good news of Christ's resurrection in the world.

b. This story has shaped my understanding of the Spirit -- blowing into the world, sweeping us away to new places in a powerful way.

          1. A little bit scary, a little bit exciting.

2. It reveals the wildness of the spirit and our inability to contain it.
3. Connects to some of the OT stories – like the one from Numbers where the Israelites discover that the Holy Spirit will go where ti wants to go, regardless of the Israelites rules and regulations.

2. This image of the Holy Spirit can bit a bit scary if you like a smooth journey to discover God;

2. But there is a lot of excitement, lots of possibilities and opportunities for new creation.

Move 1: But if we are little bit intimidated by the Holy Spirit in the Pentecost story, Jesus might remind us of what he says about the Holy Spirit as recorded in the Gospel of John – in a word – paraclete (if you misspell it, spell check will suggest parakeet – not quite the same image)

a. Greek word parakletos

1. Paraclete literally means “one called to the side of another”

3. the word carries a secondary notion concerning the purpose of the calling alongside: to counsel or support the one who needs it.

4. Can be translated as “comforter” or “advocate.” Eugene Peterson translates it as “friend.”

5. See the different emphases in those translations.

b. This image of the Spirit fits as the answer to Jesus' promise when he tells the disciples, 'I will not leave you orphaned”

1. Orphan – no parents; in first century world, not status, no safety net, no security.

2.  John does not emphasize the power of theHoly Spirit like a blowing wind, but the power of joining with us.

3.  The way in which God comes to make a home with us.

4.  This image also has roots in the OT, this time in the Genesis story when God breathes the breath, or spirit, into the mud to create us.

5.  The God who is at the core of who we are returns to makes a home with us.

6. Not the Holy Spirit as the power of sweeping change, but the Holy Spirit as discovered in the power of companionship.

Move 2: As our companion, the Holy Spirit reminds us what Jesus has taught us.

a. Scott Hozee a preaching professor at Calvin Seminary describes the connotation as “a tutor or a prompter on the wings of a stage while a play is going on.

1. The Paraclete stands next to us or near us so that we can be reminded of Jesus’ words and teachings as the Spirit whispers those things into our hearts, prompting us to remember what we might otherwise forget. (Scott Hoezee, The Lectionary Gospel, http://cep.calvinseminary.edu/sermon-starters/easter-6c/?type=the_lectionary_gospel)

2. Imagine a voice whispering in your ear as you go through life the things that Jesus has taught.

3. a constant call to bring Jesus' teachings into our decision-making; a constant reminder of Jesus' presence with us.

              4. this is the Holy Spirit as the Gospel of John describes the Spirit.

b. . Extending beyond the reminding what Jesus taught, the Spirit also teaches.

1. it is not enough for us to remember what Jesus has said, but we grow in our understanding of it.

2. Teach how what Jesus has aid applies to our current situation.

3.  In his essay The Present Age, Soren Kiekegaard describes a jewel being placed in the middle of a frozen lake on the thinnest ice. While retrieving the jewel is enticing, no one is courageous enough to skate on the thinnest ice. So they learn to skate in intricate ways on the think ice. The skaters develop great skills and those watching applaud the daring skaters who show their skills, but never venture onto the thin ice to retrieve the jewel. Eventually, everyone forgets the jewel. Kierkegaard wonders if the church is like that. So focused on its activities that it misses the jewel. (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B458F3TQxB4qMmkzb3JFRTBvZ1k/edit)

4.  Holy Spirit reminds us and teaches us so that we do not forget the jewel, the good news that Jesus brings.

Move 3: Implications for community.

a. Pentecost as the church's birthday.

1. people joining together.

2. being equipped to share Christ with the world.

b. We receive new members today.

1. Our two images of the Holy Spirit model for us what it means to be in a faith community together.

2. Walking alongside.

3. role in reminding

4. Discover new ways in which God is at work in our lives.

Conclusion: Balloon

Helium -- Flying high

No helium -- Right there with you.