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Sunday Comes Every Week
Location: BlogsPastor Teri Thomas' Blog    
Posted by: Teri Thomas 5/5/2008

 

Well, we did not have a lot of discussion last week but let's keep trying.

I have decided not to post the sermon resulting from this BLOG each week.  It is already posted at http://dnn.northminster-indy.org/Worship/Sermons/SermonsbyDrTeriThomas/tabid/155/Default.aspx

If you want it here as well, just let me know.

This coming Sunday is Pentecost- the birth of the church.  It is also our Ground Blessing Sunday.  And it is also Mother's Day but that is not a church holiday so we leave that celebration to brunch after church.

There was an old tradition in the early church of cutting a hole in the church roof on Pentecost.  Boys would be placed on the roof and at the appropriate time they would light pieces of straw and drop them through the holes.  In later years the church switched from fire to rose petals as a symbol of the fire.

I sometimes wonder if the whole notion of the Holy Spirit has become too symbolized and not real enough.  Maybe a few live sparks of fire would move us in the way the Spirit moved those early disciples. I am confident the fire code would not allow it so all I can do is wonder.

Here are the readings for this week.

Acts 2:1-21

2When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
5Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” 12All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”
14But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o”clock in the morning. 16No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. 18Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 19And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 20The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. 21Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
1 Corinthians 12:3-13
3Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Let Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit. 4Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 6and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.
12For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
 
Copyright ©2008 Teri Thomas
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Re: Sunday Comes Every Week    By Loui on 5/5/2008
Speaking in tounges continues to be such a foreign concept to me. When I was in middle school I was invited to attend a Bible study with a friend who attended a very conservative church. I showed up to her home in the wrong clothes (probably overalls) and was whisked into a skirt (below the knee), knee socks and a very uncomfortable oxford that was too tight at the neck. It was spring and about 85 outside at 6 pm, so I immediately began to sweat.

We arrived at the church and went into a service with the adults first. I noticed that the men all had on suit jackets and trousers, the women wore dresses, the girls were in skirts or dresses and the boys had on pants with oxfords tucked in. (They also looked very uncomfortable which I thought could offer a sense of community).

The service started, which I don't remember much of, but then there was what I believe to have been an alter call. Several people began walking forward, but what caught this 12 year old's attention was the man right behind me who began to talk in tongues. Luckily, I knew about the passage in Acts and we had talked about it in my Sunday school class, but I'd never seen someone speak the "language". And I had never imagined that there would be physical accompanyment.

Pretty soon, there were others around me joining the man. Eventually, I felt as if I were the only one not speaking in tongues. Even my friend was sort of murmuring under her breath. (I always thought she did that just to keep herself out of trouble...or to look cool). I never felt the Holy Spirit; all I felt was isolation. I wasn't a part of this community (though all had been invited to the alter so they could be Saved).

So, this makes be wonder. How do we use this glorious time of celebration in our church to make the un-churched feel welcome? If a visitor comes to Pentacost Sunday at Northminster and doesn't have on red, will they feel that they're outside of our community? And what about those who don't have a red shirt, blouse, dress, suit coat, jacket, etc? Should everyone get a red sticker to put on their shirt when they come in? How do we make everyone feel welcome at our service? At our service of celebration?

Okay, so maybe I'm going overboard to try and be inclusive and inviting. And I don't think wearing red has the impact and potential to ostracize as speaking in tongues, but we are a growing church and we should all (beyond our wonderful staff) be asking - what will help others feel welcome?
Re: Sunday Comes Every Week    By Paula on 5/5/2008
It is interesting that the Acts passage talks about different languages and the Corinthians passages talks of speaking in tongues. I don't think the former and the latter are necessarily the same. Questions that come to mind for me - do we have to act in order for the Holy Spirit to 'fill us' or does this happen because God gives the Holy Spirit freely to all? In the last paragraph of the Corinthians passage it says that we are made to drink of one Spirit so it sounds as if we have no choice in the matter. Is there no choice?

Loui mentions being inclusive and inviting which is very, very important to me. So often Christian churches seem to decide who is in and who is out and to me it doesn't sound as if the Holy Spirit had any litmus test in either passage. Will God give the Holy Spirit to anyone? Everyone? I think so.

Peter paraphrases Joel's prophesy and says that in the last days (so what does that mean?) God will pour out God's spirit upon ALL flesh (emphasis added). What a wonderful and powerful image. We all receive the Holy Spirit. Doesn't seem to be any test or set of rules we have to follow.

Thanks be to God!!

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