Lightning Rod or Cross A Sermon for Pentecost Sunday Acts 2:1-21

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1 Lightning Rod or Cross A Sermon for Pentecost Sunday Acts 2:1-21 Rev. Michael D. Halley June 4, 2017 Suffolk Christian Church Pentecost Sunday Holy Communion ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ On the Day of Pentecost -- fifty days after Easter, the day of the resurrection of Jesus -- lightning struck the early church. Not a literal lightning strike, of course, but the effect was similar. They were all there... the original eleven disciples, plus Matthias, who had been chosen when Judas died. Jesus s brothers were also there. And his mother, also, no doubt still pondering these wondrous events of the past fifty days. And Luke says the women were there as well. They are not named, but they had been with Jesus all along, very courageous. We may not know their names but we know that they were there. So there we have it -- what we could easily call a motley band -- but they were sincere believers. No doubt even after the weeks following Jesus resurrection, they were still shaken by all that had happened, maybe even uncertain about what might happen next. They were all there together because Jesus had told them to be there, to await some sort of power that was to come upon them. So they waited, but not also, they prayed. Then it happened. Without warning -- lightning struck. Suddenly, Luke writes, a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them (Acts 2:2-4). 1

2 Page -2- Their lives would never be the same after that. What if the same thing happened to us, right here, today? Have you ever thought about that? How would we react? Many of us would be a bit wary of this speaking in tongues thing, I would imagine. And we might not be all that keen on the Holy Spirit stirring things up in our lives. I can also imagine that just in case, some of us would be in favor of installing a lightning rod on our church tower to keep such a thing from happening. I love the old story about a dear lady who went to visit the big city one weekend. On Sunday she wanted to attend church, so she walked down the street from her hotel and found a magnificent church, an imposing structure of stone. When she went inside, it was so beautiful and quiet and inspiring. She was seated down near the front, and as the service began she was very inspired. Soon, others around her heard her say Praise the Lord! Then, she said, Hallelujah! And a few more praise the Lords. People around her were getting very uncomfortable. Soon, an usher came down the aisle and asker her, Madame, is everything all right? She replied, I m fine. I ve found the Lord! With that the usher stiffened and said, Well, I can assure you that you didn t find him here. That church must have had a lightning rod instead of a cross. Is it because we expect so little out of God? Do we fear something striking our church in the same way it struck the church on Pentecost? What if we heard a sound like a mighty wind? What if those tongues of fire would

3 Page -3- come to rest on each of us? Things would never be the same, would they? Our church would become a vital and dynamic instrument of God s power and purpose in our community. It could happen, you know. In fact, I would think it is God s will that it happen. Today is a sad day in the community of Cradock, in Portsmouth. The front page newspaper article last Wednesday put it like this 1 : In its mid-century heyday, Cradock Presbyterian Church drew hundreds of people, packing its broad halls and lawns for Sunday worship services, Bible study groups, Easter egg hunts, craft sessions and picnics. Officials logged 450 congregants at its peak in 1954, when a wave of World War II veterans moved into the historic Cradock neighborhood for jobs at Norfolk Naval Shipyard. For decades, the church reaped the benefits of the area s teeming military community. But most days now, much of the massive three-story building sits empty. About a dozen upstairs rooms haven t been used in years, and church leaders are lucky if 40 people show up on Sundays. So after years of dwindling attendance and resources, members will gather Sunday [today] for a final service after almost a century in operation. Such a sad story. I know their hearts are heavy. And on the day in which we celebrate the birth of the church, this fine church will be laid to rest. We don t fault the people of that church. They were faithful, but social and economic and cultural changes overtook their best efforts to survive. God bless those dear sisters and brothers. They did their best, but it was not to be. Our hearts go out to them.

4 And the inconvenient truth is, it could happen anywhere. Even here. Page -4- One minister put it this way 2 : Every study of growing churches indicates that the attitude of the congregation is the most important ingredient in the vitality of the church s witness. If we believe that it is God s will that we should be a church that is alive and growing and serving the needs of people, then we will be. It is not simply the power of positive thinking. It is trust in a promise -- the Holy Spirit will come upon you and you shall have power... We also need a vision. It was December 31, 1967, Green Bay, Wisconsin, and the Dallas Cowboys were in town to play the Green Bay Packers for the National Football League championship. It was so frigid that day that we now know of that game as The Ice Bowl. Green Bay was behind by five points, with just seconds to play. Green Bay had the ball on the Dallas one-foot line and it was fourth down. Everything hinged on the next, and final, play. In the huddle, Packers quarterback Bart Starr turned to Jerry Kramer, the offensive guard, and said, Jerry, if you can move Jethro Pugh twelve inches to the left, you will make $15,000. That was a big order, because Mr. Pugh was 6 feet 6 inches tall and Mr. Kramer was three inches shorter! But from that remark Jerry Kramer caught the vision of what he needed to do: simply move the opposing defensive lineman twelve inches and collect $15, the winners share of the championship. Jerry responded, Jethro was moved, and Green Bay won. 3 As I close, I would like to read for you a document that was a long time in preparation. It was formally presented to you on January 20, 2013, and it is

5 Page -5- the Vision Statement of Suffolk Christian Church. Because we love Christ and His Church. We envision a church family that is alive, active, and eager to share the gospel to all within our midst. We envision vibrant worship where the Bible is preached and the Lord is praised through music and prayer, causing people to grow closer to Christ. We envision strong fellowship that brings us together in loving and nurturing ways. Because we believe that God s Grace is the foundation of our Christian life. We envision a growing congregation that is welcoming to all and committed to making disciples. We envision members who value individual spiritual gifts, supporting one another as we strive to use those gifts for the glory of God. We envision meaningful and effective ministries for our children and youth, as we teach future generations about Jesus. We envision the creation of new ways to encourage spiritual growth in each person and to train Christian leaders for the present and the future. Because we believe in Jesus commandment to love one another. We envision a congregation that constantly responds in loving ways to the needs of the community, serving others both near and far. We envision Suffolk Christian Church as a beacon on Main Street,

6 Page -6- radiating and demonstrating Christ s love for all. Because we love Christ, we worship. Because we believe in His grace, we disciple. Because we follow His commandments, we serve. We Worship. We Disciple. We Serve. May we never replace the cross with a lightning rod. May our vision be clear and our faith strong. On this Pentecost Sunday, the birthday of the church, we celebrate our church and churches all over the world. Majestic cathedrals and humble structures, made of stone and brick and wood, gathering thousands and gathering just a few, speaking in every language and coming from every culture. Praise God for the church! The Communion Service Beloved in Christ, this is the joyful feast of the people of God. With the entire company of saints in heaven and earth, we worship and glorify God Most Holy. This is the welcome table of God where all who seek to be at peace with their neighbor and all who seek the mercy of God in Christ are embraced. Come, for we are invited in to this holy mystery. Come, everyone. Jesus said: I am the bread of life. All who come to me shall not hunger, and all who believe in me shall never be thirsty. (John 6:35) Let us pray together: We praise you O God for the gift of life given in creation and through Jesus Christ our Lord. We thank you for his faithfulness and that through his life, death and resurrection we are restored to relationship with you. We rejoice in your love which frees us from our sin, calling us to reconciliation with you and all people everywhere. We praise and thank you, Heavenly Father, that in Jesus you bring joy

7 and hope to loving hearts, and offer good and strong and healthy human relationships. We pray this in the name of Jesus our Saviour. Amen. Page -7- We remember that on the night of his betrayal, Jesus offered the bread in thanksgiving and said, Take, eat. This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, Jesus offered the cup in thanksgiving and said, Take, drink. This is my blood of the new covenant which is poured out for you and for many, for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. Come, Holy Spirit. Bless these gifts of bread and cup and bless us as we receive them. Open our eyes to the mystery of Christ s presence in these ordinary things in these our ordinary lives. Through the broken bread, we participate in the Body of Christ. Through the cup of blessing, we participate in the new life Christ gives. +==+==+==+==+==+==+ Almighty God, we thank you for this bread, and for all you provide to sustain us. Above all, merciful Father, we thank you for Christ your Son, given for the life of the world. Amen The body of Christ, given for you. Almighty God, we thank you for this fruit of the vine, and for every good gift that gives us joy. We thank you above all for Christ our Lord, by whose blood you have bought us and bound us to be your people in an everlasting covenant. Amen

8 Page -8- The blood of Christ, shed for you. +==+==+==+==+==+==+ Gracious and loving God, you have made us one in the body of Christ, and nourished us at your table with holy food and drink. Thank you for feeding our hunger for youi. Now send us into the world to do the work you have given us to do: to find the lost and lonely, to heal broken souls, to free prisoners, and make the powerful care about others. Grant us strength to persevere in resisting evil, and to proclaim in all we say and do your good news in Christ Jesus our Savior. Amen. 4 +==+==+==+==+==+==+ All Scripture references are from New International Version, NIV, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc., unless otherwise indicated. +==+==+==+==+==+==+ Sunday Sermons from Suffolk Christian Church are intended for the private devotional use of members and friends of the church. Please do not print or publish. Thank you. Suggestions for sermon topics are always welcome! 1. After 98 years, Cradock Presbyterian Church in Portsmouth will close as congregations shrink nationwide, by Ana Ley, The Virginian-Pilot, May 31, ose-as/article_a33b66bc-100f-5110-a59d-bf9ac8bf914e.html

9 Page The Rev. King Duncan, Dynamic Preaching, Collected Sermons, 3. Told by Bruce Larson, in Wind and Fire (Waco: Word Books, 1984), and quoted at 4. This is a communion liturgy used by The United Church of Christ, Neillsville, Wisconsin, Pastor Jacoba Koppert, They had reprinted it (with adaptation) from Worshiping into God s Future United Church of Christ.