First Presbyterian Church of
100 North Hillcrest Boulevard
Telephone numbers: (310) 677-5133 Fax (310) 330-8342
Electronic mail: PRESBYTS@SBCGLOBAL.NET
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Rev. Suzanne M. Swartz
Romans 8:14-17
We’ve Got Spirit, Yes We Do!
A
Baptist couple decide that they want to get a dog. As they are walking down the street in town, they notice that a
sign in the pet shop is advertising "Christian Puppies." Their
interest piqued, they go inside.
"How do you know they're Christian puppies?" "Watch," says the owner, as he
takes one of the dogs and says, "Fetch the Bible." The dog runs over to the desk, and grabs the Bible in
its mouth and returns. Putting the
Bible on the floor, the owner says, "Find Psalm 23." The dog flips pages with its paw until he
reaches the right page, and then stops.
Amazed and delighted, the couple purchase the dog and head home.
That evening, they invite some friends over
and show them the dog, having him run
through his Psalm 23 routine. Impressed, one of the visitors asks "Does he also know 'regular' commands?" "Gee, we don't know. We didn't
ask," replies the husband.
Turning to the dog, he says, "Sit." The dog sits. He says,
"Lie down." The dog lies
down. He says "Roll over." The dog rolls over. He says "Heel." The dog runs
over to him, jumps up on the sofa, puts both
paws on the owner's forehead and bows his head. "Oh look!" the wife exclaims.
"He's PENTECOSTAL!"
Today
is Pentecost Sunday, which is commonly known as the birthday of the Christian
church. It is the fiftieth day after
Easter Sunday, which corresponds to the tenth day after Ascension Thursday. It
is a feast in the Christian liturgical calendar that commemorates the descent
of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and the followers of Jesus on that day, as
described in the Book of Acts, Chapter 2.
Even though our New Testament passage for this morning is from Romans,
and we’ll get to it shortly, I would like to set the Pentecost stage for you by
reading the account of the first Pentecost from the Book of Acts, Chapter 2:
1-13. Listen for the word of the
Lord:
When
the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly 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.
Now
there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under
heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment,
because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they
asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it
that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and
Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from
Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs)—we hear them
declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" Amazed and perplexed,
they asked one another, "What does this mean?" Some, however, made fun of them and said,
"They have had too much wine”...
The
Word of the Lord. Thanks be to
God.
The
Apostle Peter then stands up and addresses the crowd. Beginning in verse 14 he tells them, “these people are not drunk;
it is only 9 in the morning.” He then
quotes the Old Testament prophet Joel.
In verse 18 Peter states that God pours out his Spirit upon the
people. Well today, God is pouring out
his Spirit upon us, his people.
Pentecost
Sunday is a day to celebrate the breath and fire of the spirit that moves,
lives, and acts among God’s people.
Pentecost is represented by red– fire.
It is the only Sunday in the liturgical year when we use red
vestments. Red is the color of the
day. Pentecost is the day of one’s
birth into God’s kingdom and we should have a big celebration. That’s why we’ve draped the columns and
there’s a preponderance of red throughout the church.
On
that first Pentecost, Peter let the people know that the speaking of tongues
was not a freakish event but an act of God.
With this sermon, the disciples began their public ministry. And today
this spirit is still the heart and soul of our church. Perhaps those who heard those speaking in
tongues might have remembered the Towel of Babel Story in Genesis which also
included a confusion of human languages.
Pentecost Sunday celebrates the animating and sustaining presence of
God’s presence in the church.
Pentecost
forces us to address the subject of the spirit of God. The goal is not to explain the Spirit. The very nature of the Spirit defies our
attempts to define, control or explain.
There are, however, some important points to keep in mind.
The
Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As part of the Apostles Creed we affirmed
that one of our core beliefs as Christians is we believe in the Holy Spirit
even though we can’t see it. It may be
physically invisible but its affects are highly visible if we have an open
heart and mind. It’s called Faith.
The
Greek word for spirit is pneuma, p-n-e-u-m-a.
That one I remember because it made sense to me. I was able to recall it by thinking about pneumonia
which is a very serious breathing disease.
In Greek, the word pneuma means not only spirit, but also wind and
breath. If you think about it that way,
you know that the wind often blows where it will. It can’t be controlled and it can’t be contained. It’s much the same with the Holy
Spirit.
The
spirit gives new life. The life giving
power and presence of the spirit is a gift:
unsolicited, unexpected, undeserved.
The gift of the spirit shatters all reasonable expectations. The spirit is given or sent by the father or
Jesus himself. I have a story to share
with you that I think illustrates just how life-giving the spirit is.
Last
October I almost choked to death on a piece of steak. I literally had a near death experience. I was with 3 friends eating dinner, not
paying attention, going about my business merrily, when all of a sudden a piece
of meat got lodged in my throat. I
tried to swallow it, I tried to drink liquid to wash it down, but to no
avail. My friend sitting across the
table from me (who by the grace of God happens to be a registered nurse) said
she saw me struggling, saw my expression go from jovial to panicked, got me out
of the booth, turned me around, and performed the Heimlich maneuver all within a
span of no more than 30 seconds. The
piece of steak literally flew out of my body with such force that I could not
speak. I just stood there in this
crowded restaurant, enjoying the breath of life that I had just been
given. I don’t know if you have ever
been close to drowning or suffocating but to experience that feeling is simply
horrendous. Breathing is something we
take so for granted... until we suddenly can’t do it anymore. The rest of that night I simply marveled at
the life-giving nature of breath and how integral it is to our lives.
Clearly
God’s spirit is a force unleashed in Christ’s resurrection. God and the Spirit constitute a moral realm
in opposition to the flesh. Because
those in Christ have experienced life’s giving spirit, they have the spirit as
a mark of their identity. Meanwhile
God’s spirit acts as moral catalyst enabling believers to act as adopted
children. They share Christ’s status as
offspring. The effects of the spirit
are felt among believers at the deepest level.
Turning
to today’s passage from Romans, this is an epistle in which the Apostle Paul
talks about all of us being children of God... heirs of God’s kingdom. All of us are made to be sons and daughters
of Jesus Christ, and anyone who believes in Jesus Christ and catches the Spirit
will be saved. Paul describes the
ongoing presence of the Spirit and says that it is the Spirit that sustains us
in all situations including suffering.
Some
background on the Epistle to the Romans is helpful. This letter was written by Paul in Corinth in approximately AD 58
when he was on his third missionary journey.
It is his most put-together letter, and he wrote it to summarize his
theological teachings. It is considered
his most mature and theological statement and is therefore highly complex. It is challenging because of its length,
complexity, and ambiguities, yet is considered one of the most influential of
all writings in perhaps the whole New Testament. Compared with other Pauline letters, Romans is much broader. It was written at a critical juncture in
Paul’s life. Some call Romans Paul’s
last will and testament but that’s a misnomer because some Pauline themes are
missing. Romans doesn’t represent the
whole of Paul’s theology; it’s only a partial statement. Nevertheless, it’s a position paper that
explains and defends his mission.
The
righteousness of God, his righteous dealings with the world and his righteous
plan of salvation are the theme of the book.
God devised a plan for Jew and Gentile alike that sent his Son from
Heaven to save us from our sins. From
God and his love nothing can separate the believer.
What
was going on in Paul’s life when he wrote the letter? Paul as he writes is planning to take a collection to
Jerusalem. He spent the winter of 57-58
in Corinth, then went back to Jerusalem where he was ultimately arrested.
Who
were the recipients of the letter? Paul
was not the founder of the Roman Christian community and probably knew little
about it. He was writing general
reflections of his past experiences rather than addressing a particular concern
to Roman Christians. The Greco Roman
world of the first century was dominated by the slave system. Paul was very aware of that and uses
language the people of that time could have related to: A child does not have a spirit of slavery
but a spirit of adoption.
Paul
had never visited Rome; Phoebe, a deaconess, delivered the letter. The issues that Paul discusses appear to
relate to his own preaching of the Christian gospel. In contrast to Paul’s other letters, nowhere in Romans does he
indicate that he has heard of their troubles and that he is writing to convey
his apostolic advice.
The
Christian church was established in Rome by 57 or 58, but no one knows when it
first arrived there. One tradition says
the Apostle Peter established a church at Rome some 15 years earlier and became
its first bishop. However, Paul’s
letter greets 28 different people by name and Peter is not one of them. Jewish Christians would have been active
there sometime in the mid 40s. In this
epistle, Paul both asks and answers his own questions, a diatribe that is
remarkably effective to show that Paul knows what he’s talking about.
Romans
8:14-17 is about reconciliation to God in Christ and its benefits. If people are justified through Christ, they
are now reconciled to God. The benefits
this brings are being at peace with God and receiving an outpouring of God’s
love. Divine love is a willingness to
die for sinners who do not deserve such graciousness. Paul compares what has been accomplished through Christ with the
state of all human beings stemming from Adam.
He
talks about how a person can participate with Christ in this victory by being a
baptized member of His family. Paul
refers to this by using the term “adopted.”
I think you’ll agree that for a child to be adopted into a loving family
is a wonderful thing. Adoption is a
very viable option for many people who cannot have children of their own. Currently we are experiencing a trend in
high-profile celebrity adoptions. Maybe
when Madonna and Angelina Jolie are finished there will be no more children to
adopt. Who knows? I think the adopted children end up richly
blessed by their new surroundings. They
are loved and cared for beyond what they might have otherwise come to
know.
There
are some pretty famous people in the world who were adopted and raised by
people who weren’t their birth parents: Aristotle (the philosopher), Edgar
Allen Poe (the poet and writer), Eleanor Roosevelt and Nancy Reagan (former
First Ladies), Faith Hill (the country singer), the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Malcolm
X (the Civil Rights leader)... Oh, and
let’s not forget Jesus, who you may recall was joyfully adopted by Joseph the
carpenter.
There
have also been some pretty famous people who have adopted children themselves:
Barbara Walters, Dan Marino, Ed McMahan, Erma Bombeck, Magic Johnson... Oh, and
let’s not forget Tom and Nicole (pre Katie and Keith)!
There
are also people who “adopt” others into their families. This happens frequently. Elaine Swan considers Walter Riley to be her
adopted son. When my grandmother died
almost four years ago, a wonderful lady at Santa Monica adopted me. She will never take the place of my
grandmother but it sure is nice to feel that love and support from someone even
if they aren’t your blood relative. The love they provide is still love, and
every human being thrives on being loved.
When
have you sensed the Holy Spirit moving and working in your life? Perhaps you have a story to tell of times
you knew the Holy Spirit was walking with you and experiencing exactly what you
were experiencing at the exact time you were.
It’s powerful. I hope you all
get to feel it sooner rather than later and often rather than
occasionally.
The
Holy Spirit is constantly present with this congregation. The Holy Spirit was line dancing and playing
Bingo with us at our Family Fun Night in April. The Holy Spirit is present when the choir sings and Bill plays
the organ or piano. The Holy Spirit is
present with every sandwich that this church gives out to assist the homeless. The Holy Spirit is present with every nail
that we will hammer at our upcoming Habitat for Humanity build. The Holy Spirit is present when our youth
and young adults gather together to talk and study and learn and have
fellowship. The Holy Spirit is
everywhere. The Holy Spirit is busier
than I am, and that’s a tough thing to accomplish!
But
notice that Paul also says we must also suffer with God so we may be glorified
by him. That means life in the
spirit may mean opposition, but life in the spirit is the life that God
intends. Paul knows that believers are
suffering as they await God’s return.
Yet the suffering is a suffering with Christ. It seems that we now live in an age of universal human anxiety
about safety and security. Some may
wonder if they are among the children of God and whether Christ is suffering
with them. He is. So if you wonder to yourself, “Am I among
those who are led by the spirit?,” the answer is most definitely yes, you
are! Paul is not concerned to predict,
decide, or verify who is within or outside the circle. Rather he tries to articulate the gracious
unmerited sustaining work of the spirit in all human lives. For him the spirit is the sign of a new age
that is breaking in and that cannot be overturned.
I don’t how you can hear about the story of Dr. Isaiah
Jones and not believe in the Holy Spirit.
Here is a man who was told in early February that he had terminal
leukemia of the worst kind and given 4-6 weeks to live. He’s been on our prayer concerns list ever
since. Well Dr. Jones decided it might
be prudent to acquire a second opinion.
Meanwhile, virtually every Presbyterian I know and I’m sure people from
other denominations began to pray for him.
Dr. Jones sought a second opinion, which was more favorable; he went to
Houston, Texas for leukemia treatment; and now he is in total remission – three
months after being given 4-6 weeks to live.
If you don’t believe in the Holy Spirit after hearing a story like that,
I don’t think you ever will.
I have very fond memories of my cheerleading days at Culver
City High School. Perhaps some of you
are familiar with one of the cheers we used to do from across the football
field or basketball stadium. We’d yell
out “We’ve got spirit, yes we do! We’ve
got spirit, how about you?” and we would point to the opposing side and they
would yell it back to us. The idea was
to stir up the crowd and get as many people in our stands to say it and be
louder than they were.
Well today, we all have Spirit. The birthday gift I am giving to you on this
Pentecost Sunday is this: it is not a contest. It’s not as if we’re back in those football stands screaming
“We’ve Got Spirit, Yes we Do” to each other; it’s not a contest to see who can
out-spirit the next person. There’s
plenty of the Holy Spirit to go around for everybody. Jesus is everyone’s brother and sister. Everyone who trusts in him receives the Holy Spirit. Therefore, go out and shout it loud. Claim it, then share the Holy Spirit with
everyone you can. Do so in a loving,
kind, faith-filled manner. Act as if
the Holy Spirit is present in everything that you say and do on a regular basis
and non-believers will see in you the effect the Holy Spirit has on your
life. By witnessing your example, they
just may catch the spirit too! Amen.