"Are We Ready To Handle Truth?" Pentecost Sermon Preached By Rev. Richard E. Stetler - June 8, 2003 Psalm 104:24-34; John 16:4b-15
Suddenly there was a noise from the sky
which sounded like a strong wind blowing, and it filled the house
where they were sitting. Then they saw what looked like tongues of
fire which spread out and touched each person there. They were all
filled with the Holy Spirit and began to talk in other languages, as
the Spirit enabled them to speak. (2:2-4)
It is interesting how
experiences can change the motivation and direction of people's
lives. For example, it was a mystical experience that caused John
Wesley to start a movement that was unkindly labeled by his critics
as "The Methodists." Wesley's experience took place at Aldersgate
Church. He wrote, "I felt my heart become strangely warmed." One of the problems with
experiences like these is our tendency to search for one of our own.
Who would not find absolutely delightful an electrifying
experience where we felt the unequivocal presence of God? When we
are unsuccessful in duplicating what others claim happened to them,
we can feel left out, as though God has not found us worthy. Historically, however, people
have not sought a burning bush experience like Moses encountered.
(Exodus 3:2) People have not approached an act of baptism with the
idea that Heaven will open and the Holy Spirit will descend like a
dove as happened to Jesus. (Mark 1:10) In fact, when God came to
the ancient prophet Elijah, we learn that God was not
in the wind, earthquake or fire, but in the "still, small voice."
(I Kings 19:11-12) When believers seek God's presence in some
material way, these various forms can appear confusing. Are such
experiences necessary or important before we allow love to show? In our lesson today, Jesus said, "I have so much more that I want to tell you, but now it would be too much for you to bear. When the Spirit comes, who will reveal the truth about God, that Spirit will lead you into all the truth." (vrs. 13) Why did Jesus resist telling his closest friends the truth? Perhaps he knew from experience how hard it is for people to handle truth. Without fully realizing how our
lives are shaped, each of us can become the authority over
what works for us. When we stay with our interpretation of life,
frequently our story line does not change. Many of us remember, for
example, how quickly Moses manufactured excuses illustrating why he was
not finding much joy in what God was asking him to do. (Exodus 3:11f).
His comfort levels were being threatened. He knew what he wanted, and it
had nothing to do with going into Egypt and facing a ruthless ruler. Sometimes an unexpected
experience is necessary to "shock" us into seeing another reality or to
face a new direction for our lives. Most of us are not prepared to
change our story line until we experience something that requires it. Many years ago a woman came to
see me. She was feeling lonely and abandoned by her husband. He was
involved in two softball leagues and was seldom home during many summer
evenings. During the winter months, he became involved with indoor
tennis and bowling. I had a chat with the husband and he consented to
leave one of his softball teams so he could be home with his family.
Was the problem solved? Absolutely not. We seldom solve a problem
by treating the symptoms. Susan called me again. She said,
"He's home, but now he's reading, or sitting in his recliner wearing
earphones or working in our garage. He's here but he's not here if you
catch my drift. I don't know how I can break through to him; this
family needs him." The couple came to my office and
I listened. When I had heard enough, I offered a number of radical
recommendations. I said, "Jim, I want you in the kitchen preparing
supper on Tuesdays and Thursdays." Susan immediately snapped back, "Not
in my kitchen! He's a klutz. Turning him lose in the kitchen would be
a disaster. He does not know where anything belongs. I'll be weeks
cleaning up after him." I chose to ignore her remarks for
the moment. "On Mondays and Fridays," I continued, "I want you to bathe
the children and get them ready for bed." She started laughing. "He
will destroy the bathroom, get the kids worked up with his foolishness
and he will fail at getting them settled. Firmness is not one of his
strong suits." Notice who had become the
authority in the home. With total confidence Susan knew how best to
manage the family. She could not understand why I was sending Jim into
her territory. Jim went there nevertheless. Susan was absolutely
correct in predicting the outcome; Jim was a disaster. While frying chicken one night,
Jim had remembered a technique his mother used. He dipped the pieces
into scrambled eggs, tossed them into a brown bag filled with flour and
bread crumbs and shook it. The mixture filtered through the bag's seams
and went everywhere. When the frying had been completed, there was not
a surface that was not covered with spattered grease. Jim loved what he
made! He absolutely loved it. He got into this. He got the cookbooks
out for the next meal! Susan had become the "expert" at
efficiently managing the household leaving no room for her husband to
participate in the family. He had gone into the world of softball
because there he was valued and appreciated for his skills as a batter
and a short stop. Without realizing it, Susan had been sending Jim a
message that he was not needed and could not possibly fit into her
management style. Rather than teaching him, she had been screening him
from the process. It took several shocking experiences before the two of
them got their marriage growing again. When our familiar story line
governs the direction of our lives, how does "the truth" break through
the barriers we have unwittingly created? If we can do this in our
marriages, think of what can happen to our relationship with God.
Often it takes a unique experience for us to look in the mirror at who
we have become. As we turn back to our lesson, we
learn that Jesus was preparing his disciples for a major shock. A day
would come when he would not be with them. The disciples had grown too
dependent on him for their identity. They were his
disciples. He told them, "I am telling you the truth: it is better for
you that I go away, because if I do not, the Helper will not come to
you." (vrs. 7) Who is this Helper? Was Jesus
referencing an external source of rejuvenating energy that would become
a part of them? Would God's Spirit enter their bodies enabling them to
become different beings, giving them powers they did not before
possess? What was Jesus preparing them to experience? Recently I performed a wedding
ceremony where one of the bridesmaids was a pilot. During a moment when
the two of us were alone, I asked her what her most frightening
experience had been while flying. She smiled and said, "Without
question it was my first solo flight. I was very confident while my
instructor was seated next to me. When I found myself alone in the
cockpit for the first time, every fear and "what if" flooded my mind. I
had to learn that I could fly the aircraft without the calm, reassuring
presence of my instructor. I did it! What a rush!" Again, Jesus said, "I am telling
you the truth: it is better for you that I go away,
because if I do not, the Helper will not come to you." Could it be that
Jesus was setting up his disciples for trusting God to lead them, to
empower them, to give them insights and to move them beyond
self-interest and into a ministry where their lives would influence the
world? Today we find a number of
people who want to experience spiritual ecstasy more than to facing the
challenges associated with the inner and outer work of discipleship.
We can search for some unexplainable, mystical experience or we can
look upon life as did the young pilot -- learning to fly without the
master pilot's physical presence. Jesus had given his disciples the
contents of the Sermon on the Mount but it was up to them to use it.
The Pentecost experience gave them that push to get out into the world.
This past week I was in a meeting where one
of our lay persons said, "I do not think anyone should join our church
without also assuming responsibility for contributing their time and
talents to help with our growing mission to each other, our community
and the world." Our committee discussed his
thought. Everyone is very busy. This is not the same social climate we
experienced 50 years ago when the church was the center of family life.
Scores of activities are in competition for our time. Most of us tend
to fit the church in where and when it is convenient. People become empowered when
they get busy. Elijah found God's presence only when he left the
security of his cave and went back into ministry. There was no
spiritual ecstasy. Moses only found that God was with him when he went
into Egypt and confronted Pharaoh. There was no spiritual ecstasy. When
the Holy Spirit filled Jesus, again, there was no ecstasy. In fact, he
had to enter the wilderness to reassess his identity. All of them had to
move beyond their known story line and trust that God would lead them. We need to remember that we do
exactly what we want to do with our lives until we run into a wall.
That is what Susan and Jim were doing in their marriage. That is what
Elijah and Moses were doing before an experience sent them in another
direction. Jesus had to wander for a period of time.
Some of us are not prepared to
handle truth because we enjoy the control we have over our lives.
We do not like taking risks with
our time and financial resources. We come well armed with every excuse
in the book. Then during some sleepless night, we wonder why the Holy
Spirit has not shown up in our lives. When is the last time you spent
time in one of our nurseries? Have you ever taught a Sunday School
class? Have you worked a week of Bible School? Have you ever traveled
to the Men's Shelter and served a meal? Do you give to the church a
tithe of your income? Are you currently serving on a committee?
How can God use us to change the world if our commitment to serving
others never shows up? Most of us remember seeing the
painting where Jesus is knocking on the door. When we study that scene,
we notice that there is no handle on the outside. The door can only be
opened from the inside. This is what is meant by "free will." Can we
handle the truth? If we think so, open that door! The empowerment we receive from such a risk is beyond comprehension. God's daily presence becomes increasingly clear when we get out of ourselves, away from our known story line and into ministry. We do not need ecstasy before we make a difference; we need involvement. When we find ourselves serving one another, the Spirit will work through us to change the world. That is God's promise. THE CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
As we pray during these moments together, how
humbling it is for many of us to review our week. We can remember when
our words were sterile, when there were few smiles of affirmation, when
we were preoccupied with concerns and desired to be left alone. We can
remember when we allowed fear to enter our minds, when we allowed little
issues to overwhelm us and when our responses displayed irritability.
Lead us, O God, to remember to use all the talents and abilities you
have given us. Lead us to learn the lessons that can be found in many
of life's fragile moments. Enable us to lead others to rise to the full
stature of which your son promised we were capable. Thank you for the
privilege of being a part of the unfolding of your will. Amen. THE PASTORAL PRAYER
Loving and always merciful God, we stand in
wonder of the towering figures who appear larger than life in our faith
tradition. Their words and example inspire us. Their lives have
provided guidance for what the indwelling of your spirit enables people
to do.
We confess that often we search for
experiences rather than ways to commit ourselves. Many of us chase
after you with the same curiosity as Philip who once said to Jesus,
"Just show us God and we will be satisfied." Some of us long for
experiences that fill us with ecstasy. Yet we have learned that faith is
making a decision when the outcome is not certain.
Often we come to you seeking a greater
clarity of our ideas when we could be engaging in random acts of
kindness. We come with our plans for greater efficiency and we could be
giving ourselves away patiently even during moments of confusion. We
stress our need for accuracy in the interpretation of Scripture when we
could become more focused on expressing three simply words, "Love One
Another."
Why is it, O God, that it is such a challenge
to get ourselves out of the way so that your spirit may shine through
us? Enable us to discover the difference between righteousness and
faithfulness, so that we might become better instruments of your peace.
We pray these thoughts through the spirit of Jesus, who taught us to say
when we pray . . .
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