Sermon – Psalm 92:1-4,12-15 – Prepared for the Storm

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Sermon – Psalm 92:1-4,12-15 – Prepared for the Storm

Trinity  May 26, 2013

This past week a great tornado swept though Oklahoma. The town of Moore OK was devastated. I am sure that you have seen the destroyed homes and bewildered people on television. This isn't the first time something like this has happened. People in biblical times also suffered from storms. Listen to this story from the Book of Job.

Job 1:18-19 ¹⁸ While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, "Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house, ¹⁹ when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"

What are we to do at times like these? When the wind blows and houses fall and loved ones die, what should we do? Listen to what Job did.

Job 1:20-21 ²⁰ At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship ²¹ and said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."

So Job's reaction to the news that a tornado had ripped apart his son's home killing all of children was to worship God, praising his name. A lifetime of worship had prepared Job for this day. And a lifetime of worship prepares us for the storms in our lives. Let us pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

The planet we live on has a molten core of iron. It is a spinning ball on a tilted axis 93,000 miles from the sun. The Earth was created by God this way to support life. By creating a such a planet God gave us oxygen to breath, water to drink, and food to eat. But with the molten core of iron we have earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis. And with the uneven heating of the sun we have droughts, floods, hurricanes and tornadoes. And so the very things that make life possible also make disasters a reality. God could stop the disaster from occurring, Jesus stilled a storm, but to do so would make life itself impossible. So for life to exist God made a world where disasters occur.

God does not prevent disasters. Rather, in his goodness, he prepares us for the day when disaster strikes. God prepares us for disasters the same way he prepared Job by allowing us to worship him on the Sabbath day. By worshiping every Sunday we prepare ourselves for the day of disaster. We learn in worship of a God who does not prevent disasters, but his love and compassion can be seen in the midst of disasters. Here are God's instructions for Sabbath worship from Psalm 92.

Psalm 92:1-15 ^NIV Psalm 92:1 A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day. It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High, ² to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, ³ to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp. ⁴ For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD; I sing for joy at the works of your hands. ¹² The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; ¹³ planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. ¹⁴ They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, ¹⁵ proclaiming, "The LORD is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him."

The first thing we learn from the Psalmist is that the purpose of Sunday worship is to praise God. We praise God for the gift of creation, the world we have that sustains life. Sunday worship teaches us to praise God no matter what happens understanding that life itself is a miraculous gift. We are told that we are to praise God for his love every Sunday morning. We are to praise God for his faithfulness every Sunday evening. And we are to praise God with music using instruments and voices. Praising God every Sunday has the effect of helping us lead joyful lives. So that when disaster strikes we have an inner reservoir of God's love and faithfulness that we can drawn on.

Sadly, those who do not worship God on Sundays will be blown about by the wind. So many people think they can do it on their own. We live in a nation of rugged individualists who think they don't need any help. There are others who are convinced that the government will give them the help they need when they need it. But when disaster strikes they will find out that they need help and the government isn't always there in time.

God's loves us and will care for us in our time of need. And God is faithful, he will be there when we need him the most. Those who worship each Sunday know this, and they develop roots that go deep into the soil of faith that sustains them in times of trouble. Those who do not worship on Sundays face disasters alone and will curse God for their hardships, but those who do worship will know a loving and faithful God who sustains them in these hardships.

The psalmist knows that one of the hardships we must bear is old age. After you have survived the storms of life you now face your own personal storms of poor health. This is part of the mortal life you were given. But your faith will never grow old. And the faith that has grown in you as you attend Sunday worship for so many years will continue to produce fruit that will sustain you. I see this over and over again when I visit people at the hospital and in nursing homes. Even though their bodies are deteriorating there faith remains strong. They are sustained by God's love and faithfulness. And they face death with the sure hope of the resurrection and eternal life.

“Kevin Clarkson, the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Moore, Oklahoma, said it’s important to remember that “this isn’t the final story” and that “God’s not done.” Clarkson said he’ll tell those who are struggling that “God loves them and God understands. He’s not punishing them…God is with them in their suffering, [and] we’re with them.” Cliff Mansley, the pastor of New Creation Church in Joplin, added: ”Hang in there, God is going to do great things.” When asked how he and his community can possibly help so soon after they were in such desperate need, he had to bite back emotion. “How can you not help people? Mansley said. “The way that people have poured out their hearts and their lives for us, when we see other people in need, we just can’t help but to move into action.”” http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/05/21/how-can-god-let-tragedies-like-the-okla-tornado-exist-pastors-weigh-in/

Rhett Burnett, an Oklahoma sheriff said, “Yesterday, I had a man say to me, ‘I don’t understand why God does things like that,’ Everything this man had was destroyed in the storm. What I told him was that I don’t believe God creates this mayhem. I told him that we all need to praise the Lord that we’re alive, and I told him that God is his provider. We need to praise the Lord and trust that He is going to take care of us. We prayed together, and I believe that man is going to be OK. He did praise God, even after such an ordeal.” http://www.charismanews.com/us/39571-with-god-s-grace-we-ll-recover-says-okla-under-sheriff-after-tornado

D.A. Bennett is the pastor of St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City. His church served as a shelter for the people of Moore during the storm. A mother and a preschooler from his church died in Moore that day. At their funeral he said, “As people of faith, we do not grieve without hope. We’re going to walk together through this. It is not something you can walk through alone.” http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2013/05/21/pastor-oklahoma-tornado

No matter what disaster strikes our faith in our triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit will be with us and he will sustain us with his love and faithfulness. We learn to depend on this though our Sunday worship where we praise God for his works of creation. The faith developed though years of Sunday worship sustains us just as it sustains the Christians of Moore OK. Let us pray.

“Holy One, you are our comfort and strength in times of sudden disaster, crisis, or chaos. Surround us now with your grace and peace through storm or earthquake, fire or flood. By your Spirit, lift up those who have fallen, sustain those who work to rescue or rebuild, and fill us with the hope of your new creation; through Jesus Christ, our rock and redeemer.” Amen. http://www.presbyterianmission.org/media/uploads/pda/pdfs/prayers_after_tornadoes.pdf

Sermon Revelation 21:1 - 22:6 The Resurrection of the Dead and the Life Everlasting

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Sermon Revelation 21:1 - 22:6 The Resurrection of the Dead and the Life Everlasting

Pentecost

May 19, 2013

Today we will conclude our look at the Apostles Creed. We began at the beginning of Lent talking about our belief in God the Father who created and has authority over all that is. Our look at Jesus the Son took us through his divine conception, human birth, suffering and death. On Easter Morning we celebrated his resurrection from the dead and then his ascension to the right hand of God where he rules us as our Lord. For several weeks now we have been looking at the third person of the trinity, the Holy Spirit, who gives us the church where we are made holy and able to forgive one another. On this Pentecost Sunday we will see how the Holy Spirit leads us to our ultimate hope, our own resurrection and eternal life. But first, let's pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

Five centuries before Jesus Christ, there lived in Athens a great philosopher. His name was Socrates. Socrates had been sentenced to death. While awaiting his execution he thought about what happens after we die. Socrates believed in an immortal soul, a soul that lives forever. He thought that this soul inhabited his body at birth and would leave it a death. This immortal soul contained all of his thoughts, memories, and personality. So his identity would continue after death when his immortal soul left his body behind to decay in the ground.

This idea of an immortal soul was very attractive to early Christians because Christians believe that Christ defeated death so that our souls will live on even after we die. But there was a problem with this. And this problem was with the word, “immortal”. Christians believe that only God is immortal, not us. We are limited and finite. We are not immortal. Therefore we do not have immortals souls.

The Christian idea is that we are created by God. And we believe that our existence is sustained by God every moment. Without God we would instantly cease to exist. Therefore our souls, to live on after we die, can only do so by the grace of God. And in Jesus Christ all believers are promised that our souls will live forever. So when we die God preserves our souls, our thought, our memories, and our personalities. Some souls will be in heaven living in perfect joy in the presence of God. Other souls will be in hell enduring a refining fire. But this is not the end of the story. The Bible is very clear about this. One day our bodies will be resurrected from the dust of the earth and will be reunited with our souls.

Some Christians in the second century after Christ had problems with this. A Christian teacher, whom we have talked about before, named Marcion brought some gnostic beliefs into the church. He taught that the body was imperfect, incomplete, evil and would decay in the ground, but our souls being perfect and spiritual would live forever in heaven. The church rejected this idea because of the reality they had witnesses. After Jesus' death his soul did not go to heaven as a disembodied spirit. Instead Jesus' physical body was resurrected from the dead and reunited with his soul. They saw and touched this living body with mortal wounds. They heard him speak and ate with him. Jesus was alive in a physical body, and his soul, his thoughts, memories and personality, were there too. So the church affirmed its belief that God created both body and soul, and in the resurrection body and soul will be reunited. Our souls go to heaven after we die until one day when our bodies will be resurrected and reunited with our souls and we, body and soul, will live together in a restored creation in the presence of Jesus Christ.

You may remember a woman named Joni Eareckson. Joni was a teenager in Baltimore when in 1967 she dove into the Chesapeake Bay. She had misjudged the depth of the water and broke her neck. She is a quadriplegic, paralyzed from the shoulders down. She is also a very faithful Christian. And people are always asking her about her Christian hope. She replies that her hope, as a Christian, is that one day in the resurrection she will have full use of her arms and legs.

Christian hope is that Christ will return to earth and with him will come a new Jerusalem. There we will live forever, our souls in resurrected bodies. We will be blessed with glorified bodies free from arthritis, heart disease, liver problems, and effects of old age. We will live in holy city free from war, pestilence, drought and flood. Sin will be abolished. All the kings on earth will bow down to our Lord Jesus Christ. And our joy will never end. Here is the great vision of Christian hope that has guided the church for two thousand years.

^NIV Revelation 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ² I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." ⁵ He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." ⁶ He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. ⁷ He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. ⁸ But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars-- their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." ⁹ One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." ¹⁰ And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. ¹¹ It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. ¹² It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. ¹³ There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. ¹⁴ The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. ¹⁵ The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. ¹⁶ The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. ¹⁷ He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits thick, by man's measurement, which the angel was using. ¹⁸ The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. ¹⁹ The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, ²⁰ the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. ²¹ The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass. ²² I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. ²³ The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. ²⁴ The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. ²⁵ On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. ²⁶ The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. ²⁷ Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. ^NIV Revelation 22:1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb ² down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. ³ No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. ⁴ They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. ⁵ There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. ⁶ The angel said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place." 

This is where we are heading, our Christian hope. Our belief in God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit ensures that we will live in the new Jerusalem. Our souls in heaven will be reunited with our resurrected bodies to live in glory forever with our God. Amen.

Sermon – 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 The Forgiveness of Sins

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Sermon – 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 The Forgiveness of Sins

Easter 7

May 12, 2013

At the beginning of Lent I began a look at the Apostles' Creed. We have examined each phrase as we followed the church calendar through Lent and Easter. We have seen what the creed says about God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son. Today we will continue with what it says about the Holy Spirit. We will get to this, but first let's pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

Usually, when we talk about forgiveness it is God's forgiveness of our sins. God, out of his great mercy forgives our sins. This is symbolized by our baptisms. In baptism our sins our symbolically washed away, and our old lives symbolically end as we emerge from the waters to new life. Baptism is also a seal of God's promise of forgiveness for all who believe in Jesus Christ. And so when we are baptized or when we confirm our baptisms we profess our faith in Jesus Christ. The Nicene Creed from the 4^th century puts plainly, “We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.” Clearly there is a strong link between baptism and God's forgiveness. Last week we saw that the church, made up of forgiven sinners, is holy because of the work of the Holy Spirit making the members of the church more and more holy. So when we are baptized we are forgiven and begin the process toward holiness.

But what about those whose sins are forgiven in baptism but continue to sin? And what about those who are forgiven and then backslide into their old lives? People can only be baptized once. So what happens to people who commit post-baptismal sins?

This was a pressing question on the minds of the church in the fourth century. For centuries the church had been a persecuted minority. Then, Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and established it as the official religion of the empire. Suddenly everyone was a member of the church, some against their wills. People were required to be baptized. Many had no intention of cooperating with the Holy Spirit to become more holy. And so many members of the church continued to sin even after their baptisms. What should the church do?

There were some who argued that the church had to remain holy and those who continued to sin should not be a part of the church. There was a separatist group in North Africa called the Donatist who argued that the church should be made up of saints. They separated themselves from the church at Rome. Schisms have continued over this issue even in our own times. There are some who argue that sinners, especially practicing homosexuals, should not be ordained as elders and deacons on the Presbyterian Church. Some churches and pastors have decided to leave the PCUSA for other denominations and some churches have formed a new denomination. The issue today is the same one that has faced the church since the fourth century. How holy must the members and leaders of the church be and still be church.

It was within this context that the Apostles' Creed was changed by adding the words “the forgiveness of sins.” Notice that unlike the Nicene Creed, also of the fourth century, there is no mention of baptism. Rather, in the Apostles' Creed, the forgiveness of sins is in the context of a holy catholic church and communion of saints. In other words just as God forgives us our sins in the same way the church must forgive the sins of it members. So rather than throw out or separate from we are to forgive.

Of course forgiveness is difficult. When we do something wrong we want mercy. But if someone does something wrong to us we demand justice. Giving mercy to people who deserve judgment is difficult especially if the sin is big or repeated. Recently a young women were reconciled with there families after being held as a prisoners for ten years. Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight had just escaped from prison in a Cleveland home. I could never ask or expect for them to forgive their captors. And I hope their captors will receive the maximum punishment the law allows. But not all sin is this big or goes on this long. Most of the time we have a choice to demand justice or give mercy. And the creed teaches us that we are to forgive others just as we have been forgiven. We pray every Sunday, “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors”.

The reason we are to forgive is because relationships are important to God. God forgives us so that we can be in relationship with him. And God wants us to forgive others to repair broken relationships. I have talked to many people who no longer come to church. I ask them, why did you stop coming? Almost always the response to this is that the person did something, a sinful act, and is now too ashamed to come back to church. When a person feels shame about coming to church the problem is that he perceives the church to be unforgiving. Only though forgiveness can ever hope to restore these relationships which have been broken. I hope that someday the relationships being broken among pastors in the PCUSA will also be restored.

The Apostle Paul called this the ministry of reconciliation. Here is what he said:

2 Corinthians 5:18-21 ¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. ²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

So how are we to reconcile relationships that have been broken after a misunderstanding or hurtful disagreement? How do we forgive someone. First, someone has to take the initiative, a first step. Without movement on somebody's part no reconciliation can occur. The person taking the initiative must acknowledge that the relationship is broken, recall how important and precious the relationship was, and reaffirm their love and concern for the other. If the other refuses to acknowledge this and receive your forgiveness there is nothing you can do, the broken relationship will remain unaltered. Only if both parties agree to restore the relationship will reconciliation occur. So too with our relationship with God. God, though our baptisms, has offered us forgiveness. Do we accept it? Are we willing to be reconciled with God?

The ministry of reconciliation is the ministry of the church. We are called to proclaim that the sins of all who profess that Jesus in Lord, confess their sins and amend their behavior will be forgiven. And we are to embody this ministry by forgiving one another so that relationships within the church may be reconciled.

The good news in all of this is that forgiveness is not up to us. God forgives us not because we are not deserving of judgment, but because he sees Jesus when he looks at us. Likewise, when someone hurts us and we want judgment, the Holy Spirit enables us to see the image of God in that person. And if we see the image of God then the only thing we can do is forgive. This is good news because it means that sinners have a second chance. Yes, your sins were forgiven at baptism. Yes, you should amend you life and live it in accordance with God's law. But if you backslide then God and the church offers you a second chance to confess, repent, and reconcile.

The Donatist were never able to forgive. They continued for a while, but disappeared when Islam spread across North Africa. But the churches of the Roman Empire continued to flourish because they had found ways to forgive and reconcile. And so we are a people of forgiveness.

Remember always that you are a sinner too. You were once estranged from God. But in your baptism your were forgiven by God so that the relationship you had with God was restored. So too forgive those who have sinned against you so that your relationship with that person will be restored. This is what we are called to do, a ministry of reconciliation. Every time we say the Apostles' Creed we are affirming our acceptance of God's offer of forgiveness. And so the Apostle's Creed helps us to be reconciled with God. And that is exactly what God wants.

Holy Spirit we thank you for sealing God's forgiveness upon us in our baptisms. We accept that offer of forgiveness and ask that our relationship with God be restored and reconciled. We also ask that you make us forgiving people who desire to restore relationships with those who have wronged us. Help us to be a forgiving church where people who have sinned will find mercy and reconciliation. This we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Sermon – Colossians 1:15-19 The Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Sermon – Colossians 1:15-19 The Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints

Easter 6

May 5, 2013

As we continue with our study of the Apostles Creed we are looking at the work of the Holy Spirit. We have found that the Holy Spirit is God, the third person of the trinity. We have also found that the Holy Spirit is an experienced reality in the church, and will continue to be with us until Jesus returns. We will see in future weeks that the Holy Spirit seals upon us God's salvation, the forgiveness of our sins, and the Holy Spirit will lead us to eternal life through the resurrection of the dead. Today we will look closely at the church which was created by and is sustained by the Holy Spirit. But first let's pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

Colossians 1:15-19 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,

This past Thursday the Pocomoke churches and the Mayor of Pocomoke gathered in the Community Center for the National Day of Prayer. This was important event because it is one of the few times that all Christians in Pocomoke come together for a time of prayer. It did matter if you went to a black church or a white church. It didn't matter if your church had a band or a piano or an organ. It didn't matter if your church baptized people in a pool or sprinkled water on their heads. It didn't matter if you were main-line, evangelical or pentecostal. The only think that mattered was that you were a follower of Jesus Christ with a desire to pray to him for our community and world. And so the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, gathered into the Pocomoke Community Center and in churches and community centers all over the country for prayer.

The Apostles Creed teaches us that the church is holy, catholic and the communion of saints. Let's take a look at each of these beginning with the holiness of the church.

We have already seen the word “holy” twice in the creed, both times referring to the Holy Spirit. This was meant to say that the Holy Spirit is God, because God is holy. God is holy in the sense that he is morally perfect. God will do no wrong. God is free from sin, morally pure. And since we believe that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are also God, then they too must be holy, morally perfect. But is the church holy in this sense? Is the church morally perfect? Are the members of the church totally free from sin? Of course not. We are stained by sin as much as any other group in the population. We just admit our sins and come to church for help. If we claimed to be morally perfect we would be deceiving ourselves and others would perceive us as hypocrites. So in what sense is the church holy?

In ancient times the holiest place on earth was thought to be the Holy of Holies in the Jerusalem temple. Here God was thought to live and since God is holy the temple he lives in must also be holy. As pilgrims came to the temple they would take a series of ceremonial baths, cleansing sin from their bodies, so that when they arrived at the temple they too would be holy. In the same way the Holy Spirit resides with us in the church making the church holy. And as we come to church we become more and more holy. As we pray every day, as we study scripture, as we worship the Holy Spirit will transform us. Through this transformation our desire for sin decreases and we find ourselves more and more morally pure. Moral perfection is only achieved after a lifetime of transformation. In other words the church is holy because it is a hospital for sinners, where the Holy Spirit heals our sin stained souls and restores within us the image of God. The church is holy because the Holy Spirit is present making us increasingly holy.

Let's now turn to the second aspect of the church. The church is catholic. There is a lot of confusion about this. The word catholic may refer to all particular churches in communion with the Bishop of Rome, the Pope. These churches are called Roman Catholic churches, Catholic with a capital C. But the creed is not talking about a particular denomination. The word catholic means “universal”. And so it refers to all churches of all places and of all times. This would include all the churches in Pocomoke and all the churches around the world. This would include all the churches of the past and all the churches of the future. This would include every church that professes the Lordship of Jesus Christ. But the word “catholic” means a little more than just “universal”. It also means to be “a part of the whole”. And so we, here at Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam, are part of the universal church because we too profess that Jesus in Lord.

This idea of a catholic church, or universal church, does not mean we all have the same government or worship in the same way. We are not a homogeneous church. God has given us the privileged to worship and organize ourselves in many different ways reflecting our cultural differences.

And so we worship with organs and choirs, or folk bands, or gospel singing, or even rock and roll. And we are governed by elders, or bishops or congregations. This diversity is good because it seeks to bring as many people as possible into the church. But always remember that our similarities are far more important than our differences because we are united into a universal church which confesses that Jesus Christ is our leader.

We have seen that the church is holy, in that the Holy Spirit is present making us more and more holy. We have also seen that the church is catholic, that is universal and we are a part. Now we will look at the third aspect of the church. It is the communion of saints.

In the original Greek and Latin of the Apostles Creed the word we translate as “holy” and the word we translate as “saints” is the same word. So this phrases in the creed could be translated as either “communion of the holy ones” or the “communion of holy things” . We have already talked about us becoming holy. So we are the holy ones. But what about the holy things. We sometimes forget that when the Holy Spirit is present whatever it touches becomes holy. For example the bread and juice on the table before us are very ordinary things, but if the Holy Spirit is present they too become holy. This building would be a very nice assembly hall and community center, but if the Holy Spirit is present it becomes a sacred place. The words I speak are just words, but if the Holy Spirit is present they become the Word of God. Congregational singing is just noise, but if the Holy Spirit is present it becomes a joyful noise to the Lord.

The Holy Spirit also provides the church with Holy people. We know this because people in the church are gifted by the Holy Spirit. We have been blessed by gifts to the apostles who have passed their gifts to us in scripture. We have been blessed by gifts to the prophets who can see the world from God's perspective. We have been blessed by gifts to the teachers who can explain God's word to us in ways we can understand. We have been blessed by the gifts of miracle workers and healers that have sustained the church for 2000 years. We have been blessed by church administrators who keep all of this running. We have been blessed by people who help others. This is what it means to be a church of holy people.

So because of the presence of the Holy Spirit the church is made up of holy people and holy things, and this makes the church holy. But what about the word “communion”? What does it mean to say the the church is a “communion of holy ones” or a “communion of holy things”?

The word “communion” is an old English word that means “fellowship”. The church is a holy fellowship or a holy community. The Greek word for this is koinania. The idea is that we are a sharing community. We share our joys and concerns with each other every week in worship. We share cards, letters and flowers with the sick. Through our gifts, tithes and offerings the stronger share with the weaker. Through our Bible studies we share our understanding of who God is. Though our prayers we share our concerns for each other with God. Through our mission dollars and relationships we share God's blessing with the universal church. And so we are a sharing community of people growing into holiness in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Let us pray.

Holy Spirit we ask that you come upon us and make us church. Transform us into holy people. Bless us with gifts which we can share with others and with the church. Form us into a sharing community. Form us into a community that spans the world. This we pray in the name of the Head of the church, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Sermon – Acts 2: 1-21 – I Believe in the Holy Ghost

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Sermon – Acts 2: 1-21 – I Believe in the Holy Ghost

Easter 5

April 28, 2013

When Jesus taught us how to make and baptize disciples he said this, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). When the Apostle Paul wanted God's blessing to pour down on the church at Corinth he said this, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14). These statement indicate the belief of the early Church that God is present to us as three distinct persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Old Roman Symbol, which eventually became our Apostles Creed, was a training tool for new initiates to the faith to learn about the triune God we believe in. So far in our study of the Apostles Creed we have looked at what it says about the Father and the Son. Today we will being our look at the third person of the trinity, the Holy Spirit, but first let's pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

Acts 2:1-21 ^NIV Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. ⁵ Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. ⁶ When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. ⁷ Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? ⁹ Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome ¹¹ (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-- we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" ¹² Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?" ¹³ Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine." ¹⁴ Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. ¹⁵ These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! ¹⁶ No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ¹⁷ "'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. ¹⁸ Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. ¹⁹ I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. ²⁰ The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. ²¹ And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'

“I believe in the Holy Ghost.” This statement begins the third part of the Apostles Creed. By saying it we affirm that we believe, trust our lives totally, without reservation, to God the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is holy, meaning it is of God. And it is God's spiritual presence with us today. The Creed uses the word “Holy Ghost”. “Ghost” was once an acceptable synonym of “spirit”, but no more. The word “ghost” conjures us images of everything from malevolent beings haunting houses to a friendly ghost names Casper. Since all of this gets in the way of our understanding of the third person of the trinity it is better to use the word “spirit”.

This is the second time the Holy Spirit is mentioned in the creed. The first time it referred to the Holy Spirit's role in the conception of Jesus. When Jesus was conceived Mary ensuring that he would be fully human, and the Holy Spirit ensured that he would be fully God. From this we understand that the Holy Spirit is God.

The Holy Spirit was with Jesus throughout his ministry. It was present as a dove in Jesus' baptism, and it led Jesus during his forty days in the desert. Jesus told us that after his ascension he would send the Holy Spirit to us to stand with us until his return. And so the Holy Spirit is with us here and now comforting us, strengthening us, and causing us to grow in faith and as obedient disciples. It is through the Holy Spirit that we experience God's love and forgiveness. The Holy Spirit empowers us to understand the scripture we read. The Holy Spirit brings us redemption from our sins, and modifies our hearts to make us more like Christ.

After his resurrection, the disciples of Jesus obediently waited. As Jesus promised the Holy Spirit came upon them. They were clothed with power, and all selfishness and bigotry disappeared. One who had denied Christ the night of his arrest, was embolden by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the good new of his resurrection from the dead. The Holy Spirit ensured that the words Peter spoke that day were understood even by those who could not understand the language he was using. People who fled when Jesus was arrested were later empowered by the Holy Spirit to preach the gospel of salvation even in the face of official persecution.

So how would we know if the Holy Spirit is with us today? If we receive blessings from God we know these come from the Holy Spirit. If we are inspired, act unselfishly, desire to be holy, or want to do what is right then we know these desires come to us from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is always with us, speaking to us, guiding us, strengthening us, and fulfilling Jesus' promise of sending a counselor who would walk with us, dwell in us, and guide us into the truth.

The Holy Spirit is also with us whenever we feel alone or overwhelmed. When we are in a hospital bed or a nursing home the Holy Spirit is there to comfort us, heal us, strengthen us, and guide us to our eternal home in Jesus Christ. When we have lost our job or a relationship has come to an end the Holy Spirit is with us, feeding us with hope in Jesus Christ. When attendance in church is dwindling and budgets getting tighter, the Holy Spirit is there to initiate renewal.

The Holy Spirit comes to free us from whatever it is the binds us and keeps us from God. Sometimes it needs to free us from church when it becomes bound by tradition and ceremony and is unable to accomplish God's mission on earth. When this happens we see a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit renewing the church. In the early 20^th century the Holy Spirit came into the church in speaking in tongues and prophecy. This led to the growth of Pentecostal denominations. Later, in the 1960s this same phenomena came into many of the main-line churches through the Charismatic Movement. And today we see the Holy Spirit at work in the rapidly growing churches of South America and Africa.

We need to pray for the Holy Spirit to come into our church today. We need to pray that the Holy Spirit will bring the gift of forgiveness to all who confess and repent. We need to pray that the Holy Spirit will illumine our reading of the Bible. We need to pray that the hymns we sing become a joyful noise to the Lord. We need to pray that words spoken by the Apostles, Prophets and Preachers will be more than just words, that they will be the word of God. We need to pray that the Holy Spirit will transform and empower us to do God's work in the world. And we do pray these things in worship every week.

And so we know that the Holy Spirit is in us transforming us into obedient disciples. The Holy Spirit uses our prayers, our Bible studies, and our worship to mold us into what the God created us to be. What happens here is far more than some Bible teaching and hymn singing. This is the church, the creation of the Holy Spirit. We are God's people, and we are the leading edge of new kingdom coming to earth called the Kingdom of God. We are living at the beginning of the end of the age when the Holy Spirit will transform all of creation and Christ will return.

We cry out, “Holy Spirit come” not because we fear that the Holy Spirit is somehow absent. We make this cry acknowledging our own need to be filled with the Holy Spirit each day. We are completely dependent on the Holy Spirit and so we need to pray every day that we will be filled with the its power so that we may act as the children of God here on earth. Let us pray.

Holy Spirit come. Come down upon us. Fill our hearts with God's love and forgiveness. Be with us in worship to illumine the scripture and transform us into God's people. Use us in your transformation of the world in anticipation of the return of Jesus Christ. This we pray in the name of our triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit come. Amen.