Once More

This sermon was delivered at the First Presbyterian Church in Berryville, Arkansas on Pentecost Sunday, May 27, 2007.

Acts 2:1-21
Psalm 104:24-34, 35b
Romans 8:14-17
John 14:8-17, 25-27

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen

When coming to church, everyone comes with some basic assumptions about what’s going to happen. Some of this is based on how we are raised in the church. Some folks prefer to worship using the smells and bells of a defined liturgy. Some prefer a looser, more open form of worship. Some of this is based on particularly where we are. You would expect something different in a Presbyterian Church than in a Roman Catholic Church than in an African Methodist Episcopal Church than in a Greek Orthodox Church. Some of the differences are very important, after all, theology matters. Some of them are more cosmetic; is there an organ, piano, guitar, band, or a full orchestra?

When it comes to the Word of God, these words from the Presbyterian Church’s Directory for Worship are authoritative for how scripture is to be used in a Presbyterian worship service: “The Scriptures shall be read and proclaimed. Lessons should be read from both Testaments. Scripture shall be interpreted in a sermon or other form of exposition.”[1] As required by the PC (U.S.A.) Book of Order, we do all of the “shall’s.” Scriptures are read and proclaimed and then are usually interpreted in a sermon. Twice this year, Christmas Eve and Good Friday, the Word has been interpreted in worship without using a sermon. As for the “should” in the passage, lessons from both testaments are read in every regular Sunday worship service.

The Directory for Worship also gives some direction about the proclamation of the word. It says, “The preached Word or sermon is to be based upon the written Word. It is a proclamation of Scripture in the conviction that through the Holy Spirit Jesus Christ is present to the gathered people, offering grace and calling for obedience. Preaching requires diligence and discernment in the study of Scripture, the discipline of daily prayer, cultivated sensitivity to events and issues affecting the lives of the people, and a consistent and personal obedience to Jesus Christ. The sermon should present the gospel with simplicity and clarity, in language which can be understood by the people.”[2]

All right, we have covered the formal expectations of worship, the word, and the proclamation of the Good News. But it would be wrong not to be pastorally sensitive to the informal expectations we have for worship and the proclamation of the word. After two years and around one hundred worship services, these are some of the informal expectations I have noticed. For one, we are to be done in one hour, give or take five minutes. For the times when worship lasts longer than that, there should either be a very good reason, like baptism or welcoming new members into the congregation. We should sing good songs. This one is a little difficult because what’s good for some is not for others. At the very least, we should usually sing from songs we know. Frankly, we have a pretty expansive repertoire, this can be done without becoming boring. (So I would like to apologize now for today’s song selections. In today’s service the only songs most of us are familiar with are the Gloria and the Doxology.) Another informal rule is that the sermon should be interesting. Enlightening is one thing, but if the sermon is as dull as dishwater, who’s going to pay attention long enough to be enlightened? Finally, holidays are special and should be treated that way. So, did you notice the paraments are red today in honor of Pentecost? And Ken and Lee Ellen have done a wonderful job of preparing the Fellowship Hall for Memorial Day.

I have nothing against these rules, both the formal and the informal ones. I try to play by them, or have good reason for not. They have good reasons for existing. They are a part of the culture and climate of the congregation. This is fine. It’s just that I am about to violate the rule about interesting sermons, and at Pentecost on Memorial Day weekend, my sin is a double-whammy. Throw in the song scandal and if we don’t finish in an hour my shame will be complete.

Maybe my problem has been with John’s gospel and our lectionary readings. On April 20th, seven weeks ago, we talked about “John’s Pentecost.”[3] The twentieth chapter of John describes Jesus giving the apostles the Holy Spirit: “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’”[4] This event happens during Jesus’ first appearance to the apostles after the resurrection. Our gospel reading seems kind of anticlimactic. It’s like we are getting this lesson once more.

For that matter, in last week’s tongue twister extraordinaire we considered the glory of the Father and the Son with enough grammatical twists and turns to impress an Olympic gymnast. So this week it’s once more, this time with feeling.

But then again, the whole second part of our gospel reading seems to conjure up the notion of “once more.” Jesus tells his apostles, “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.” With all that is said about the Holy Spirit, in scripture, in books, in magazines, in commentaries, in sermons, John tells us that the Holy Spirit will teach us everything and remind us of what he has said to us. Instead of the powerful mysterious mystical spirit, this reading makes the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Triune God seem look like a bad high school history teacher.

Considering John’s gospel is often called the “Gospel of the Spirit,”[5] this reading is a dud. For John’s gospel, the appearance, the giving of the gift of the Holy Spirit is old news because it doesn’t happen fifty days after Easter, but on Easter.[6] But because of our gospel reading schedule, we celebrate this once more.

So how’s that for a holiday? Repeats. It’s like going to Thanksgiving dinner and getting turkey leftovers.

But as I fought and wrangled with today’s reading, I fell in love with two verses, the last two. The first of these we have all read looked at, “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.” Again, this seems like a repeat. But then we consider what follows as Jesus offers this benediction, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”

The Holy Spirit, the Advocate, the Counselor, the Helper, is here to remind us that the peace of the Lord has been left with us and continues to be with us, now and forever, a peace which comforts our troubled, fearful hearts.

It’s easy to focus on the middle verses from our reading, where Jesus promises that those who believe in him will do great works. If we ask in his name, whatever we ask will be done so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. These verses have been used to create a picture of Jesus that is more suited to a picture of Santa Claus. But in the purpose of the Spirit is not to be a credit card from the Lord, it is to remind us of the continued peace of Jesus. So it is when our prayers are in accord with his peace, a peace the Spirit reminds us and teaches us, that our prayers, the prayers which Christ would pray, will be answered.

Philip wants Jesus to show him and the rest of the apostles the Father. If Jesus will do this, they will be satisfied. I am flabbergasted, to me that would be amazing but Philip says it’s enough. Now that’s a tough crowd. Instead, Jesus offers Philip his peace, the peace of knowing that in seeing Jesus he has all ready seen the Father.

To me, this has been a tough passage. So much of it we have seen before, so much of it we have seen recently. Yet, when the Spirit comes, and Jesus tells us that the presence of the Spirit is here to remind us. We are constantly reminded of the holy and redemptive presence of God. By our Confession of Sin not only are we reminded of our human nature, more importantly we are reminded of God’s graceful and grace filled nature. We are reminded that we can never be separated from God because of the constant presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We are reminded that we have done nothing to earn such a wonderful gift because that is the nature of a gift, it must be given because we can never earn it.

We are told this joyfully by our Lord Jesus Christ, on the day of his resurrection, and we are reminded of it once more fifty days later as we celebrate Pentecost. So now with no further ado, I’ll say it once more; we are saved by grace through faith and reminded constantly through the living power of God the Holy Spirit just as it was always intended to be.

[1] PC (USA) Book of Order, Directory for Worship, W-3.3101(1), What Is Included, Scripture
[2] Ibid. W-2.2007, Preaching the Word
[3] For a copy of this message, read “Blowin’ in the Wind,” http://timelovesahero.blogspot.com/2007/04/blowin-in-wind.html
[4] John 20:21-22
[5] Cousar, Charles B., Gaventa, Beverly R., McCann, Jr., J. Clinton, Newsome, James D., Texts for Preaching, A Lectionary Commentary Based on the NRSV, YEAR C. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1994, page 348.
[6] Ibid.