Show us the Father May 19

May 19, 2013  Show us the Father

Pentecost Sunday Reading: Acts 2:1-21

It is assumed that "Luke wrote both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles – The Gospel being the story of Jesus and Acts being the story of the early church. It seems unfortunate that the two books are separated in the NT by the Gospel of John, because placing Acts directly after Luke would help us to see how one flows into the other – how the Acts of the Apostles picks up where the Gospel of Luke leaves off. This is significant to the story of Pentecost, because the first Christian Pentecost is deeply rooted in the Gospel of Luke. (For example):

 

– (In Luke, the angel says to Mary,) 'The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.' (Luke 1:35) … (What we find is,) The Spirit responsible for the birth of Jesus is also responsible for the birth of the church.

 

– (Also,) The gift of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 fulfills the prophecy of John the Baptist in Luke's Gospel, (when he said,) 'He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire.' (Luke 3:16)

 

– (What's more,) The Spirit that fills the disciples in Acts 2 is the same Spirit that descended upon Jesus at his baptism (Luke 3:22).

 

– (Just as) Jesus began his ministry Spirit-filled (Luke 4:1), so does the church (Acts 2).

 

– (And finally,) Jesus told the disciples not to worry about what to say when brought before the authorities, because the Spirit would teach them (Luke 10:11-12) – a prophecy that we see fulfilled in (numerous places) in Acts. (For example, when Stephen spoke out against the elders who had arrested him, Luke writes, 'They weren't able to withstand the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke' (Acts 6:10)).

 

 

Point by point, it's clear: Luke wants us to see the connection – the same Spirit that filled Jesus and empowered him to usher in the Kingdom of God on earth was given to the disciples on the day of Pentecost that they might continue Jesus' mission of reconciling the world to God.

 

"But you will receive power," Jesus said, "when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

 

Well, this is the gist of it all: We are Jesus' disciples in the world today; we are the ones to whom the Spirit is bestowed. As such, we are charged and empowered to speak and act in Jesus' name, bearing witness to God's love and inviting others into fellowship with him.

 

And this is the point I'd like to emphasize in the sermon this morning: The gift of the Spirit is not to be taken lightly. It's a stimulus for new life. It's a catalyst for change. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is the potential for transformation and renewal, often in the most unexpected and unpredictable ways.

 

When I was growing up, hearing the Pentecost story for the first time, I was intrigued by the way Luke describes the scene. Listen once more:

 

"Now when the day of Pentecost had come,

 they were all with one accord in one place.

Suddenly there came from the sky a sound

like the rushing of a mighty wind,

and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

Tongues like fire appeared and were distributed to them,

and one sat on each of them.

They were all filled with the Holy Spirit,

and began to speak with other languages,

as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak." (Acts 2:1-4)

 

Like everyone else, I pictured these "tongues of fire" as little flames sitting on the disciples' shoulders, much like the burning bush in the story of Moses –plain to see, but not doing any harm. This is how the day of Pentecost has traditionally been pictured in religious art through the ages – little tongues of fire dancing like the flames of a campfire.

 

What if, instead of thinking of the Pentecost "tongues of fire" as docile little flames casting a glow and warming the heart, we thought of them as bolts of electricity setting the soul on fire with passion for the gospel? What if we thought of the whole room that day as electrically charged and filled with a surge of new vitality? And what if we thought of the disciples as shocked, then energized with the awesome power of the Holy Spirit?

 

Didn't Peter speak boldly to the crowd? Didn't the disciples go on to witness to the power of the resurrection and the promise of eternal life? Let's think of Pentecost as high voltage energy sufficient to spark new faith in common, ordinary folks like us, to the end that the whole world is filled with the radiance of God's presence.

 

High voltage energy: It's something to think about. First, as we all know, electricity is conductive – if you touch someone who's electrically charged, you'll get shocked. It happens all the time, especially in winter. You slide your foot over the carpet, it produces static electricity, then you shake hands with someone, and you both feel the spark.

 

Electricity is conductive – once the current gets generated, it flows out in every direction bringing energy and power to everything it touches.

 

Well, I like to think that the Holy Spirit, like electricity, has this conductive property – by God's grace we are filled with the Spirit and, through our relationship with friends and family and co-workers and neighbors, it spreads to them and, through them, to others, until, before long, the whole community comes alive with the spark of God's grace and love.

 

Electricity is conductive. That's the first point, and the second is, it's also versatile. It'll cool your house and, at the same time, it'll heat your oven. It's not selective. As such, it plays a major role in just about everything we do. The same electrical current runs our appliances, keeps us comfortable and manages our information technology. Any more, when the electricity goes off, things come to a stand still.

 

Electricity is at the heart of so much of what we do. It's what makes possible so many of the inventions and gadgets we've come to depend on. It's so versatile. Again, I see a correlation with the Holy Spirit. In his First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul says,

 

"Now there are various kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.

There are various kinds of service, and the same Lord.

There are various kinds of workings,

but the same God, who works all things in all.

But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the profit of all."

(1 Corinthians 12:4-6)

 

In the Epistle reading we have this….

Epistle- Romans 8:14-17

¹⁴ For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

¹⁵ For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

¹⁶ The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

¹⁷ And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

 

John 14:8-17

⁸ Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.

⁹ Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?

 

“Show you the Father?” Jesus says. “I’ll do one better than that. I’ll send you the Spirit, and when the Spirit comes you will be able to do even greater things than I have done. And if you ask for anything in my name, I will see that it happens for you” (see vv. 12-14).

 

Jesus actually makes it sound like it will be to their advantage that he is gone, and that he will send the Spirit in his place. And maybe it was. You see, Jesus knows something they don’t know. He knows that God cannot be seen or explained. God can only be experienced…..

 

there came a sound like a mighty wind (see Acts 2:1f.).

 

Then came the tongues of fire resting on each of them. Though they were of different nationalities, they were able to speak and understand one another in all their various native languages. They were from all points of the globe, each with his own language, but there wasn’t a dropped sentence in the whole place.

 

Have you ever wondered what they talked about? I doubt they discussed the weather... or NASCAR. Not even golf. Though we are not told specifically what they talked about with each other, you don’t really have to guess. They talked about God. And they remembered Jesus’ promises.

 

Philip was there. Even though he is not mentioned specifically – once again Simon Peter draws the top card – Philip had to be there. So... any more questions, Philip? Do you still want to see the Father, Philip? Is this good enough for you, Philip?

 

It certainly ought to be good enough for you and me. You see, we’ve been shown the Father. “Whoever has seen me,” Jesus said to Philip, “has seen the Father.” And the Son. And the Holy Ghost.

 

The promise has been fulfilled. And that should be enough for all of us. Don’t you think?

 

Prayer:  Spirit of God, recreate, renew, and restore us this day. Open us to the power of your transforming Spirit, that we may proclaim your love, make know your gifts, and share your blessing, with all the world. In Christ name we pray. Amen.