"Wind, the Breath of God" Pentecost Sermon

Pentecost Sunday

John 15: 26-27, 16: 4b-15
"Wind, the Breath of God"



26 ¶ But when the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me;

27 and you also are witnesses, because you have been with me from the beginning.

4 But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you of them. "I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.

5 But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?'

6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts.

7 ¶ Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

8 And when he comes, he will convince the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:

9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;

10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more;

11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

12 "I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.RSV

Grace and peace to you from our Lord ad Saviour, Jesus Christ the risen Lord. Amen

Imagine today you are with the disciples in the upper room. You are hiding there not knowing what to expect. Jesus has ascended into heaven and you are told to go to the upper and wait. Wait for what? Jesus said the Counselor would come. Jesus said the Spirit would come. You wait. You wonder what it will be like when this spirit comes? You wait, you pray, you wait some more.

Then you hear it. A small wind, A larger wind. Then an even larger wind blows into the room. The door is still locked, but the wind is there. A might y wind. A wind that you have never experienced before.

It is the wind of God. The breath of God which came over the land and created the earth. It is the breath which filled Adam's lungs and gave him life. It is the wind, the breath of God. The breath of God breaks into tongues as of fire. They rest upon your head. You feel the breath of God enter into your body. You are somehow alive. You are somehow made different.

You along with Peter rush out into the street and you begin to preach. You preach in other languages. You preach about the risen Christ. You preach about the good news of the gospel. You preach and your preach. As the day ends many have been understood and accepted the good news of the gospel.

A story is told of that day with Peter preaching to the crowds, it says:

A man pushed his way through the crowd, and said: "Peter, do you think there is hope for me? I am the man who made that crown of thorns and placed them upon Christ's brow; do you think he will save me?"

"Yes," said Peter," 'whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall b e saved.' You are a 'whosoever'; if you call he will hear your cry. He will answer your prayer and save you." The man might have cried then and there, and the Lord saved him.

Another man pushed his way up and said to Peter, "I'm the man who took that reed out of his hand, and drove it down upon that cruel crown of thorns, sending it into his brow: Do you think he will save me?"

"Yes," said Peter, ''he told us to go into the world and preach the Gospel to every creature, and he did not mean you to be left out; salvation is for you. He did not come to condemn men; he came to get his arm under the vilest sinner and lift him up toward heaven."

Another man, elbowing his way through the crowd, pushed up to Peter and said, "I am the Roman soldier who took the spear and drove it to his heart, when there came out blood and water; do you think there is hope for me?"

"Yes," said Peter, "there's a nearer way of reaching his heart than that: 'Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lo rd shall be saved.' " And the Roman soldier might have cried then and there, and might have obtained forgiveness and salvation. 1

The day of Pentecost is the birthday of the church. It is the day that the holy spirit of God, the breath of God comes into the world. This day is not celebrated like Christmas or Easter. But the importance of this day cannot be overlooked.

Maybe you are like King George in the following:

On July 4, 1776, the members of the Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia signed the Declaration of Independence. With this action, the American Revolution was launched and a new nation was born.

It is ironic that on that very day George III, King of England, made this entry in his diary: "Nothing of any importance happened today. "

Nothing of importance happened in the life of the church, right. Wrong! The beginning of the life of the church happened today. Something of great importance happened today. The breath of God came into our lives. The breath of God came today so that we might be saved from death and brought into new life. The breath of God came today so that sinners, you and I would be brought into a few life, here on earth. And then brought into an eternal life after we have breathed our last breath.

Rick Kirchoff spoke these words at an annual conference of the Methodist church:

"It is a time to open up to the mind-blowing, heart-warming, life-changing power of God.

The power of God can invade the body, inflate the mind,swell the soul, lift the Spirit and make us more than we ever imagined.

It'll make you young when you're old,and it'll make you live even when you die.

The power and presence of the Spirit will disturb, delight,deliver and lift.

When God sends forth the Spirit,"the whole face of the earth is renewed."

When God sends forth the Spirit chaos is changed into creation the Red Sea opens up to a highway of freedom.

When God sends forth the Spirit:

A young woman says "Yes".

Jesus is born and life is never the same.

When God sends forth the Spirit amazing things happen:


barriers are broken,
communities are formed,
opposites are reconciled,
unity is established,
disease is cured,
addiction is broken,
cities are renewed,
races are reconciled,
hope is established,
people are blessed,
and church happens.


Today the Spirit of God is present and we're gonna‚ have church.

So be ready, get ready...God is up to something...

discouraged folks cheer up,
dishonest folks 'fees up,
sour folks sweeten up,
closed folk, open up,
gossipers shut up,
conflicted folks make up,
sleeping folks wake up,
lukewarm folk, fire up,
dry bones shake up,
and pew potatoes stand up!

But most of all, Christ the Savior of all the world is lifted up...2

Can you feel the excitement which Rick wrote and spoke those words? This is not a day of no importance, but a day of great importance. The breath of God comes to shake up the world. The breath of God comes to form the church and gives us the power to spread the good news. The good news of the gospel which says all are saved by the life and death of the risen Saviour, Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit comes to earth on this day of Pentecost so that we might be able to spread this good news. At our Baptism, we were given the Spirit by the Word of God and that Spirit dwells in us. It is that Spirit which allows and even encourages us to reach out to others.

The wind, the breath of God which came to that upper room, also visits each of us. We are filled with that wind. Sometimes, we ignore it. Sometimes we allow it to move us. No matter what we do, the wind of God, the breath of God dwells in us.

The breath of God, the wind of God is powerful. Look around you. We see the wind blow into tornadoes. We see the wind blow into hurricanes. We see the wind blow across desert places moving sand in its path.

The wind of God, the breath of god, the Spirit of God came to earth today in a different kind of way. It came to give power to the church so that it might proclaim the mighty acts of God through Christ. It came to earth not to destroy, but to build up. It came to earth so that Peter was compelled to leave that upper room and go into the highways and preach.

Can you and be like Peter? Can we be so filled with the breath of God that we pour out of this church into the highways and spread the good news of Christ?

A closing story speaks about the saving power of Christ:

"There was a missionary who became a good friend of an Indian pearl diver. The two had spent many hours together discussing salvation, but the Indian could not understand anything so precious being free. Instead, in making preparation for the life to come, the diver was going to walk the 900 miles to Delhi on his knees. He thought this would buy entrance into heaven for him. The missionary struggled to communicate to his friend that it is impossible to buy entrance into heaven because the price would be too costly. Instead, he said, Jesus had died to buy it for us.

Before he left for his pilgrimage, the Indian gave the missionary the largest and most perfect pearl he had ever seen. The missionary offered to buy it, but the diver became upset and said that the pearl was beyond price, that his only son had lost his life in the attempt to get it. The pearl was worth the life blood of his son. As he said this, suddenly the diver understood that God was offering him salvation as a priceless gift." 3

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale May 29, 2006

You may freely use this as is or in parts. Please somehow give credit if possible, thanks! Not for commercial use.


1 D. L. Moody
2 Rick Kirchoff, Germantown United Methodist Church, Opening remarks to the Memphis Annual Conference
3 Christopher Hill from a sermon of his found on SermonCentral

7th Sunday of Easter Sermon

7th Sunday of Easter
John 17:6-19
"Filling A Vacuum"


6* “I have manifested thy name to the men whom thou gavest me out of the world; thine they were, and thou gavest them to me, and they have kept thy word.
7* Now they know that everything that thou hast given me is from thee;
8* for I have given them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from thee; and they have believed that thou didst send me.
9* I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world but for those whom thou hast given me, for they are thine;
10* all mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them.
11* And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to thee. Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.
12* While I was with them, I kept them in thy name, which thou hast given me; I have guarded them, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled.
13* But now I am coming to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
14* I have given them thy word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
15* I do not pray that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil one.
16* They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
17* Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth.
18 As thou didst send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.
19* And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth. RSV

Grace and Peace to you from our risen Lord. Amen

"One day a small boy was trying to lift a heavy stone, but he couldn't budge it. His father passing by, stopped to watch his efforts. Finally the father asked his son, "Are you using all your strength?"

"Yes, I am," the boy yelled,"I am using every lost bit of energy and strength I have. As the boy talked he sounded exasperated and worn out."

The father turned to the boy and said, "No, you are not using all of your strength, you haven't asked me to help you.

So the boy asked the father to help, but still that stone couldn't be moved. So, the father asked his older sort to help, but still they couldn't move it. Then a neighbor was asked to help, then another neighbor, and another, and finally with each one giving all their energy and strength to the project, the stone was moved!

After everyone had left, the father turned to his son and said, "You see, when we all work together, when we use our strength together, then we can accomplish some things that any of us by ourselves could not accomplish. Unity, togetherness, working together can add greater strength to any project."

I would like to tell you a story about an imaginary man, but maybe he isn't so imaginary.

"There once was a happy man who w born in the city of Regeneration and attended the church of Repentance Unto Life. He was educated at the school of Obedience, where he also learned, kindness, love, forgiveness and patience.

He has a large estate in the country of Christian Contentment, where he gives Generously of all that he has, but never does he look to acquire more and more. Many times he does jobs of Self Denial. He wears the garment or Humility and has another suit to put on when he goes to Court, the Robe of Christ's Righteousness.

Each morning and evening he Partakes of Spiritual Power, through Prayer. Each Sunday he eats the Bread of Life and drinks from the Cup of Eternal life.

Each Sunday he adds to his assurance of eternal life by listening again and again to the promises of God in the Word and preaching. He falls asleep each evening with a smile on his face, because he knows no matter where he may wake, he will be a Happy man."

The two stories I just told you illustrate the kind of person Jesus is praying for in our gospel lesson this morning. The lesson is part of Jesus' High Priestly prayer.

As we heard in the story about the little boy, there is strength in unity as Jesus is praying for his disciples. In the story of the happy man we see that being a Christian means that somehow you and I are different from the rest of the world. We live our lives in the world, but not of the world. We live in truth which allows us to view life differently from others who do not know Christ.

Today in the church year is a day of waiting, a time for reflection, a time to stop, to ponder, to listen quietly, to pray, to feel, to experience, to wait and to wonder.

In the sequence of things, last Thursday was Ascension Day, the day Jesus rose into heaven, and next Sunday is Pentecost, the day the spirit of Jesus, His Holy Spirit visits the disciples with power, it is the birthday of the church.

Today, is a waiting day, a day to reflect upon all that Jesus had said, all that he had taught, all that he had done.

I imagine the disciples at this moment felt confused, felt alone, felt lost, were wondering what was going to happen next, were wondering if this was the end or just a beginning as Jesus had promised. They probably felt frightened, alone, insecure, amazed, and perplexed.

They had just seen Jesus rise into heaven, they had just seen their friend, their teacher, their Lord go away from them. This was a glorious event, for now they were certain that Jesus was with the Father, now they knew for sure that Jesus was indeed the Son of God, now they knew for sure that Jesus and the Father were really one.

But on the other hand, now they were alone, without their friend, without their leader, without their companion. Yes, today in the lives of the disciples was a day that was really in between times, in between the time when they had Jesus with them, and before the time when they would be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Yes, this was a awkward time for the disciples. It was a time for them to think about the words of Jesus, to dwell on his teaching, to recall his promises for them.

And I think it is very appropriate that this text from John's gospel has been chosen for today. For if the disciples were to think about this text, if they could recall this conservation with Jesus, if they could remember these words, this in between time wouldn't seem so frightening, nor would they seem so alone.

This was Jesus' high priestly prayer. The prayer that Jesus prayed with his disciples before the events of Holy Week. He prayed this to comfort the disciples who could not understand this prayer then, but now following the death and resurrection of Jesus',following his ascension, now they could really appreciate the words of this prayer, now they could understand what Jesus was saying, what he meant.

As we look at this prayer of Jesus, we can see that the disciples could have drawn strength from it. They could draw power, they could draw assurance that indeed they would be with Jesus again somehow.

Jesus says: "Holy Father, keep them in thy name which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one."

Jesus praying that the disciples would remain in faith, remain in the name of the Father, remain true to the teaching that he had taught them.

Jesus prays that the disciples will remain together. For Jesus knew that in the unity of the disciples they would be stronger than if each went their separate way. Remember the story of the boy and the rock. As more and more gathered, they could move the rock. As the disciples stay together, they can remember Jesus teaching. In unity there is strength.
And Jesus prays that the disciples should be in the world. As he says:" I do not pray that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil one."

Jesus is saying that the disciples will remain in the world for He has a task which they are to preform.

Jesus says in Matthew 28 19* Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20* teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”

As Jesus ascends into heaven, He leaves the disciples with a task. They are to go out into the world and Baptize. But the time has not yet come for the disciples, because the Pentecost even has not happened.

In Luke 24 Jesus says: 49* And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high.”

Jesus tells the disciples to stay in the city and wait. Wait for the power from the Father. Wait and the Spirit will come. Wait!

During this time of waiting a vacuum has formed. The power of Christ has left the world, but the power of the Spirit has not yet entered the disciples. But as they are waiting. He knew they needed to stay together so when the Spirit came they could fill the vacuum.They might have recalled this prayer of Jesus. They might have recalled the great commission of Jesus. They were getting ready to fill that vacuum with the power of Christ through the Holy Spirit.

The disciples are like the boat in the following:

A sail boat bobbed up and down in the waves as the brisk wind made the tree tops dance. The sailboat was clean and smooth, yet it hovered helplessly next to the dock

The sails danced playfully in the power of the wind, but the boat did not move. Other ships cut across the lake with glee in the wind's silent grace, but the boat at the dock did not move. Its sails shook in the wasted breeze. Its hardware rattled and banged with eagerness to be used, but the ship drifted helplessly in the windswept water.

All the power was at hand, The wind drenched the boat with its force. The boat was ready.

But the boat did not move because the person at the tiller did not have the wisdom to use either the power nor the equipment. He did not have the knowledge to set the rigging, and did not even know how to direct the craft to receive all the glorious power around it."

The disciples were exactly like that. They had all the power from Jesus, they had the mission spelled out, they had the tools at hand, but they didn't know how to use them, they didn't know how to set sail.

They needed the Pentecost experience, they needed the guidance of the Spirit, they needed the power of the spirit to get their boat sailing in the breeze. Jesus prayed that while they waited for all this, they would be drawn together. While they waited to get started in their mission, they would not loose faith, but they would remain in the Father.
But unlike the disciples, we do not have to wait to fill the vacuum. We have the power of the Spirit to go into the world.

We have been brought together into a church, into the body of Christ for unity and strength. We have been reared with the blessings of that Happy man in our story. We are primed and ready.

An example of one who was not afraid to let the Spirit work in him and through him is seen in the following story:

Bob, a new convert to Jesus worked one summer as a bartender in New York City. He reports that he had misgivings about taking the job. But he needed the money to help pay his way through college and reason it just a summer job. Besides, he thought,
he just might find the opportunity to help turn some lives around. After all did not Jesus Christ go out to the highways and hedges and mix with sinners?

Of this experience, Bob writes: "Never in my wildest imagination did I dream I would have all the opportunities I had to witness for Christ. People came in who just needed someone to talk with them. Some were on drugs, some were prostitutes, and occasionally someone
would come in who had simply given up on society and on life in genera!."

One young lady, despondent be. cause her live-in boyfriend had left her, confided to Bob that she was thinking of suicide. Bob listened and took the opportunity to talk with her about Jesus Christ.

Later, he received this note: "Dear Bob, you may not remember me but I am the young lady you helped late one Friday night last summer. I had almost given up hope. You listened and convinced me that you cared. And, oh how desperately I needed that from someone. Sunday morning I went to church for the first time in five years. God willing, I will be going again this Sunday. Thank you for caring. Karen"

Christ calls us to be In the world, not of it. The world needs more Bobs, helping to lift people up out of the world and pointing them to Jesus Christ.

Jesus says: "Holy Father, keep them in thy name which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one."

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale May 22, 2006

You may freely use this as is or in parts. Please somehow give credit if possible, thanks! Not for commercial use.

6th Sunday of Easter Sermon

6th Sunday of Easter

John 15: 9-17

"Are You Jesus?"

9 ¶ As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love

10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.

11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

12 "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

13 Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.

15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

17 This I command you, to love one another. RSV

Grace and peace to you from our Lord ad Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen

One of my favorite cartoon, characters is Charlie brown of the Peanuts family. He is for me the symbol of all human beings who face all the trials and trying circumstances of life. Charlie Brown is the one who knows what it is like to carry his own cross, to live in a world of brokenness. he know what failure is. He knows what trying and not succeeding, of hearing again and again the good news of the gospel from his friend Linus to see him through the rough times. I would like to share one of Charlie Brown's adventures with Lucy as she pretends to be a psychiatrists and Charlie is coming to her for help.

"Charlie Brown is shown visiting Lucy who is at her psychiatric stand" offering her help for an nickel.

Charlie says, "I need help tel1 me a great truth. Tell me something about living that will help me."

Lucy asks, "Do you ever wake up at night and want a drink of water?

"Sure" responds Charlie Brown, "quite often.'

Lucy then says, "When you're getting a drink of water in the dark, always rinse the glass because there might be a bug in it. Five cents, please

Charlie Brown walks away saying, Great truths are even more simple that I thought they were."

Charlie Brown didn't find the great truth he was looking for to help him make sense out of the bewildering life he has to live.

But as we face life, as we face all the circumstances life has to offer us, Jesus tells us we are not alone in our struggles, he has.not left desolate, but he has heard our cries of "Help Wanted" and he has assured the disciples and us that we are loved by Him and the Father.

Two verses from our Gospel lesson speak about this love.

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love.

If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.

Jesus says that the Father has loved him and so then he loves us. We are loved by the Father and son and that gives us a solid footing for life.


A pastor tells us this story:

"Just out of reach from my window stenches a wire, which carries a heavy current of electricity for light and power. It is carefully insulated at every pole that support it and is carried well out of common reach. If I could lean out far enough to touch it, death would be swifter than the tiger's leap or the serpent's sting, as w swift as the lightning stroke.

Yet the doves light on it and take no harm. They fly from my window sill where I sometimes feed them, to preen and rest upon
it in safe content, and then fly off again to their search for food or nesting. The secret is that, when they touch the full-powered wire they touch nothing else. They give themselves wholly to it.

My danger would be that, while I touch the wire, I would also be touching the earth through the walls of my house, and the current would turn by body into a channel for escape.

But they rest wholly on the wire and experience neither dread nor danger. They are one with it and they are safe."

They are one with it, the wire, and they are safe.

Jesus is talking about the same kind of thing in our gospel lesson this morning. Instead of being one with a wire, Jesus is asking us to be one with him, to abide in his love. Jesus is asking us to let go of all those other things in our life that would let his love escape from us. He is asking us to hang on to him totally, to hang on to his love. Jesus says when do love him, when we do abide in him, then we are safe, then we have the promise of eternal life. Then we have experienced his love for us. Jesus is asking us to abide in his love for us.

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love. Jesus says the Father loves Him. God loved Jesus enough to raise Him form the dead. God loved Him enough to give him the courage, the strength, the skill and the power to fight the devil, to fight the evil forces of this world. God loved Jesus enough to give us eternal life.

Jesus loves us enough to give us Himself, or as the hallmark commercial says, "Jesus loves us enough to send the very best, Himself into our lives."

Jesus loves us as a friend. The father loves him and then he loves us. He loves us and wants to be our companion on the road of life.

Emerson defines a friend as this;" A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere; before whom I may think aloud."

Another person says a "A friend is one to whom one may pour out all the contents of one's heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that the gentlest of hand will take it and sift it, keep what is worth keeping and with the breath of kindness blow the rest away."

Jesus is just that kind of friend. He walks with us and asks us to abide in his love. A love that cares for the my soul and being with a gentle touch.Jesus is a friend with whom I may pour out my soul with the confidence that He hears and understands my journey.

Then Jesus tells us in the gospel lesson as He loves us, as he is our friend, then we are to love one another.

He says; "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you"

As Jesus is loved by the Father, as Jesus loves us, then we are to love one another. We are to be friends!

Pastor Carl Uehling writes in In Augsburg Sermon Series Book about friendship. "You need not care about a friend, but you choose to do so. You are under no obligation to tell a friends how you feel, what you hope, and what you've done, where you're going, but you want to share your life with that person, even as your friend will share in equal measure with you.
A friend could walk out the door of our life at any moment, but will not. Neither will you leave that friend. You would do anything for that person and that friend would do anything for you."

Friendship is a very precious, and valuable possession, a prized jewel something which to hang onto for a long time.

There is a television program I enjoy watching it is entitle Any Day Now. It is about the friendship of two girls growing up in the south back in the 60's. They develop a friendship that is more powerful than all the hatred around them. When, Renee, the black goes finally goes off to college, it seems that their friendship might die as Mary Elizabeth, stays home and marries her childhood sweet heart Colier.

When Renee's father dies, and she comes home for the funeral, she and "ME" as Mary Elizabeth is called, see each other again and it is as if no time has lapsed in their friendship. Renee decides to stay in Birmingham and takes over her father's law office. Renee and "ME" remain friends.

As you watch this program you admire, and maybe wish for a friendship like that. Someone who can listen to all that you say, someone who you will know will be there for you, no matter what.

We are called by Jesus to be friends to those around us. We are called by Jesus to love those around us.

The following story speaks about loving one another. It speaks about being a "Jesus figure" in this world.

"A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago. They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night's dinner. In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding.

ALL BUT ONE !!!

He paused, took a deep breath, got in touch with his feelings, and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned.

He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a later flight. Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor.

He was glad he did.

The 16 year old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her, no one stopping and no one to care for her plight.

The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he did this,he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket.

When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl,"Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay !?"

She nodded through her tears.

He continued on with, "I hope we didn't spoil your day too badly."

As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, "Mister...." He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes. She continued, "Are you Jesus?"

He stopped in mid-stride, and he wondered. Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul: "Are you Jesus?"

Do people mistake you for Jesus? That's our destiny, is it not? To be so much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is blind to His love, life and grace.

If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would. Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church.

It's actually living the Word as life unfolds day to day.

You are the apple of His eye even though we, too, have been bruised by a fall. He stopped what He was doing and picked you and me up on a hill called Calvary and paid in full for our damaged fruit."1

Jesus says "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you"

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale May 15, 2006

You may freely use this as is or in parts. Please somehow give credit if possible, thanks! Not for commercial use.




1 From Christian Encouragement group ChristianEncouragementStoriesRUs@yahoogroups.com

Tim

5th Sunday of Easter Sermon

5th Sunday of Easter
John 15:1-8
"Be Attached: Proclaim and Do!"

15:1* ¶ “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine dresser.
2* Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
3* You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you.
4* Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
5* I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
6* If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned.
7* If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.
8* By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples. RSV

Grace and Peace to your from Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen

'Chaplain Ernst Gordon in his book "Through the Valley of the Quai" tells of the hardship prisoners of War during World War II as they were imprisoned by the Japanese army. These men wrote Chaplain Gordon were reduced to skeletons, riddled with disease, and the only way they could survive was by the law of the jungle,everyman for himself. They hated, the cursed, they stole; they watched one another die and looked forward to death as their only means of escape.

A few prisoners decided this was not the way they wanted, to live. They began to study their Bibles, they would offer prayer for the dying, and the atmosphere began to change in that prison. Eventually, a worship center was built, and many of the men began to come to worship. This reawakening of faith effected a miraculous change. in the morale or the prisoners. Instead of living by the law of the jungle, every man for himself, men were now willing to help another, care for one another, to love one another Chaplain Jordon writes, "This Church of the Spirit which the worship center was called, was the throbbing heart which gave life to the camp and transformed it in considerable measure from a mass of frightened individuals into a caring community. From this renewal, we received, the inspiration that made life possible. This inspiration was not a Polly-Anna view of life, but a realistic view which says life is more than the animal instinct to survive it is a noble life, where men are seen as people who have self-worth inspire of the circumstances of life. The Spirit of God, gave to these men the strength to live, to care, to love, but not from mere physical endurance, from the inner strength which believes and trusts that somehow in spite of all the pain,God is there."

The miracle of life, the dignity of self-worth, the importance of the human life became apparent again in that prison camp when the men realized who they were, children of God thus attached themselves to God's Spirit again through prayer, through Bible Study, and through worship. As Jesus says in our gospel lesson,"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." Our story of the prison camp underscores this statement of Jesus, once the men where in Christ, they were able to bear fruit, to be the kinds of men Jesus has called us all to be.

Jesus is using a story from his day to make a point about being attached to him, being in the body of Christ
being in the community of believer. Jesus is saying the only way for the branches of the vine to grow is to be attached
to the vine, attached to the main part. It is from the main part of the vine that the branches get its food, its strength, its nourishment to grow and bear fruit.

And Jesus is saying so it is with you who belong to the body of Christ. The only way you can bear fruit, the only way you can stay alive is to be attached to the body, to the church, to the worship life, to the good news of Christ which is proclaimed each Sunday.

Maybe a picture from today's garden will help us to understand what Jesus.is saying. Last summer I grew some cucumbers. As they grew the branches began to grow a long distance from the vine. Then little flowers, then
little cucumbers would appear. The little cucumbers would begin to grow, but sometimes I wasn't as careful walking through the garden, or picking some of the larger cucumbers and I would pull or break some of the branches from the vine. I wouldn't notice it at first, but a couple of days later, I would notice the small cucumbers hadn't
grown and the leaves on that part of the branch were drying up, then I would wonder "what is the matter."

I would trace the branch back to the vine and find enough it had been separated in some kind of way. That branch
that fruit apart from the main vine would not bear a cucumber any longer, it would just die.

So Jesus says it is with us, you and I who are part of the Christian community. Apart from this community our faith, our acts of love, our trust, our commitment to Jesus Christ begins to die. Jesus is saying we need to remain faithful to him and to the community. Because here in the community of the faithful, we receive strength to live and be in Christ.

It is here where Jesus has promises to be in his word and in his sacraments. It is here on Sunday morning in worship that we are reminded again and again of the love God has for us through his Son Jesus Christ. It is here through the words spoken, through the gift of bread and wine, through a hand extended in love that we see and experience God's love new and fresh each time we come to worship.

Today, as you come to eat and drink, you will be reminded again, you will experience in a very physical way, through the body and blood of Christ his love for you. In that experience you will receive none other than God himself through Jesus.

This morning in the service we have a visible and real way we encounter the forgiveness of God, or cleansing of God through the bread and wine of the Lord's supper. Today, as you come to eat and drink, you will be reminded again, you will experience in a very physical way, through the body and blood of Christ, God's love for you, His forgiving power in your life. In this meal, your sins are forgiven and you at the same time are given the power of almighty God to continue to bear his fruit as part of the vine of Christ. Communion is a both/and experience. At one and the same time, God through Christ's body and blood, comes to you in a personal way, and assures you of forgiveness of all those things which remind you daily you are not what God intended for you to be, then at the same time, because it is God Himself which is encountering you, you are filled with His power to continue to bear fruit as part of the vine of Christ.

In his book The Hand That Holds Me Pastor Michael Rogness says on p.99, "The sacrament of the Lord's Supper is the most sublime moment of the Christian life, the most awe filled moment, but also at the same time the most human. There at the Lord's table, God comes to us----the over-whelming, majestic, creator of all the galaxies--right where we are most human and worried about so many mundane and human thing, there through the bread and wine, God comes. He stoops way down and comes to us in the common elements of bread and wine as we try, but do not success as being, standing, thinking, and praying right at that moment." It does not matter that we are not "perfect" at that moment of encountering God, because God chooses to come to us in our sinfulness to forgive us, to cleanse us, to prune us, to make us able to bear more fruit for Him.

"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."

We need to be part of the vine so that we may bear much fruit. Bearing fruit in this case means to offer a helping hand to another. Bearing fruit means to share my faith with another. Bearing fruit means to walk with another as they experience the brokenness of life.

Being part of the vine means we also need each other. A song which I enjoy while in high school comes to mind as I think about needing others, it says: " No man is an island, no man stands alone, each man's joy is joy to me, each man's grief is my own. We need one another and I will defend each man as my brother, each man as my friend." We do not stand alone in our faith walk, as part of the vine of Christ we need and do rely on each other.

Dietrick Bonhoeffer says in his book "Life Together":

" God has willed that we should seek and find His living Word in the witness of a brother/sister, in the mouth of a man/ woman. Therefore, the Christian needs another Christian who speaks God's Word to him/her. He/she needs him again and again when he becomes uncertain and discouraged, for by himself he cannot help himself without belying their truth. He needs his brother man as a bearer and proclaimer of the divine word of salvation. He needs his brother solely because of Jesus Christ. The Christ in his own heart is weaker than the Christ in the word of his brother, his own heart is uncertain,, his brother's is sure."

In this vine of faith, I need your faith to sustain my faith. You need my faith to sustain yours. We are intertwined. And together we need Christ's love for us to sustain the vine, the church.

As we are attached to the vine, the church, then we help each other to sustain our faith. Then we go out to proclaim that faith to those who are not attached. We proclaim, we act.

Some once said, "The best sermons are lived, not preached". Which means we are not just to proclaim the Gospel. but we are to live the Gospel. We are to reach out a hand to another.

We need to be alive in Christ as we are attached to the vine, the church. This should make us alive, vibrant in Christ.

Many years ago some prospectors were panning for gold in Montana when one of them found an unusual stone. Breaking it open, he saw that it contained gold. Working eagerly, the men soon discovered an abundance of the precious metal. With unrestrained delight they shouted, "We've found it! We've found gold! We're rich!"

Before going into town for supplies, they agreed not to tell a soul about their find. While in town, not one of them breathed a word about their discovery. When they were about to return to camp, though, a group of men had gathered and were ready to follow them.

"You've found gold," the group said.

"Who told you?" asked the prospectors.

"No one," they replied. "Your faces showed it!"

Does your very being show that you are attached to the vine of Christ?

"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale May 8, 2006

You may freely use this as is or in parts. Please somehow give credit if possible, thanks! Not for commercial use.

4th Sunday of Easter Sermon

4th Sunday of Easter

John 10:11-18

"What's Good About the Good Shepherd?"




11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

12 He who is a hireling and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.

13 He flees because he is a hireling and cares nothing for the sheep.

14 I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me,

15 as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

16 And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd.

17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again.

18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again; this charge I have received from my Father."RSV

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen

A certain butcher had sold all his poultry except one hen.

A woman then came in and asked for a hen. The butcher weighed his one chicken and said it would be $1.85 "Do you have a larger one?" asked the lady. The butcher thought fast. He returned the chicken to the ice barrel, stirred it for a bit, and came up again with the same hen. Weighting it, he said it would be $1.95

" I'll take both of them!", said the woman.

Our lesson this this morning morning from John's gospel concerns this idea of integrity. The butcher in our story probably turned many different shades of red when the lady asked him for both of the chickens since he had only one. He wasn't being too hones with her, he wasn't being to nice, and now he was caught in his lack of honesty. Jesus is not talking about butchers this morning, but he is telling the people a parable about a good shepherd, a shepherd who was honest, caring, compassionate, and will to die to take care of his sheep. Jesus is telling us something about himself, as he is the good shepherd for our lives.

He is telling us through this parable three things about him self as the good shepherd.

Jesus uses this parable about shepherds because the people in his day knew the kind of life that a shepherd lived, it was a difficult life, a hard life. A shepherd felt he had a calling from a young age to tend sheep, so he spent his whole young life learning how to care for the sheep, then the rest of his adult life tending the sheep, fighting off the animals who would eat the sheep, and sometimes fighting off robbers who would steal the sheep.

It was a lonely life, a difficult life, but if a shepherd did his job well everyone would know that he was a good shepherd. Jesus uses what the people would understand, a parable about shepherds to tell us something about himself, that he is the good shepherd of our lives.

But before we see what is good about the good shepherd, we need to look at this word good In the Greek language, which was the language the New Testament was written.

There are two words that can be translated into our English word good, the first agathose which implies a moral and efficient quality about a person. A person is good because they can perform their signed task well.

But there is another word that also means good and it is kalos, it not only means what the other did, but it adds the quality of loveliness, or attractiveness to it. It is the kind of goodness that makes us feel wanted and secure.

Jesus as the good shepherd, or as one translation puts it the model shepherd brings to the job the strength and courage of an earthly shepherd, but also the qualities of beauty and kindness which helps us to call him friend.

Now that we have laid the foundation for Jesus being the Good shepherd of our lives, the model shepherd, we can see what is so good about him why he is the "model shepherd".

First Jesus says, that the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A shepherd in Jesus day if he truly did his job with all of his being, and not just for the money would be willing and able to lay down his life for the sheep he was protecting.

Jesus is telling us, he was willing to lay down his life for us, his sheep. He wasn't in it for the money or the glory, but Jesus would not flee when trouble came, he was willing to lay down his life, to sacrifice his life for us so that we night gain favor with the Father in heaven.

There was a pastor who once visited a sheep ranch and saw a very strange lamb. It looked as though it had 2 heads and 8 feet. He asked the rancher about it. The rancher explained that one of their sheep had a baby but the mother died. They tried to give the orphan sheep to another mother-sheep but when she smelled it, she rejected it. Then they skinned the dead sheep and put the skin on the live lamb. Now the mother-sheep accepted the lamb as her own and cared for it,

In a like manner, Jesus as the good shepherd died for us as the Lamb of God, and God accepts us because we are clothed with the Lamb's robe of righteousness. Jesus was willing to lay down his life for us, so that we might have life, life with the Father and life for eternity. The good shepherd, who Jesus is, is willing to die for the sheep, so that the sheep can live. Jesus died for us freely so that we might life.

Notice Jesus says that he laid down his life freely, no one takes his life, but he was willing to give his life for us. Jesus loves us enough, cares about us enough to die for us. He could have used his power to get out of dying for us, but he chose to struggle, to die, so that we might live. This is a powerful statement of the love, the mercy, the compassion, and the caring that Jesus our saviour has for each of us .

Next Jesus says that the good shepherd knows his sheep. Knows his sheep by name.

A young lady came to her pastor's office trouble about this statement,"How does Jesus know and is interest, in her personally. She asked, "How can I believe that God is interested in what happens to me?"

The pastor replied, "Look at your fingers. There are billions of finger tips in the world, but no others are like yours. Even your finger tips have had special attention from God."

Yes, we are special, God does care for each of us. This morning when you come to the table to eat and to drink, you are receiving a special invitation form God to partake in this meal, in a personal and individual way we come in physical contact with Jesus through his body and blood.

God knows that we need this special time, this physical relationship with him to reassure us, to convince us, that he does love us, that he does care for us, that he is interested in us as individual people.

We are collectively God's children, we collectively are the sheep of Jesus' fold, hut individually we are also God's children, and individually the sheep of Jesus' fold. And as individuals, he is concerned about us, he cares about us, he reaches his hand of grace individually into each of our lives.

Each of us, all of us are unique people, who are special to God. We are special not because we are good, or righteous, or have some how pleased God, but because God loves us as we are or in some ways in spite of what we are God still loves us. He showed us that by the sacrifice he had his son make on the cross for us. God is concerned about us from the hairs on our heads to the blisters on our toes. God through his good shepherd, Jesus Christ, loves us, cares about us, and wants his gracious will of love to be done in each of our lives.

Finally as the good shepherd, Jesus tells us he gathers together his sheep into a fold. Jesus is telling us through his spirit he gathers us who belong to him. It is the work of the spirit to gather us together as the members of the body of Christ. It is the work of the spirit, to gather the body once a week to worship and praise God.

Jesus knows this time we spend together once a week is very important for our spiritual lives. It is during this time that we hear again the promises that God has made for us, it is here that we relive the life that Jesus lived on this earth. It is here that we encounter again and again the great love that God has for us. It is important that we come here often to be refreshed, to be renewed, to hear again about our God and the great love he has for us.

As the good shepherd, Jesus says that it is important for him to gather the sheep together into a fold, but notice he doesn't stop with just the sheep that are immediately at hand, no he says that other sheep must be brought into this fold. The fold of sheep, the church, is always changing, growing, adding and loosing members. The fold is not a constant place, but it is an alive place, a place where things happen, where changes are made, where people grow in faith, where people meet new people of faith, who help us to understand God's love.

The fold, or the church, is an ever changing, alive, growing place. It is the place where Jesus, through his spirit is alive. It is the place where we can encounter God through his spirit because he promises to be here with us as we gather in his name. God is here with us this morning, his spirit is here leading us in our worship of him.

And as we leave to go back out to world God's spirit will go with us, helping us with life, giving us direction giving us courage, giving us his peace to cope with all the brokenness of life. Yes, the good shepherd gathers his sheep together in a fold, in the church, because here, we are cared for, here we are feed, here we can learn from each other about faith, here we can help one another as we face all the difficulties-of life.

Being in the fold, the church, is important for the members.

NOTICE ONE OTHER THING Jesus says about being in the fold. He says that as he calls sheep to the fold they will heed his voice.

They will listen to him. When we come to the fold, we come to listen to the voice of Jesus. We come to hear him, we come to encounter him. And notice Jesus says those of the fold will heed his voice. They will listen to him. Jesus is saying something here about responsibility, about our job as members of the fold, as members of the church. We are to listen to him. To obey what he says.

Yes, Jesus is the good shepherd of our lives. He laid down his live freely for us, he knows each of us personally because we are important to him, and he gathers us together in his fold, the church, so that we might listen to him.

Yes, Jesus is the good shepherd, the one who leads us down the pathway of life. He is our guide, he is our companion, he is the one who will take care of us. Jesus is our good shepherd, he is the one who loves us.


I am the good shepherd.

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale May 1, 2006

You may freely use this as is or in parts. Please somehow give credit if possible, thanks! Not for commercial use.