Sermon 7th October 2007
Our Associate Vicar, John Itumu’s sermon is based on the reading from Luke 11: 5-13.
How does the Spirit fill us?
The subject of Holy Spirit (Ghost) is largely misunderstood and continues to raise various reactions and speculations. I am, for instance, aware of reservations held largely by historic institutional denominations that charismatic and spiritualistic movements/churches are really ‘not quite up to the job’; these on the other hand ridicule the historic churches for neglecting the work of the Holy Spirit in their ministry. I think if we all spent some time to understand this hugely vital subject, the devil wouldn’t have such opportunity dividing up Christians. Today I invite you on a journey to explore this exciting subject.
A schoolteacher once asked a class, 'How many here believe in God the Father?' And most children put up their hands. 'How many people believe in God the Son?' Again, most children put up their hands. 'How many people here believe in God the Holy Spirit?' One boy put up his hand and he said, 'Please sir, the boy who believes in the Holy Spirit isn't here today'.
So who is the Holy Spirit? Well, we read from Genesis that:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep and the Sprit of God was hovering over the waters Genesis1:1-2.
We then read how God brings about into existence, through the work of the Spirit, everything created, the whole universe, including you and I.
Genesis 2:7 – the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, (the Hebrew for breath - ruach is the same word for spirit) and the man became a living being…
The Holy Spirit is associated with new beginnings. He is transformational. His presence in our lives does not leave us the way we are. He brings new attitudes - relationships, finances, personal lives – bringing order out of formlessness and emptiness, finding meaning in life;
For a worshipping community/church it may be new ways of worship, a greater openness and expectation of the ‘supernatural’ during the services etc.
Someone once said to their vicar, 'you know vicar, we don't want anything supernatural to happen in our church.' Well, church and the supernatural have got to go together because God is supernatural.
And to whom is the Holy Spirit available?
In our reading today, which is part of a response by Jesus to a request by his disciples ‘teach us to pray’, Jesus doesn’t quite offer a recipe with the technology of how to pray, but rather dwells on an accurate recognition of the one to whom prayer is made. The world view that leads to and informs our prayer is more important than the formula. To those who choose to join God, our heavenly Father in a relationship, such have the liberty, the freedom to ask, to seek and to knock on God’s door; in the same way that they will ask their friends, persistently, in their hour of need.
But since God’s incomparable goodness and generosity surpasses that of human fathers, his gifts are far more superior. If human parents give good gifts, well God gives what he has determined as the best gift – his Holy Spirit. And to whom will this happen? – to everyone who will ask, seek, knock.
A short while later after the death and resurrection of Jesus, Peter, Jesus’ disciple while speaking on the day of Pentecost quoted a prophecy by Joel made about 300 years earlier: 'And afterwards I will pour out my Spirit on all people, your sons and your daughters will prophesy… This, according to Peter, had found fulfillment on this day of Pentecost when a gathered crowd of various nationalities were filled with Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages. It is to everyone that the Holy Spirit has been promised – and that is good news! It is for Anglicans as well as Pentecostals.
Those who approach God, our loving heavenly Father in prayer will receive the Holy Spirit if they ask. The gift of the Holy Spirit is for everyone. It is not a reward for special Christians. It is for those who believe and ask.
It is also instructive that when Jesus was taken to heaven he commanded his followers Acts 1:4:
‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you heard me speak about… you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
And we read of the courage that suddenly filled his disciples from this day as they witnessed about the life and death and resurrection beginning Jerusalem and the entire Roman Empire. All of them died while witnessing with great boldness and vigour. They witnessed so boldly that the trend has followed to our present generation. And it will continue until Jesus comes back.
This awesome power of the Holy Spirit that permeates creation and raises bold witnesses to God is not very easy to describe. The language of poetry and praise in hymns has over the years proved probably the best way to talk about it. Come Holy Ghost, our souls inspire, Breathe on me breathe of God – we sing. Until we become Christians, the work of the Holy Spirit is to primarily convict us of our sins and need for Jesus; to guide us in truth – Spirit of truth. John 16
If the Holy Spirit is associated with new beginnings, then some visible signs will be evident when the Holy Spirit is resident in us. Anyone who has become a new person in Christ Jesus and through His Spirit, also becomes a member of the body of Christ. We declare at baptism that ‘by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body’. This is the Christian family – brothers and sisters in Christ. He gives us a family likeness. This body is given life by the Spirit who bestows gifts. Paul in his letter to the Galatians also calls them the fruits of the spirit and mentions a few: Galatians 5:22
…But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness self-control. He reminds us that those who live by the Spirit, do not gratify the desires of their sinful nature. Put differently, our sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit.
These gifts of the Holy Spirit, are not extraordinary gifts but really basic Christian forms of behaviour; not to be boasted about, not even for private use, but for the building up of community. They must be received and used against the background of a crucified Christ; the one who made himself nothing so that we may be something.
A helpful and insightful observation about the Holy Spirit was made by Jesus to Nicodemus, the Pharisee who came to see him at night. (John 3)
He told him, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit… Flesh gives birth to flesh but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. Jesus uses the human procreation analogy to explain that when a human being comes together with Spirit of God, a new spiritual birth takes place.
Whoever believes has the experience of being reborn through the life giving spirit of God the Father and the Son. Through this spirit, believers are given power to lead a new life. I know I started a brand new life when I believed. And he continues to transform me. Being filled with the Spirit is a continuous experience. (Eph 5:18)
Only by the power of the Holy Spirit can you and I lead a new life as we follow in the footsteps of Jesus. By our own strength, it is not possible. Creation, nature, life and the human spirit all exist by the life-giving Spirit of God. They are permanently dependent on him.
But how can this be for me? You may ask. Surely all this is only a metaphor. I want real solid and logical evidence. Well, my prayer is that the metaphor will invite further thought and exploration and the courage to ask. Why, because everyone has an opportunity to test the reality and workings of the Holy Spirit. It is the reason why Jesus dares us to – ask, seek, knock! Six times he repeats this, for he knows our skepticism. Amen.
How does the Spirit fill us?
The subject of Holy Spirit (Ghost) is largely misunderstood and continues to raise various reactions and speculations. I am, for instance, aware of reservations held largely by historic institutional denominations that charismatic and spiritualistic movements/churches are really ‘not quite up to the job’; these on the other hand ridicule the historic churches for neglecting the work of the Holy Spirit in their ministry. I think if we all spent some time to understand this hugely vital subject, the devil wouldn’t have such opportunity dividing up Christians. Today I invite you on a journey to explore this exciting subject.
A schoolteacher once asked a class, 'How many here believe in God the Father?' And most children put up their hands. 'How many people believe in God the Son?' Again, most children put up their hands. 'How many people here believe in God the Holy Spirit?' One boy put up his hand and he said, 'Please sir, the boy who believes in the Holy Spirit isn't here today'.
So who is the Holy Spirit? Well, we read from Genesis that:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep and the Sprit of God was hovering over the waters Genesis1:1-2.
We then read how God brings about into existence, through the work of the Spirit, everything created, the whole universe, including you and I.
Genesis 2:7 – the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, (the Hebrew for breath - ruach is the same word for spirit) and the man became a living being…
The Holy Spirit is associated with new beginnings. He is transformational. His presence in our lives does not leave us the way we are. He brings new attitudes - relationships, finances, personal lives – bringing order out of formlessness and emptiness, finding meaning in life;
For a worshipping community/church it may be new ways of worship, a greater openness and expectation of the ‘supernatural’ during the services etc.
Someone once said to their vicar, 'you know vicar, we don't want anything supernatural to happen in our church.' Well, church and the supernatural have got to go together because God is supernatural.
And to whom is the Holy Spirit available?
In our reading today, which is part of a response by Jesus to a request by his disciples ‘teach us to pray’, Jesus doesn’t quite offer a recipe with the technology of how to pray, but rather dwells on an accurate recognition of the one to whom prayer is made. The world view that leads to and informs our prayer is more important than the formula. To those who choose to join God, our heavenly Father in a relationship, such have the liberty, the freedom to ask, to seek and to knock on God’s door; in the same way that they will ask their friends, persistently, in their hour of need.
But since God’s incomparable goodness and generosity surpasses that of human fathers, his gifts are far more superior. If human parents give good gifts, well God gives what he has determined as the best gift – his Holy Spirit. And to whom will this happen? – to everyone who will ask, seek, knock.
A short while later after the death and resurrection of Jesus, Peter, Jesus’ disciple while speaking on the day of Pentecost quoted a prophecy by Joel made about 300 years earlier: 'And afterwards I will pour out my Spirit on all people, your sons and your daughters will prophesy… This, according to Peter, had found fulfillment on this day of Pentecost when a gathered crowd of various nationalities were filled with Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages. It is to everyone that the Holy Spirit has been promised – and that is good news! It is for Anglicans as well as Pentecostals.
Those who approach God, our loving heavenly Father in prayer will receive the Holy Spirit if they ask. The gift of the Holy Spirit is for everyone. It is not a reward for special Christians. It is for those who believe and ask.
It is also instructive that when Jesus was taken to heaven he commanded his followers Acts 1:4:
‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you heard me speak about… you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
And we read of the courage that suddenly filled his disciples from this day as they witnessed about the life and death and resurrection beginning Jerusalem and the entire Roman Empire. All of them died while witnessing with great boldness and vigour. They witnessed so boldly that the trend has followed to our present generation. And it will continue until Jesus comes back.
This awesome power of the Holy Spirit that permeates creation and raises bold witnesses to God is not very easy to describe. The language of poetry and praise in hymns has over the years proved probably the best way to talk about it. Come Holy Ghost, our souls inspire, Breathe on me breathe of God – we sing. Until we become Christians, the work of the Holy Spirit is to primarily convict us of our sins and need for Jesus; to guide us in truth – Spirit of truth. John 16
If the Holy Spirit is associated with new beginnings, then some visible signs will be evident when the Holy Spirit is resident in us. Anyone who has become a new person in Christ Jesus and through His Spirit, also becomes a member of the body of Christ. We declare at baptism that ‘by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body’. This is the Christian family – brothers and sisters in Christ. He gives us a family likeness. This body is given life by the Spirit who bestows gifts. Paul in his letter to the Galatians also calls them the fruits of the spirit and mentions a few: Galatians 5:22
…But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness self-control. He reminds us that those who live by the Spirit, do not gratify the desires of their sinful nature. Put differently, our sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit.
These gifts of the Holy Spirit, are not extraordinary gifts but really basic Christian forms of behaviour; not to be boasted about, not even for private use, but for the building up of community. They must be received and used against the background of a crucified Christ; the one who made himself nothing so that we may be something.
A helpful and insightful observation about the Holy Spirit was made by Jesus to Nicodemus, the Pharisee who came to see him at night. (John 3)
He told him, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit… Flesh gives birth to flesh but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. Jesus uses the human procreation analogy to explain that when a human being comes together with Spirit of God, a new spiritual birth takes place.
Whoever believes has the experience of being reborn through the life giving spirit of God the Father and the Son. Through this spirit, believers are given power to lead a new life. I know I started a brand new life when I believed. And he continues to transform me. Being filled with the Spirit is a continuous experience. (Eph 5:18)
Only by the power of the Holy Spirit can you and I lead a new life as we follow in the footsteps of Jesus. By our own strength, it is not possible. Creation, nature, life and the human spirit all exist by the life-giving Spirit of God. They are permanently dependent on him.
But how can this be for me? You may ask. Surely all this is only a metaphor. I want real solid and logical evidence. Well, my prayer is that the metaphor will invite further thought and exploration and the courage to ask. Why, because everyone has an opportunity to test the reality and workings of the Holy Spirit. It is the reason why Jesus dares us to – ask, seek, knock! Six times he repeats this, for he knows our skepticism. Amen.
posted by Parish Administrator at 2:57 pm
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