January 28, 2018 Fresh Voice : New Rules

January 28 2018 *Deuteronomy 18.15-20; Mark 1.21-28 “Fresh Voice: New Rules” Pastor Jacqueline Hines

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While I was at Yale seminary, [slide # 1 Yale Divinity School] I worked in an Episcopal assisted living guest house with about 20 residents. My job was to help set the dinner table, sleep overnight three times per week and be prepared in case there was an urgency that required some assistance.

One night there was a very dramatic occurrence. Even though I was not on duty that night, the telling of it remains vivid in my mind. A woman woke up in the middle of the night screaming, “I am dying…I am dying….I am going to hell.” She did die, and I have no idea what happened to her. She may have had been thinking about dying and had a bad dream that brought on a heart attack. Her cries may have been the result of delusions brought on by medication. We may never know, but this we do know, we will all one day leave this body and exit to our eternal home with Jesus.

I John 3.2 talks about the afterlife in eloquent terms, saying “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” [slide # 2 we shall be like him,…]

Until our time comes, we have some important things to do and say. Some of what we have to do and say is routinely important in day-to-day life. Everything we do matters just as a ray of light, a drop of water, a breath of air, a moment in time makes a difference in the whole scheme of things. We have been designed by God to matter in every way- each human cell- though invisible to the naked eye builds upon another and another and another until something great appears for all to see. Scripture tells us we belong to God. We are the sheep of God’s pasture; [slide # 3 sheep] it is God who has made us. We have not made ourselves.

Scripture also tells us that we have been bought with a price. The blessing of being a child of the living God is not a free blessing. God pays a price. A preacher told me once that his church was in the middle of a drug infested neighborhood. It was not unusual to have drug deals and paraphernalia on the steps of the church. One day the church van was stolen. He saw it a couple blocks away and standing near was a drug dealer he knew. Pastor told the drug dealer that the van belonged to him, but the dealer said the man who stole it needed drugs and he sold it to me, so now it was his van and if the pastor wanted it back, he would have to buy it. The pastor bought back the van…that was the end of what I heard about the story.

Sometimes in this topsy turvy world, Satan takes us for a ride. We may get caught up in some unfortunate, unpleasant, immoral, and destructive circumstances and God finds us and pays a price so that we can get back on the road of righteousness once again.

God is very serious about communicating to us, through prophets, whoever and wherever they are. There are some very serious matters in our lives, aren’t there? It is often we who need to pay some very serious attention to what God is speaking. That is why we need to pray, to sit quietly for a minute or two or three and wait and listen to what God has to say and tell God all about whatever is on our hearts and minds.

It may seem silly to talk to God who does not appear in person, whom we cannot hear with our human ears. Yet, we have come to understand that there are many things in life that cannot be seen with the naked eye or that are imperceptible to our ears but plain as day to our hearts. We cannot see a flower grow, yet we constantly plant seeds, grow them or enjoy their beauty. [slide # 4 flower/butterfly ] We cannot hear a dog whistle above certain decibels, yet dog ears perk up to listen. [slide # 5 puppy] We cannot withstand the pressure of air above certain altitude without a pressurized airplane, yet we trust the pilot to take us thousands of miles from home. [slide # 6 pilot ]

Though we neither see nor hear God, we are surrounded by the presence of love and miracles that speak volumes and inspire our belief and faith.  [slide # 7 heart shaped tree]

Throughout the bible, in the late night news, and throughout our lives, we see the results of not paying attention to the many prophets and prophetic messages of guidance and encouragement that are constantly being sent our way by God through teachers, preachers, leaders, missionaries, medical practitioners, mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, sisters, brothers, sons and daughters. The Holy Spirit speaks to us more than anyone else. As humans we are easily distracted and have to be reminded again and again to focus and stay connected to our God.

Our connection to God is our hope to turn back the tide of animosity and cruelty that turns teenagers into terrorists and housewives into addicts.

This morning’s scripture warns those who speak for God to do it right or else! Or else you will die, says verse 20. [slide # 8 ‘… that prophet shall die.’] That is, even though everyone leaves this life as we know it, we are dramatically discouraged with the threat of death from doing or saying anything that would seriously jeopardize our lives or the lives of others.   

If we speak blasphemously and disrespectfully, if we speak without God’s authority or under the authority of some evil, we are done for, we are cutting off our nose to spite our face. We are dead on arrival.

Of course, there are many ways to die. In one of my rare prophetic modes I told a gentleman who was a womanizer that God said, “If you ever hurt another woman, I will kill you.” He did not die a physical death, but he did do a significant amount of time in a prison worse than hell. I spoke to another person, with whose personal life I was not at all familiar – two words: stop fornicating. I never saw that person again, but I was told a year later that they were unemployed and on a city corner asking passerby’s for money, dying of a serious infectious disease that he may have contracted or passed on by fornication.

We do not need to know the details of another person’s life to speak whatever God has for us to say that encourages, comforts, strengthens or warns. All we need to do is, as the hymn writer says, is ‘to move at the impulse of God’s love.’ [slide # 9 at the impulse of God’s love]

Of course, life can be full of many deaths that have nothing to do with sin but everything to do with God getting the glory out of our lives. Death is not always a God-forsaken moment. You may have read about a woman in the Upper Room [slide # 10 Upper room] this week who married her childhood sweetheart. They had known each other for decades and after less than three years of marriage, she was separated and facing divorce. She felt as if she were going to die, but she came to understand that whether she was living the good life on cloud nine or down in the dumps, God always had a spoon full of sugar to sweeten her day and a wonderful blessing always came her way to lighten her load.

It is not always easy to let the Spirit move us. It is not natural either. It is supernatural and that is where we want to be in this challenged world. No matter what our circumstances, whether we are facing the consequences of our own actions or carrying a heavy, inexplicable cross while wading through the deep waters of someone else’s misbehavior, we too will always find, and hopefully, will always give thanks for the one who sweetens our days. Remember to always give thanks for the wonderful blessings great or small that come to lighten our load.

Thanksgiving primes the pump of God’s blessings, inspiring an outpouring of God’s spirit for all who will receive it. [ slide # 11 Receive God] Receive more of God today. You won’t regret it. Amen. [slide # 12 man with bible]

July 21 2018 Fresh Voice - New Words

January 21 2018 *Jonah 3.1-5, 10; Mark 1.14-20 “Fresh Voice: New Words” [New words lead to new paths] Pastor Jacqueline Hines

Jonah was a prophet. Jonah’s job was to speak for God, to tell of God’s love to everyone, to help everyone get right with God. But, when it came to the great city of Nineveh, Jonah seemed to drag his feet. [slide # 1 Jonah sitting] You wonder if Jonah did not want God to love on them. He probably was not one of those prophets who prayed for the entire community and visualized God’s loving arms around the strangers, the homeless or those who hurt him. Jonah may have been glad that the people of Nineveh were living in the muck and mire of their sins; he may have thought they were getting what they deserved. He did not want to see them get the sweet rewards of right living. [slide # 2 Jesus hugging]

God always has a purpose and a plan. God sent Jonah 500 miles east from his home base in Jerusalem to preach to the people of Nineveh. You may remember that east is to the right; in order to get to God, you always have to go right. [slide # 3 sign to go right] It is a symbol. The story or Jonah, like the rest of the bible is filled with symbols. Scholars debate whether the story of Jonah is real. It could be real, but even if it is not real, it is still true.

Instead of going to Nineveh where God directed him, Jonah bought a ticket in Joppa and boarded a ship headed west to Tarshish, 2500 miles in the opposite direction, [slide # 4 map ]. The first century A.D. Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus, wrote that Tarshish is the same city as Tarsus in Turkey, where the Apostle Paul was from. Some scholars think Tarshish was another city even further west, to the left in Spain, in the wrong direction.

Whatever the case, Jonah took a detour from the will of God and wound up in the belly of a big stinky fish. It is quite human to at least one time in our lives to be in or near some kind of deep situation that is sticky and stinky. [slide # 5 Jonah near fish]

Verse 1 tells us that Jonah got a second chance to escape the mess he made and do what God wanted him to do. 3The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time, saying, 2“Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.”  [Slide # 6 word of the LORD came to …]

If you have been to Iraq, you have probably been to Nineveh. You could have looked on the side of the Tigris River and seen the city of Mosul which some natives call Nineveh.

In ancient times, for about 50 years, Nineveh was known as the largest city in the world. Today, the largest cities in the world in terms of land area, population, and density would be Tokyo, New York, Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Seoul, Korea.

God called Nineveh “that great city” in verse 2, [slide # 7 that great city Nineveh] just like we know New York as one of the greatest cities in the world. We call it the Big Apple. The Big Apple is rumored to have been named for a woman named Eve who ran a brothel in the city. Novelist Edward Martin referred in his novel of 1909 to New York as ‘a greedy city… a big apple inclined to get a disproportionate portion of the nation’s sap.’ For most, the Big Apple has come to represent a city that is proud of its culture and its accomplishments.

So it was for ancient Nineveh; it was a great city, a city that was not without its issues, a city that God wanted to speak to. We know the job of the prophet is to speak for God to encourage people, strengthen them, comfort them, and warn them. Nineveh was a city at risk! God wanted to help them out, to encourage them, strengthen them, comfort them and warn them. We are all at risk. God wants to help us out, to protect us, to make us stronger than the people, places, and things that threaten us.

On June 4^th of 2014 the area of Mosul called Nineveh by the indigenous people, was attacked by Isis. [slide #  8 several men in rubble]

Three long years later, in 2017, with the help of the U.S., the Iraqi prime minister declared that Isis no longer dominated their country, though they still have a ways to go to get to stability.

Sometimes reading the bible is like reading the newspaper. The more things change, the more they stay the same. There is plenty of good news as well as plenty of trouble everywhere. The ancient city of Nineveh had the same blessings and challenges as any city might have today and any day.

Did Jonah want to go to a big city? Probably not. Did he want to tell strangers of the love of God and the need to do the right thing? Probably not. When he finally got around to doing what God wanted him to do, Jonah got quite a surprise. The people of Nineveh listened. They not only listened, they prayed. They not only prayed, they fasted.

Last week, Bethel leaders gathered to make plans for the year. It was a blessing to hear that everyone had been praying and that some even fasted in preparation for the planning meeting. It was clear that God was present and did help us.

When the people of Nineveh listened to the love of God, and talked to God, and even sacrificed some time in a fast, God helped their hearts and they were able to change from their evil ways, whatever those evil ways were.

On more than one occasion, I believe God was guiding me away from paying attention to someone else’s wicked ways, or the wicked ways of a country or a certain people. I have been guided to pay more attention to God’s ways, to hear where God was leading us. We become stronger children of God when we spend more time blessing and praying for one another than when we blame and label each other. It’s true.

God has a purpose and a plan and every move we make in the right [slide # 9  right ] direction helps someone’s heart to move toward something good and away from something evil.

So as we keep our hand in God’s hand, [slide # 10 In God’s Hands] let us remain confident that every word, every step, every kindness, and every connection God guides us to, MATTERS, and matters more than we may ever know. Amen. [slide # 11 church matters]

January 14, 2018 Fresh Voice-New Job

Jan. 14 *I Samuel 3.1-20 “Fresh Voice: New Job”  Pastor Jacqueline Hines

Our scripture begins with glaring words in verse 1. The boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. [ slide # 1 The boy Samuel….] Eli was the head priest and Samuel was a boy in the service of the Lord. Samuel was serving, not for self, but for God.

This week I was asked to do a ten minute devotion for the Board of Ministry of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference and I immediately felt like a heavy burden had been placed upon my shoulders.

Instead of continuing to feel overwhelmed, I prayed and asked God to help me make the right decision. The first thought that came to my mind was that I was being asked to serve and I should do just as I was asked. There have been plenty of times when I believe God was asking me to be still and say “no” and lighten my load and rest even when I wanted to serve, but in this instance, I was feeling like God wanted me to say “yes.” And of course, I felt God was rubbing it in because the next two devotionals I read that morning were both about being a servant.

I had to decide whether those devotionals [slide #  2 Upper Room] were coincidence or confirmation that God wanted me to do something that I felt was more than I wanted to handle. We all have such decisions to make; that is a part of being a Christian, making decision after decision after decision, knowing God will guide us and the Holy Spirit will teach us and Jesus will walk beside us, not to make us perfect or act like robots, but to strengthen, encourage, and comfort us, no matter where we go or what comes our way.

Samuel was ministering to the Lord. That was his job. He was being trained and educated by God’s priest, Eli.

You may recall learning about Samuel in your Sunday school lessons. Samuel’s mother Hannah [ slide #  3 young woman/ red head covering] was a young woman who wanted to be like all the other women. Everyone her age was beginning a family, but year after year, she produced no “baby bump.” [slide # 4 pregnant woman] No doubt people began to look at her as if she had two heads.

It was strange in an era of few birth control options for a real woman not to have a house full of children. Who would help her with all the work that had to be done in the hill country? What would she have to talk about in the women’s circles [slide # 5 women with clay pots] when all the other wives were talking about their husbands and the mothers mentioning the special meals and cute outfits that everyone else would be making for their little ones? And, oh those teenage years….

Hannah was growing more and more uneasy with this strange predicament God had allowed in her life. Still, she continued to ask God to give her a baby, even though she must have wondered if God was working against her. She was full of faith and no matter how miserable she felt, and no matter how many times she felt God was doing her wrong, she still bowed herself before God and asked for help. [slide # 6 Hannah praying] She must have believed God loved her and was listening and would give her something good in the end. Finally, Samuel was born. It was just what she wanted. And, whatever she wanted, her husband, whose name was Elkanah, wanted too. [slide # 7 Hannah and family]

Hannah could not have been happier and grateful to God. Now people would stop laughing at her and gossiping behind her back. Those months of misery would finally come to an end and the neighborhood would know that she was somebody special, that she was loved and important enough for her prayers to be heard and answered.[slide # 8 Hannah near pillar]

Hannah was so grateful that she did what could easily be done in her time. She gave Samuel away. She sent her little one to a monastery or seminary of sorts to be trained to live a life only for God. [slide # 9  little Samuel] God knows we can always use a hand in the service of the Lord.

Eli was the priest in charge. Eli had sons of his own who were priests, but Eli wasn’t good at setting rules for his sons to follow, so they wound up just serving selfishly and greedily. [slide # 10 Eli and two sons] It was a hot mess; little Samuel gave Eli a second chance in using his fatherly skills. It is good to have a second chance.

Samuel was being trained to serve God and help God’s people so they could grow to understand the ways of God and live a righteous life. [Slide # 11 little Samuel and Eli]  In order to help God’s people understand God, Samuel had to get to know God.

One wonders how many people were having conversations with God in Eli’s day because verse 1 says the word of the Lord was rare; visions were not widespread. [slide #  12 word of the Lord was rare]

We so appreciate hearing from friends and staying in touch with those we love and care about. We do not want our conversations to be rare or to occur only every blue moon. We want regular conversation and connection, don’t we?

I am from a family of five. The two youngest of us always seem to require five calls and ten texts before we hear from them. A word from them is rare. We cannot often envision what they are doing and how they are doing. When we care, we are hungry to hear from those we love and care about. Our hearts can break over the distance that may come between us.

During Annual Conference, when 800 people gather, it is not unusual to hear someone say, “So and so walked right by me and did not even speak.” It hurts to be dismissed, ignored, forgotten, and at the very bottom of someone’s priority list.

The word of the Lord was rare in Samuel’s day. Some must have wondered if God was ignoring them, not answering their prayers, had something more important to do, or perhaps some understood it wasthe people who were ignoring God.

Whatever the case, there was little documentation of anyone’s connecting to God and enjoying the blessings of a warm, rewarding spiritual relationship. It must have been rare for priests and disciples to speak about the hopes and dreams that God had in mind for others. The record shows a clear disconnect between God and the rest of the world.

At times our world may seem to be disconnected and out of touch with regard to issues that are important and weighty in the heart of God. In the last several months and years, things have changed in our world. Many voices are being heard now that were not heard as loudly before, such as the #me too and # times up movements. The voices of those who have survived assaults are joined in with many others and a tide of changes are taking place, some changes are, as Oprah would say, “on the horizon.” We are now, more than ever, more conscious of the need to create and maintain an atmosphere of equality and safety for all.

So Martin Luther King [slide # 13 Martin Luther King] reminded us, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

The black lives matter movement and PARI – the Phoenixville Area Refugee Initiative all join forces so that there will be one ounce less of hatred and one pound more of compassion in this world where fear and violence are having a heyday and where it has been “prophesied” on Janet Parshall’s radio show that the gap between the haves and the nave nots will widen in 2018.

The voices we hear today, were rarely heard out loud in the past. Certain words were rare and visions of hope for justice and decency were not very widespread. That is the way it was in Samuel’s time, too.

It is good to always have a voice and a vision for the good that God has for us to do. I spoke to a woman who felt alone and isolated and had several temporary needs after her surgery. [slide # 14 every one matters] Her family was on the other side of the country, but when our compassionate care team and others get moving for as God has guided, people are no longer alone. The Church matters! [slide # 15 church matters]

It is a new day, and like Samuel, we too have been dedicated to God. The prayers, dedicated service, and sacrifices of our mothers and fathers have been a force for generations, moving Heaven and earth on our behalf. We too are being trained for an important job serving the Lord.

Samuel was sleeping in a room in the Temple; that’s where he was being trained. He was young and he heard a voice calling his name. He thought it was Eli. We do not know exactly what time it was, but we have some indication from verse 3 that says “³the lamp of God had not yet gone out,…” [slide # 16 lamp] Priests were instructed to keep a lamp lit from sundown to sunrise, so we know it was before the sun came up. It may have been as early as 3 a.m. in the morning. That is a common time of morning when others have said that God awakens them for a particular conversation. Three a.m. is known as the hour of prayer in the bible and in several traditions.

Samuel thought Eli, the head priest, was calling him so he got up and ran to Eli to be of service. Eli said, “No, I did not call you. Go back to bed.” [slide # 17  Eli and Samuel out of bed] It happened a second time. Samuel heard his name being called. He thought it was Eli, so he got up again. By the time it happened the third time, Eli was wise. Verse 8 [slide # 18 Eli perceived…]  says, “Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy.⁹Therefore Eli said to Samuel, ‘Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” ’ So Samuel went and lay down in his place.’” Sure enough he heard God call his name again and Samuel listened even though he was a boy. [slide # 19 Samuel listening to God] Maybe he listened because he was a boy.

What Samuel heard in his conversation with God was not pretty. It was a judgment call on Eli who had not held his two sons [slide # 20  Hophni and Phinehas] accountable for their ungodly treatment of God’s people. [slide # 21 Eli’s  two sons] Eli had sense enough to just accept the consequences from God for his disobedience and lack of courage and faith. Sometimes it seems too hard to do the right thing, and we do not always want to take the time or the energy to change the way we should. We have to make a decision to accept or reject God’s strength to fight any battles that come before us. Only God can make us as strong as we need to be in any situation.

It takes a miracle to make an important change in our life. Change is a supernatural phenomenon. We cannot change without accepting the power of the Holy Spirit to help us.

If you have something that God is calling you to change today, this is as good a day as any to whisper into God’s ear, “Send your Holy Spirit to help me make the next step forward.” Listen quietly and faithfully for God’s voice. Then you can get the job done at last. [slide # 22 spend time with God…] Amen. [slide # 23 church matters]

January 7 2018 Fresh Voice: New Ears

January 7 2018 * Acts 19. 1-7, Genesis 1.1-5 “Fresh Voice: New Ears”  Pastor Jacqueline Hines

Our lesson this morning says while a man named Apollos was in Corinth, Paul was on his way to Ephesus. Apollos is a name in the bible that stands out in the book of Acts. Apollos was a very, very intelligent man and an important leader in the first centuries of the church. Apollos was a native of Alexandria, Egypt.

Alexandria is a place known even to this day for serious biblical scholarship. A famous church father of the second century named Origen, [slide # 1 Origen] that every student in seminary reads about, was from Alexandria, Egypt. Origen was a critical thinker and marvelous teacher. He wrote biblical commentaries, sermons, philosophical essays on free will, the trinity, and he intertwined history and thoughts on atheism which gave many people a chance to reflect on life’s mysteries and to think about their relationship to God. He organized the bible [slide # 2 bible] by putting the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament together as one unit as we know it today. Can you imagine having just the New Testament in our pews and leaving the Old Testament only for our Jewish brothers and sisters?

Origen helped Christians from many traditions think through their faith. His hometown, Alexandria was named by Alexander the Great, who gained lots of territory through military feats. Alexander the Great was entombed in Alexandria along with many others who were considered great in their day.

Alexandria, Egypt was the place to be, dead or alive. Scholars, scientists, philosophers, engineers, mathematicians, artists, and historians –Archimedes, Heron, Euclid, Eratosthenes and of course, Origen.

Apollos was influenced by the great Origen and all the great spiritual and academic nurturing that was so much a part of the city of Alexandria. Apollos was very helpful to the Apostle Paul who, like Origen, wrote a lot and helped people to think about their faith and their witness to the world and their lifestyle as well as their relationship to God and others.

Apollos and Paul both worked in the ancient city of Corinth, about 700 miles across the Mediterranean Sea from Alexandria. [slide # 3 map Corinth to Alexandria] Corinth was known to be where all the wild and crazy things happened; a place where anything goes. You could probably buy recreational marijuana legally like California can now. You have to wonder what the fallout will be for California in a few years. We might think of Corinth as a place where all the do’s were laughed at as lame and don’ts were allowed and thought of as hip.

From time to time, people ask me about all the do’s and don’ts of the United Methodist Church. Our Book of Discipline [slide # 4 UMC Book…] is a legal document and contains several do’s and don’ts that are designed to help us serve God with all of our heart, mind, and soul. Our spiritual disciplines help us become champions of the faith and win great victories. Fortunately, by the mercy and grace of God, we are all a work in progress, and we patiently ask the Holy Spirit to help us help each other.

While Apollos was in Corinth dealing with the do’s and don’ts, Paul was going through Ephesus, some 400 miles away. [slide # 5 map Corinth to Ephesus] Paul wrote letters back and forth to Corinth while he stayed in Ephesus for three whole years. Ephesus was another fine city, not as favored perhaps as Alexandria, but important nevertheless. Legend indicates that Ephesus was founded by female warriors called Amazons.

One thing more certain is that in spite of there being many pagan temples in Ephesus, there was also a Christian church that was founded there with the help of husband and wife Aquila and Priscilla with Paul as the lead teacher and minister.

The Christian church is still being built up just as it was in the first and second centuries. People are still traveling miles across land and sea to share the gospel. The church is still riding high on the many tides, ebbs and flows that the church goes through from year to year. The church still endures through thick and thin, from age to age.

So, Paul was teaching this new and controversial gospel in Corinth. Many were ready to hear and others paid no attention at all. Twelve men had gathered to listen to Paul. When was the last time you saw a dozen men gathered alone in one room for God’s sake?

Paul asked the 12  if they had received the Holy Spirit. [slide # 6 “Did you receive the Holy Spirit …]   They answered that they did not know anything about the Holy Spirit? [slide # 7 We have not even heard… ]

Who baptized you Paul asked? John the Baptist baptized us. We can imagine that Paul breathed a sigh of relief after hearing that John the Baptist had baptized them. In those days it was more common than it is in today’s world   for anybody to be baptized, whether they were atheists, agnostics, part of cults, or whether they worshipped other Gods. Many simply wanted a nice ritual with a beautiful ceremony and a fancy party, even though they were not Christians. Christians are not the only ones who baptize, then or now. You may have heard that Satan worshippers have types of baptism services in the US and around the world.

Paul asked the question, who baptized you so he could determine if the twelve men had been legitimately baptized as Christians. Even Christians, to this day often debate who should be baptized – should we baptize infants or only those who can confess their faith for themselves. Should we baptize in the lake or should we build a baptismal pool in the sanctuary. The teachings vary from denomination to denomination. United Methodists do it all, except re-baptizing. We baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit which includes Jesus, but in some churches, if you do not say “Jesus” when the water goes on, you are not considered baptized. I believe our United Methodist teachings are in sync with the teachings of the Apostle Paul because baptism is about dedicating our hearts to God with sincerity and humility. 

The twelve men gathered with Paul were legitimately baptized. Their hearts were right, their minds were clear about their commitment to Jesus from Galillee, they were humble, but they had not yet learned about the Holy Spirit. Paul was going to teach them. He began with a prayer and God did the rest. Verse 6 says as Paul prayed, the Holy Spirit came upon them. It did not have to happen like that. God does whatever God wants to do with the Spirit working in our lives. Some of what God does in the Spirit is simple and easy to recognize and understand. Other things God does through the Spirit in our lives can be very complicated and unbelievable.

One way to understand the variety of ways the Spirit works is thinking about another spirit – alcohol. [slide # 8 wine/spirit shop ]. Different spirits affect everyone in different ways. Some people change like day and night. Some lose control one way or the other as a certain spirit takes over.  Some become sweet, or angry, or sleepy, or giddy or amorous. When my sister had surgery a few years ago, she was under the influence of something the doctor had given to her and when we talked on the phone, she went on and on about how she loved me and how we needed to be closer and talk more often. She was ten times more lovey dovey than she was normally. It was a bit awkward.

The Holy Spirit moves us in a variety of wonderful ways. The work of the Holy Spirit always bring forth spiritual fruit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness (generosity), faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Verse 6 says the spirit came upon the men and they did two things. They spoke in tongues [slide # 9 spoke in tongues…] and they prophesied.

No doubt you too have experienced the Holy Spirit coming upon you. No doubt you have spoken in tongues and you have prophesied. I can prove it. If you are a Christian, at some point you have used words that bless you or others. You have heard words, sung or said, unspoken though understood, foreign or familiar that bless you or others. Such words may give you goose bumps or cause the hairs to raise up on the back of your neck. They may make you want to jump up and down or shout out loud; they may bring tears of joy to your eyes, or cause your head to bow in submission. That is the work of the Holy Spirit.

Broadly speaking, you have spoken in tongues, if you have used words that work for God’s particularly loving purpose, words that move mountains and make a difference, great or small, natural or supernatural, in our lives or the lives of others. As we yield our whole lives to God our words speak for God, and God speaks with love.

Verse 6 says the twelve men also prophesied. You have prophesied, too. The bible defines prophecy as words that God designs to do three things - strengthen us, encourage us and comfort us. Sometimes those words also warn us or remind us about something that is going to happen in the future.

Radio host Janet Parshall interviewed a man named David Robertson this week who offered ten prophecies for the Church in 2018. He noted there would be a continual struggle of humanity with violence and sexual issues which was no surprise. What stood out was his mentioning that Africa and China would see significant economic growth. We will see what happens.

In some ways, his prophecies help us to hunker down, preparing for the worst while expecting the best. That is what we all do to one degree or another. It is good to be prepared in life, and it is good as Tyler Collins shared last Sunday to have hope when things are not going our way.

It has been said that the greatest sickness our young people have today is  not some virus, or cancer or diabetes, it is hopelessness. So let us continue being the Church, strengthening, encouraging, and comforting, so we can share some good news in a mixed up world. Let us use our tongues to pour out words that make a difference. If we do not do it for our children and all the children of the world, who do you think will do it? Amen. [Slide # 10 we will never change the world by…]