May 16, 2021 “May Flowers: Powerful Floods of the Holy Spirit” - Pastor Hines

 

May 16, 2021 “May Flowers: Powerful Floods of the Holy Spirit” - Pastor Hines

 

It used to be that the celebration of the Ascension of Jesus had a special day set aside for a service. I remember Millie Stauffer talking about a Thursday evening service in her church when she was growing up. It was a service to acknowledge today’s scripture lesson that says Jesus ascended into heaven. Witnesses saw him go up toward Heaven. It was a moment that was magical, majestic, miraculous, and mysterious. We can certainly understand why the early church marked that day on their calendar for celebrating in the first century. We can certainly appreciate that for some countries, even today, the Ascension is an official holiday. And, it’s really ok that many of us have never been to such a service and that the idea has faded away in many places. It’s ok that some things change and some things remain the same. 

It seems that the Christian culture moves as the gentle wind of the Holy Spirit guides us. Some Christians worship on Ash Wednesday and some don’t. Some worship on Good Friday and others won’t. Some wear a cross and some where a crucifix. It’s all good. It’s all part of an ongoing conversation among the children of God, some who are easier to get along with than others.

Before this magical, majestic, miraculous, and mysterious moment called the ascension took place, Jesus told his disciples that they would receive the power of the Holy Spirit. Like many of us today, the disciples were focused on restoring the kingdom. As Jewish disciples, they were now ruled and overruled by the Roman military and government. They wanted all that to go away. They wanted things restored to a place where they were calling the shots and making major decisions instead of the military majority.  Verse 6 says - So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?’ Jesus answered them, ‘It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority….’

It’s a bitter pill to swallow when our prayers are not answered with the words we want and hope to hear! When we get what we want after praying, we often say, “Our prayers are answered.” However, isn’t it true that “no” and “wait” are also answers?

Jesus did not give them the answer they wanted. Instead Jesus promised them in verse 8, as he promises us “…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” It was clear that the power Jesus spoke of could be found in the military, but not first and foremost. It was clear that the power Jesus referred to would be found among cliques and clans, but not first and foremost. It could even have been concluded that the power Jesus meant was available within natural elements like thunderous clouds, rushing waters, and gigantic beasts, but not first and foremost. For sure Jesus meant that power comes from favor shown when we have riches and resources, though not first and foremost.

The power Jesus has is the dunamis, the dynamite. It can be loud or soft, great or mild. God’s power has license to go whenever and wherever God wills. It can fulfill whatever good and perfect purpose that God has in mind. Dunamis is a power, ability, riches, wealth, forces, and moral excellence that makes way for something good and great to be built.

Some days we may feel we are oppressed by the powers that be, that we are overwhelmed by evil and injustice, that there is no way that God’s power – no matter how holy and good – is making a difference or could ever make a difference. We may leave the church and stop serving the God for whom we ask, “How long, oh Lord? How long.” We may leave the church in order to serve the God of the “right now” power, the powers that seem to be winning the war, the powers that have all the good stuff that keeps us from suffering and offer lots of pleasantries and luxuries that keep us entertained both day and night. Believe me, I have thought about leaving God and the church I love. Perhaps you too have sung that song with earnest, “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. Then the Holy Spirit takes charge of you just in time and you continue singing, “Here's my heart, oh take and seal it. Seal it for Thy courts above.”

I asked a couple people if they would share moments in their lives when they felt that they were totally out of control of a certain situation or when they experienced God taking control of their lives by the Holy Spirit.

Terry Allen wrote that when heavy rains came her basement flooded. She had to go out and dig ditches so that the rain would glow away from the house. She was not in control. But, God gave her strength.

In 1976 I bought this beautiful house that spoke to me. It had a beautiful view. Little did I know that there was a very big problem. In the next few months, I saw the problem, Rain. We had a very bad rainstorm and I found water in my family room. I could not stop it from coming in. The only thing to do was try to direct the rain from coming in underneath the downstairs door. I went out and started to dig a ditch. But what a job that was. the rain stopped and I was very happy. I thought that took care of it, but it did not. Some time passed and we got another rainstorm, not as bad so I didn't think about the downstairs until my children came up and said rain was coming in again. So, I went out and started to work on the ditch I had dug before and made it deeper, it worked and what a relief it was. But again, it happened, and I not only worked on the same ditch I also investigated as to why it was coming in. I found out how it was coming in and noticed that the drain at the bottom of the outside stairs was not taking the water out.  So, I called a plumber in the next day and had him investigate it. Boy what a surprise I got. The drain was never finished. It went just so far and stopped. Well, I did get it finished but at a stiff price. 

But the problem gave me a bigger problem that I did not know this flooding created a much bigger problem to my kids and to my father who moved in with me after my mom died. You might be already guessing what it was, Mold with a big M., and we lived with it for years. I thank God that none of us got sick or died from this nasty stuff. After my father died from a very rare cancer did, we find it. We could not go downstairs so my daughter and I gutted the downstairs right down to the cement blocks and we found it. There was so much of it that we could have died from it or got very sick. I owe so much to God that I will never, ever pay him back. 

Paul Wolf tells the story of a misunderstanding in a relationship. He suffered long, but things turned out beautifully.

Here is his story:

Was I Really Mad at God?  Have you ever been mad at God? It is fortunate for us that God lets us make choices, even when they are not following the proper path.  When we are in this state as always God still loves us and if we open our minds, he is there to comfort and help us understand what we are going through and to help us find our way out.  I would like to go back to 1992, when my mother and I were able to work out the problems that had created a little tension between us for most of our lives. We had always cared for each other but there were grudges that I had from my growing years that kept something between us. I was able to talk to her about what I was feeling. We cried, yelled and let all come out. When we were done things, we realized how much we did love each other, and I told her I loved her. I really felt it filled my whole being with that love. It was a gift from God.

In 1994 and my mother died after a long debilitating illness from which there was much suffering. I was mad at God and kept asking him why after I finally made peace with my Mother, he took her away from me. I was so angry and wallowed in this for about six months and anger at God stayed strong. Around this time God put two men in my life that were greatly beneficial in helping me make the peace with my mother. Both tried extremely hard to comfort me but, the anger was so strong, no one could reach me. Then one day one of these men sat me down and told me “It is time to let go and stop feeling sorry for yourself.” He said to me did I ever consider that maybe God kept her alive, even though long suffering, long enough for us to make peace with each other, then took her to a place of rest and ended her suffering.  It changed the anger of God to a love for God. I was so at peace and I felt so full of God’s love that I was sure I knew what it is like to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I am thankful knowing I was given a gift rather than having something taken from me. I realized the anger was with me for not making peace sooner and having more years of that love. I learned two important lessons from this experience. First even if we are mad at God, he still loves us and wants to help us if we let him. And second if you have a quarrel with someone settle it sooner rather than later.

By faith, we understand that no matter how dire our situation or how great our suffering, no matter how weak we are. God sends the power of the Holy Spirit to help us. God is all we need. It’s a bitter pill to swallow at times. We want what we want when we want it and we need what we need when we need it. As we exercise our faith, it gets stronger and we get better at looking for Jesus in the best of our times as well as the worst of our times.

When it seems that he has left us and all hope is above and beyond us, far out of our reach, we hear the voice of angels echoing through the ages – Jesus will return to be with us in magnificent ways.

Amen.