May 23, 2021 “May
Flowers: Sudden Baptism of the Holy Spirit” - Pastor
Hines
It was the day of Pentecost, a holiday, a feast day, a time for a festival giving thanks to God for the harvest, for no matter how hard we work in the fields, the harvest is not guaranteed and we need to be grateful. We depend on the power of God which is higher than we are!
The whole town was shut down on the day of Pentecost in the ancient world. It had to be good for the economy to have all these people needing a place to stay and something to eat for a few days. These days, we also have our special festivities for Easter week. During Christmas we have special dinners with grand decorations and silent lights. There were days at Bethel when there was barely enough room for worshippers, and chairs had to be put in the aisles. We too have holidays and holy days when our world takes a break, shuts down, and slows its spinning long enough for a surge of joy and laughter to find its way into our lives, whether it be a ho, ho, ho or a silent night of rest and recuperation.
The day of Pentecost had come. It had
been 50 days since the Passover which is the celebration of God’s deliverance
from slavery. As sinners saved by grace, surely one thing or another has
enslaved us and God has graciously delivered us, and from time to time we
remember and give thanks because the punishment we deserve has passed by us,
away from us, and over us. According to one Rabbi this year’s Passover
celebration is number 3,333. That’s how many years this celebration of
thanksgiving has been going on. That is wonderful! Gratitude is a good attitude
that paves the way for good things and even great things to happen for
everyone.
They were gathered together on the day of Pentecost. Their hearts were glad and their minds were free. What could be better than that? God had something special in mind that was, indeed, better than that and it came to them suddenly. We may not appreciate a sudden loss like the suddenness of the pandemic changing our lives. We do appreciate a sudden ray of sunshine, a sudden burst of laughter, a sudden breakthrough in a tough problem, or sudden relief from some burden that turns into a blessing. These are a few things we do not mind happening suddenly.
Suddenly there was a
sign from Heaven above. Tongues of fire? What could that mean? Could it mean
words spoken like rapid fire, or words with very hot topics? Do we hear MC
Hammer – singing “Can’t touch this.” What could verse 3 mean by “tongues of
fire rested on them?” Was it a fire so hot like the song “Oh Susanna, oh don’t
you cry for me. I’m going to Louisiana with a banjo on my knee. It was so hot…I
froze to death.” Or could tongues of
fire resting on the people mean that this was a moment so extreme and in
contrast to common reality that the proverbial hell had frozen over. Tongues of
fire rested on them. Whatever the case fire gets our attention.
Moses saw the fire of God in a burning
bush that represented his call to leadership. The enslaved people of God saw a
pillar of fire that led them into the night and away from poverty and
oppression. A refiner’s fire purified gold that was placed by Biblical
goldsmiths in worship spaces to symbolize God’s spectacular and endurable
presence. We know that fire can get out of our control, suddenly and quickly,
threatening to destroy us and everything and everyone around us that we love
and cherish.
Now, in the Acts of the Apostles, we see
fire resting on new believers at the birth of the church of Jesus Christ. The
fire was resting on them. As we
think about it, we most often want to be near a fire only if it helps us to be
warm and comfortable, to cook something, or to heat water for cleansing and
pleasure. Those who dare to draw near to a fire do so for the purpose of
keeping it under control or extinguishing it. They are our heroes.
The fire in the book of Acts is Godly fire and God’s fire is special and spectacular. God’s fire is focused. The focus of God’s fire is to purify and prepare us for a divine purpose, for something holy, something healthy, and something wonderful. When God’s fire rested on them, unimaginable things happened. They had a physically transforming, an in-their-own body experience because God had given them an ability, and they were in tune with God. They evidently did not resist. In fact, it would appear that they cooperated with this movement of the Holy Spirit, that they were in sync, that they allowed themselves to be led gently though they probably had no clear idea where they were going, what they were doing or what they were saying. Their tongues began to speak in unusual and mystifying ways. I don’t think their language included any of the cuss words that I have every spoken or heard.
It seems they were praising God,
singing, praying and speaking the psalms aloud. It was noticeable in the
neighborhood. It was noisy and folks got nosey. They started asking questions
in verse 12. “What does this mean?” Verse 13 shows that some drew their own
conclusions, saying “They have been drinking new wine.” In the ancient world, wine
may have been from 20-60 percent alcohol. At the least, with new wine, they
might have been a little tipsy, not drunk… just a little tipsy. It was obvious
to everyone that these Christians were under the influence, at least of this
new wine. Some onlookers may have had contempt for this gathering that they
neither appreciated nor understood.
But, most of the time, we appreciate new
something new. New is often good and attractive. New can make us happy and
bring us joy. New wine represents a brand new and exciting path to travel, a
new purpose and plan that has not been revealed before, a brighter future, a
new relationship with God, and a new covenant. When the time comes, God guides
us to something new because it is needed to refresh us and restore us and some
situation around us. New often works better and makes life nicer and easier.
Are you ready for something new? Where
would you like something new in your life? Where do you think God wants to do
something new in your life? Is there room in your life for something new and
wonderful or is your life like a closet jam packed with absolutely no room for
anything “Inn” between.
As Apostle Peter told the curious crowd,
this intoxicating experience that they were witnessing was expected. It
represents God’s pouring out his spirit – the new wine – a fresh influence that
causes the young men to see visions and the old men to dream dreams. For
without a vision we perish and without a dream we die within.
John Wesley had a vision for the
Christian church. His vision included no drinking of alcohol and we
incorporated total abstinence in our discipline at one time. Now we have
evolved to moderation according to the 2016 United Methodist Book of
Resolutions. As Methodists became more middle
class and the 1960’s gave more freedom to do as one peased, we drank more and
more, but in moderation.
I read an inspiring story in Decision Magazine (May 2020) about Timothy Tebow’s parents Pam and Bob very serious Christians who do not believe in abortion. When Pam was pregnant with Timmy (means honoring God), she started bleeding so early that the doctor recommended aborting him saying there was no baby there, just a mass of fetal tissue. They refused to abort, though the risks seemed great. They were ready for something new – no matter what the consequences. They believed God would be with them to guide and strengthen them. So we can ask ourselves, am I ready for something new? Where in my life would I like something new, need something new? Where do I think God wants to do something new in my life? Is there room in the “inn” between - what I want so urgently and what I so desperately think I need? Is there enough time after I do my own thing, for me to partner with God for a new thing?
As surely as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, God’s love for us surrounds us. Every morning God’s mercies are new. When you go before God today, you may be suddenly physically transformed and have an in-your-own body experience. You may be gently led to a sacred moment of being in tune with God, speaking golden words and being irresistibly in sync with God. Get ready for something new with God. Amen.
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