Unexpected Change

Rev. Debbie Cato

Jonah 3 & Philippians 1:1-11

Peace Presbyterian Church

Preaching Series on Jonah – Week 2

June 14, 2015

Unexpected Change

Last week we began our study of Jonah.

We read how one day the Lord’s word came to Jonah.

God called Jonah for a specific purpose. God said,

“Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it,
because its wickedness has come up before me.”

But Jonah did not want to go to Ninevah – a wicked city; a great enemy of God’s people, the Israelites.

     So Jonah decided to run from God.

He headed in the opposite direction of Ninevah.

      He went west instead of east.

                         He boarded a ship heading to Tarshish.

But as soon as the ship set sail, God sent a great wind on the sea and a violent storm arose and threatened to break apart the ship. The sailors were terribly afraid and they cried out to their gods. They threw cargo overboard trying to lighten the ship so that it would ride higher on the waves but nothing worked. The waves just became more and more wild and the storm grew more and more violent.

When confronted by the sailors, Jonah admitted that his God was the God of Heaven. The God who made the sea and the land. Jonah admitted that his God had indeed caused the great storm on the sea. He admitted that his God was angry at him for running away. Jonah told the sailors to throw him overboard so God would calm the sea.

But, the sailors did not want Jonah to die.

      They tried to row back to land, rowing harder and hard,
              but the storm got worse and worse.

                   Finally, after praying to Jonah’s God for forgiveness

                              They threw Jonah into the stormy sea and

                                        immediately, the sea was calm.

But Jonah did not drown. He did not die.

     God sent a great fish to swallow Jonah; to save him.

            Jonah lived in the belly of that fish for 3 days and 3 nights.

And that's where we left off. We left Jonah in the belly of the fish!

Chapter 2 of Jonah is his prayer to God while he is inside the fish. Jonah’s story is not over yet so let’s see what happens next. I invite you to read Jonah's prayer on your own. I’m going to start reading at chapter 2:10 all the way through chapter 3. Listen now for the Word of the Lord.

And finally, after praying to the Lord from the belly of the fish, the Lord speaks to the fish “spew Jonah onto dry land.”  “Spew Jonah onto dry land.” 

Spew. The dictionary says to spew is to “discharge the contents of the stomach through the mouth; to vomit.” Some translations actually say, “The Lord commanded the fish to vomit Jonah onto dry land.” The Lord commands the fish to vomit Jonah onto dry land.

I love this verse!

       God had to get Jonah out of that fish somehow!

               So He commands the fish to vomit Jonah onto dry land. 
God was in control, wasn’t he?    THEN…

Then, the word of the LORD comes to Jonah a second time:

“Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”

I imagine Jonah was a little dazed at this point. He’d had a rather crazy four days. It had only been four days since the word of the LORD first came to Jonah. Four days since he decided to run away from God. Four days since he boarded the ship bound for Tarshish. Four days since he got tossed overboard. Four days since God saved him by sending a fish to swallow him.

Jonah had just been vomited onto dry land, covered with who knows what from the belly of the fish. Covered in muck, wet and dazed, Jonah learns that God has not forgotten his original mission for Jonah! Sure, his escapades delayed God’s plans. They certainly caused Jonah – and others, a lot of unnecessary problems and stress. But, they had not changed God’s plan. Jonah was still heading to Nineveh!

Now, it seems to me that the problems and stress brought on by Jonah’s disobedience were not without some benefits. Those moments of near drowning in the sea before the fish swallowed Jonah probably woke him up; and those three days and three nights in the belly of that great fish wondering what was going to happen to him, probably helped Jonah realize that thinking he could run away and hide from God wasn’t the smartest thing he had ever done. At least, Jonah didn’t make the same mistake again. When the LORD spoke the same words to Jonah after he was vomited out of the fish’s belly, scripture tells us that:

         “Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh.”

Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh.

I imagine Jonah still isn’t happy about it. 
      I imagine he’s still afraid.

             Nineveh is still a great enemy of the Israelites.

             Nineveh is still a wicked city.

                     God is still sending Jonah to preach against Nineveh.

               Jonah’s message will still make the people of Nineveh angry.

Nothing has changed since the first time the LORD called Jonah to Nineveh.

But Jonah has changed.

Jonah has learned to be obedient.

Jonah has learned he can’t run away from God!

Jonah is no longer just telling pagan sailors about the power of his God. He has experienced it first-hand. He believes.

Think about your own faith journey. What experiences, what situations have changed you the most? What times in your journey brought you the most growth in your faith? When did you stop just talking the talk, and really believe? I can’t answer those questions for you. But if you are like me, they were the hard times; the struggles, the times I felt like God vomited on me.

Those three days in the belly of the fish changed Jonah. They changed his heart. He goes to Nineveh and he preaches the message that the LORD gives him to preach.

“Forty more days and Nineveh will be destroyed,” Jonah proclaims.

Jonah preaches against Nineveh.

He tells them their great city will be destroy.

                    He tells them it is because of their wickedness.

                        The Ninevites do NOT turn against him.

Just like the pagan sailors on the ship bound for Tarshish,

      The Ninevites, from the greatest to the least, believe.

             They believe Jonah's message is from the God of Israel.

                   They humble themselves in deep repentance.

                         They declare a fast among themselves and they all put on sackcloth.

But why? Do you see anywhere in this passage where the Ninevites know that Jonah is delivering a message from God? Nowhere does it say that they know who Jonah is! Oh, they can probably tell he’s a Hebrew. It’s likely he’s dressed differently than they did It’s likely he speaks differently than they do.  But, Jonah does not announce that he has a word from the LORD. He doesn’t say, in forty days God will destroy their city. He says,

“Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.”

Jonah only “sort of” obeys God. The warning Jonah gives to the Ninevites is very ambiguous. He’s vague. Perhaps he is hoping they will not understand.

They aren’t Israelites.

They are Assyrians.

Perhaps he wants Nineveh destroyed.

           After all, they are great enemies of the Israelite nation.

                     They are enemies of Jonah's people.

Remember, he did not want to go there in the first place! They Ninevites are not his favorite people!

Doesn't it make you mad when God does not seem to punish the people you think he should punish? Doesn't it frustrate you when God does something different than you think he should? So we can understand Jonah's hesitance.

The Ninevites are pagans. They do n0t worship Yahweh. And yet somehow – instinctively, they know Jonah's message is to be believed. They know that his message is from the God of Israel. They know that they are guilty and they must repent. Immediately, they humble themselves, declare a fast and put on sackcloth.

And when the news reaches the king of Nineveh?

News that his people have set an agenda of fasting and repentance to Yahweh based on the news that their great city will be destroyed in forty days because of its wicked ways, the King of Nineveh follows his people’s lead.

     He rises from his throne.

             He takes off his royal robes.

                        He covers himself with sackcloth.

He sits down in the dust.

This powerful, wicked king of a city that is an enemy of the people of God

Humbles himself - he follows his people’s lead.

He issues a proclamation for all of Nineveh.

The king’s proclamation is very comprehensive. He’s not taking any chances. Not only does it address every human being in Nineveh but it addresses every animal in every herd and every flock. No one is exempt.

     They shall not taste, nor graze, nor drink

           They shall each be covered by sackcloth

                 They shall each call urgently on God

                        They shall each give up their evil ways.

And then the king offers his people the hope that if they do these things with true repentance,  God may relent, he tells them.

     God may have compassion.

               God may turn from anger and save Nineveh.

We have been wicked, the king says. Let us repent and change our ways and maybe God will have compassion and change his mind and not destroy us.

Do you find this incredible? The powerful king of this powerful city in Assyria – enemies of God. These people who are so wicked they get God’s attention and He threatens to destroy them. These people who do not worship Yahweh. These people hear a half-hearted message delivered by a reluctant Jonah and somehow they recognize that God has spoken and they repent. The whole nation repents.

When God sees how the people of Nineveh respond -

    Not just that they fast and put on sackcloth

         Not just that they repent.

               But that they sincerely turn from their evil ways

                    That their hearts change.

                             God has compassion on them.

                                He does not bring upon them the destruction that he threatened.

                                         God saves them.

                                    God’s mercy is greater than God’s wrath.

When the pagans in Nineveh hear a word from the LORD

Even a word from a reluctant prophet,

     They listen.

         They repent.

               And they turn to God.

As a result of Jonah’s obedience to God’s call comes unexpected change that is life-giving and life-saving to the Ninevites. Not only is their city – and each of them – not destroyed by God; but God changes their hearts; he transforms them.

How might God be trying to use you or use our church? Has He called you to be the deliverer of a message from Him? Or perhaps you are the person waiting for a word from God; needing a word from God. How will you receive the message? God is in the life-giving, life-saving business. He looks to the heart. His mercy is greater than His wrath. Are we open to receive it?    Amen.

Running From God

Rev. Debbie Cato

Jonah 1 & Romans 14:1-12

Peace Presbyterian Church

Preaching Series on Jonah – Week 1

June 7, 2015

Running from God

A prophet is someone called by God to deliver a message to God’s people. 

 Often times -

       Although not always

                 The message is a message about disobedience and the Lord’s anger and displeasure.  A plea for the people to repent or be punished.

And so as you would expect, The prophetic books of the Bible are the Oracles or messages of the prophets to the people of their time.

      Books like Isaiah; Jeremiah; Ezekiel.

          But Jonah is different.

                 It too is a prophetic book; Jonah was a prophet of God.

But the Book of Jonah does not relate oracles as the other prophetic books do.

     The Book of Jonah is telling a story.

          If you grew up in Sunday school,

      you probably learned the story about Jonah – although,

           you may have learned it a little bit different than scripture tells it

                Jonah is a popular children's Bible story.

Take out the Bible in your pew and turn to page 752.  As you can see, Jonah is a very short book.  Four chapters.   A total of 48 verses.   Jonah is an action packed book.

It's filled with drama, and intrigue, and suspense….. and moral lessons.  I thought it would be fun for us to look at it for a few weeks.  It’s more than just a children’s Sunday school story.  It’s a story that we can all relate to as adults today and it has lessons for us to learn.

So today, we are going to look at the first chapter. Follow along with me as I read Jonah 1.

We really don’t know much about Jonah. He’s introduced to us simply as “Jonah, the son of Amittai” and one day, the word of the LORD comes to him. Perhaps he’s sitting drinking his morning coffee, or sitting in his easy chair reading the newspaper after a long day. We don’t know. We simply know that God comes to him and says,  “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it,  because its wickedness has come up before me.”

Nineveh was the capital of Assyria – an enemy of Israel. It was a city great in size and strength and status. The way of life in Nineveh was unacceptable to God – he calls it wickedness.  After all they are a great enemy of God’s people.  

     And it is to this place

        to this enemy of Israel

             that God tells Jonah to go

Well….

God doesn’t just tell him to go to Nineveh

     He tells him to go and preach against it to tell them they are being wicked  to tell them that God is going to destroy their great city

And….. well…..

Jonah does not want to go!

Who can blame him?! Jonah does not want to go to the capital of a powerful, wicked enemy and tell them to change their ways. Go figure!! So what does Jonah do?  “Jonah runs away from the LORD and heads for Tarshish.”   Jonah runs away from the LORD! Jonah disobeys God and instead of going to Nineveh, he runs away from God and heads for Tarshish.

Now we might laugh at that. I mean, that sounds pretty dumb doesn’t it?! Thinking you can run away from God.

But who of us has not run from God in our life? How many times has God asked something of you, that you decided not to do? How many times have you felt a nudge and ignored it? You see, each time we are disobedient to God – just like Jonah – we in effect, run away from God. Who of us has not done that?

God sends Jonah to Ninevah – east of where Jonah lives and Jonah heads in the opposite direction – Jonah goes west toward Tarshish. He probably figured God would never find him there! Jonah goes to Joppa which was a port city, buys a fare, gets aboard a ship and sails for Tarshish. I’ll hide there, he thinks. Jonah’s on the run!

But then…. Then...

The LORD sends a violent storm on the sea that threatens to break up the

ship. I’m thinking Jonah’s plan didn’t work! There’s no running away from God! God knows exactly where Jonah is! God strikes back against Jonah’s  disobedience.

But here's the thing that we need to pay attention to.

     Jonah's disobedience doesn’t affect only Jonah.

It affects the sailors on the boat he boarded.

                                   His disobedience puts every life on that boat at risk.

We need to remember that our disobedience; our sin, affects other people. Who do we unintentionally (or intentionally) hurt when we disobey God?

The sailors, who are surely used to storms at sea, know that something is up.

They are terrified. The sea is violent and they cry out to their own gods for help. The ship is rocking and rolling about.

The waves are banging against the sides of the ship.

The water rolls over the ship soaking everything in the way;                

threatening to pull it into the sea.

They throw cargo overboard hoping to lighten the ship so that it can ride higher on the tumultuous sea.  But nothing works. The storm gets harsher and harsher.

And where is Jonah? Their only passenger is below deck – sleeping. The captain is outraged. “Get up here and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us and we will not die!”

Jonah –

     Who has run away from God in disobedience is told by the captain of the ship

           to call on his god to calm the sea.

We are good at that aren't we? We run away from God in disobedience only to run to God when we are in trouble; crying to God to help us? We want God in our lives when we need him, but we don't want to give up the control of our lives; our ideas; our thoughts and be submissive to God' plans for our lives.

Well. Jonah is caught. The sailors throw one question after another at him until finally, Jonah identifies himself as the one who has brought on the evil. It is his God who is causing the storm. The God he fears. The God he thought he ran away from. But Jonah does more. He proclaims to them the all-encompassing power of God. He tells them, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, The God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”

Yet, Jonah still doesn't really understand the power of God, does he? After all, he thought he could run away from him. But these pagan sailors understand. They get the sovereignty of the Lord. They are terrified and they say to Jonah, “What have you done?” What have you done?

The sea continues to get rougher and rougher and rougher. God is mad at Jonah and because of his disobedience, everyone who is with Jonah on that ship is suffering. “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?” they ask him.

The sailors are not interested in punishing Jonah. They are not out to get Jonah because of the chaos he has caused. “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?” They just want to quiet the sea which continues to get more and more dangerous.

Jonah tells them to pick him up and hurl him into the sea. If he is thrown

into the wild sea, it will quiet down he says. It is my fault God has brought on

this great storm. He is mad at me.

That sounds noble of Jonah doesn’t it? It’s my fault. Throw me over and save

yourselves. Of course, Jonah doesn’t offer to jump over, does he? 

    But if he gets thrown over -

         If the sailors do the dirty work for him

            surely he will die and he STILL won’t have to go to Nineveh!

                 Jonah is STILL running from God!

                        He is still thinking about himself!

But, the sailors don’t want to throw Jonah into the turbulent sea. They do not want him to die. They row and row and row trying harder and harder to get to land. Yet their strength is no match for the sea – or for God. Seeing no other way, they pray to the LORD – to Jonah’s God. Let me say that again. The pagan sailors pray to the LORD for forgiveness and throw Jonah overboard and immediately…..

Immediately…. The raging sea becomes calm. The storm is over.  And then; this is amazing - the sailors make a sacrifice to the LORD and worship him. The sailors are converted as a result of Jonah's disobedience! God will use even our disobedience to achieve his plan. (pause)

And, Jonah. Well, Jonah doesn’t get his way again!

     He does not die.

          God saves Jonah from drowning.

God provides a great fish that swallows Jonah whole. Jonah is saved by a fish and Jonah lives inside that fish for three days and three nights.

God calls Jonah

     Jonah is disobedient

         He’s self-centered

             He’s rebellious

                 He runs away from God.  Or at least tries to!

                       Jonah never repents. 

                                  It wasn't Jonah who prayed to the Lord for forgiveness.

                                          But God saves Jonah anyway.

                                                   He sends a fish to swallow him!

Jonah intends to die so he will not have to face God.  

      God saves Jonah’s life by sending a fish to swallow him!

           God preserves Jonah for his assignment!

Now, that's a story!

The good news is: we cannot hide from God. When we are deep in the darkness, lost and afraid, God will find us. The bad news is: we cannot hide from God! When we don't like what he's calling us to do or calling us to be; we cannot run away. God will find us. God will accomplish what God wants to accomplish. Amen.

Giving Up Expectations

Debbie Cato

Genesis 12:1-4 and John 3:1-17

Peace Presbyterian Church

May 31, 2015

Giving up Expectations

When Jessica was 7 or 8 years old, she planned her wedding. She was going to get married in our church and our minister, Pastor Sheryl would do the ceremony. Her wedding would be in June. She would have 3 bridesmaids who would wear pink dresses. She also chose the music that would play at her wedding – all her favorite songs. Everything was planned and written out for the day when she got married. She was very excited as she told me about her plans. Everything would be the way she expected it to be.

I listened attentively, enjoying every detail of her plans. When she finished, I innocently asked her one question. “Jessica,” I asked. “What if your husband wants a different song than you want?”

She looked at me, just a little shocked that I would suggest such a thing and then without flinching, she said, “Then, I won’t marry him. I’ll get a different husband.”

Those were her expectations. The place. The minister. The month. The colors. The music. And if her husband-to-be didn’t like it? If he did not meet her expectations, she wouldn’t marry him! Even at 7 years old, Jessica had expectations.

You may not have planned your wedding down to the minute detail at the age of 7 like my daughter did, but I would guess that each of us had expectations of what our life would be like. I would also guess that not too can of us would say that our lives turned out exactly like we expected. I for one never expected to be in a violent marriage and I certainly never expected to be a single parent.

I imagine you had expectations when God called me to be your pastor. Expectations of what I would be like; how I would lead the church. I imagine you had expectations of what our ministry together would look like; expectations of how and what I might learn about the health of this church; the direction we would head. I suspect some of those expectations have been met, but many have not. I know that some of you are disappointed; you are unhappy with me as your pastor. You don’t agree with the direction your session and I sense God is leading us. You expect things to remain the same.

Whether we are 7 years old or 70 years old; we all have expectations.

Look at Abram. Abram and his wife Sarai lived in Haran. Abram was 75 years old. Abram was a wealthy man. He had done well for himself. He had many possessions, large herds, and many people who worked for him. They had no children because Sarai was barren but his nephew Lot was part of their family and Abram’s life was full. At 75 years old, Abram probably expected to live out his life with his wife Sarai, at their home in Haran, doing what they had always done.

And then suddenly, one day, the completely unexpected happens to Abram. God speaks to him. God speaks to him and says, “Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

Not what Abram expected. I doubt it was what Sarai expected. She was 75 years old too! I’m sure there were some conversations between Abram and his wife about their pending move. But, they let go of their own expectations for their lives; expectations for their future. Abram, soon to be renamed Abraham by God, follows God's call to leave his homeland and travel to the place God promises to his descendants, even though he and Sarai didn't know how it would all work out.

Throughout Scripture we see people whose expectations get thrown in their face. I wonder if Moses expected the journey out of Egypt to take 40 years? I wonder if the Israelites expected to see their beloved City destroyed? I wonder if teen-aged Mary expected to become pregnant by the Holy Spirit and give birth to the Christ Child; the Messiah?

And then there’s this man Nicodemus whom we are introduced to in the Gospel of John. Nicodemus; a Pharisee. Think about what you know about the Pharisees. They weren’t big fans of Jesus, were they? And yet, Nicodemus, a member of the Pharisees is intrigued with Jesus. He wants to spend time with him. Nicodemus is a man who wants to know more. He is a man of standing and authority – a member of the ruling council.

Nicodemus has a big stake in the established religious order that Jesus so openly and drastically attacks by his actions and his words. And yet, Nicodemus comes to Jesus because he wants to know more. He risks a lot to come see Jesus. Nicodemus is curious, but cautious. He comes at night so that no one would see him.

Nicodemus comes to Jesus and he says, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." He has expectations of who this Jesus is. He has expectations of what this Jesus will say.

But Jesus doesn’t reply the way Nicodemus expects he will. Jesus doesn’t praise Nicodemus for believing in the signs that Jesus brings; for believing that Jesus is a teacher sent from God. Jesus doesn’t engage Nicodemus in a religious discussion as the Pharisees might hold in the temple. Instead, Jesus response completely bewilders Nicodemus. He doesn’t understand. It’s outside his sphere of knowledge. It doesn’t meet his expectations. Three times Nicodemus says, “How can this be?”

Jesus says, “I’m not what you expect, Nicodemus. I’m about new life. I’m about God doing a new thing. God has acted out of love – reaching out to the unlovely and the unloveable. God’s love is known to you because he has given me; His only Son so that whoever believes might have life. It’s not what you expect.”

Nicodemus expects something from Jesus but instead, Jesus tells him something unexpected; something new. Jesus tells him about grace. Grace isn’t something that the Pharisees and the keepers of the law know about.

No wonder that when Nicodemus talks to Jesus, he has a hard time understanding. He’s used to thinking in terms of religious laws. Grace is  something entirely new. It’s nothing he’s heard of before. It’s outside his range of understanding. It doesn’t meet his expectations. It’s better!

Perhaps God has something very different planned for this church; for our ministry together than what you… or I, might be expecting. Perhaps God has something better planned! Maybe God doesn't intend for everything to stay the same. Maybe God doesn't intend for us to become so inward focused that when the last person dies, the doors are locked. Maybe the Holy Spirit wants to breathe new life into this church. Maybe we need to give up our expectations and allow the Holy Spirit to work through us and in this church. After all, it is Christ’s church. It doesn’t belong to us. No matter what we do, God will do the work that God has planned in the way that God has planned to do it.

Of course the risk is that it won’t meet your expectations; that it won’t meet my expectations. The risk is, it might be different. But just like God’s plans for Abram when he gave up his expectations; just like Mary when she gave up her expectations, and just like Nicodemus when he gave up His expectations and learned about God’s grace and love for the world; we may discover that God’s expectations are far greater and far grander for His Kingdom than ours could ever be.

Sometimes we just can’t know what’s going on or what’s coming next. God doesn't guarantee any specific future. But we can trust that God will be with us through whatever circumstances we face and that God will work through us to bring about His kingdom.

Do You Recognize This Church?

Rev. Debra Cato
Peace Presbyterian Church
Acts 2:41-47 Pentecost Sunday
May 24, 2015

Do You Recognize This Church?

All those who welcomed Peter’s message that day were baptized. The Greek translates this as “gladly received.” All those who gladly received Peter's message that day were baptized. Three thousand. Three thousand persons believed and were baptized. Three thousand persons from the crowd that had gathered. Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome ¹¹ (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arab. Three thousand people who did not speak the same language heard and believed. Three thousand people from different cultures; different environments; different backgrounds. Three thousand new believers joined the 120, devoting themselves to the apostles teaching; devoting themselves to spending time with one another; breaking bread together; praying.

The Holy Spirit breathed new life into these people and immediately three thousand new believers embodied the gospel. The Holy Spirit filled them with a longing to learn more about this new way of being; this hope in Jesus the Christ. Filled with the Holy Spirit these new believers yearned to be in community with other believers. Filled with new life, three thousand new believers earnestly prayed together. They praised and worshiped God in all that they did. We are told that they were filled with great joy; that they had generous hearts – hearts of humility and simplicity. They stood out from the world around them and their joy and fervor for the Lord was attractive. So attractive that day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

The number of believers grew exponentially. It did not matter that they were from different nations. It did not matter that they spoke different languages; had different customs; different traditions. The Holy Spirit made them one. The Holy Spirit turned this diverse group of individuals into the Body of Christ.

They wanted to go beyond what they learned from Peter’s sermon; from the words that first convicted them. So the new believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teachings. They wanted to know the implications and applications of the good news beyond the new church. They persevered in learning more about Jesus and they attached themselves to those called to teach. They spent time together so that they could learn from one another. They wanted to share the good news they were coming to understand with others. They wanted to know what this sudden transformation meant for their everyday lives back home. They wanted to understand what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

What does being filled with the Holy Spirit mean for you;
for your everyday life? For the life of this church?

The Holy Spirit produced Koinonia in and through the new believers. Koinonia is a Greek word that primarily means fellowship. It means sharing in common with one another. Koinonia means communion. Here in Acts 2 is the first of 20 occurrences of the word Koinonia in the New Testament. Twenty times Koinonia is taught in the Epistles; the Letters of the New Testament. Koinonia and the Community of Believers goes hand in hand.

Koinonia means more than having coffee together after church and catching up with friends. It means inviting people in – those who are strangers and those who are different than us. It means putting others before ourselves. It means everyone's needs are met. It means a deep communion with others.

     What would true Koinonia look like here at Peace Presbyterian? 

             How might it change our life as a Community of Believers?

                      Who might we be excluding that we should including?

We learn that after that first day of Pentecost, ^“All the believers were together and had everything in common. When someone had a need, they sold what they had to help the person out. No one was allowed to be in need among them. We are told that every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. Together they learned and they prayed and they grew in their faith. The Believers from Jerusalem opened up their homes and welcomed the out-of-towners in. They broke bread and ate together not because they were good friends but because they were brothers and sisters in Christ.

They loved and supported one another. Everyone was included – no one was left out. They challenged behaviors that did not fit in their new life. They encouraged one another to grow and be transformed. They laughed and cried together. They appreciated their differences and worked through challenges, knowing that it was Christ that brought them together. It was Christ they had in common. They prayed together. This was a different kind of community. A community empowered by the Holy Spirit. Because of this, “outsiders” noticed the sense of true community in the believers and they were drawn to it. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

How are we doing? How are we doing in our worship; in our fellowship and care for one another? How do we do welcoming newcomers to our church and to the faith? How is the prayer life of this church? Is our church held in high regard in the larger community? Would the community even notice if we closed our doors?

“How could this be?” you might be thinking. How could these very diverse believers pool their resources so that they could care for each other? How could they spend all their time in worship, in learning, in fellowship, in prayer? How could they break bread with glad and generous hearts? How could these believers behave in ways that strengthened the church and helped it grow? How could they behave in such a way that great numbers continued to be attracted to the truth?

Luke tells us that they prayed together. They prayed for good and generous hearts. They prayed for wisdom and guidance and strength. They prayed for one another; not just surface prayers but prayers for well-being; that God would guide them and lift them up. They prayed for their community, for the work of the apostles. They remembered to whom they belonged. They remembered that it was only through the power of the Holy Spirit that their own lives had been transformed. And one result of all their prayers was that they had “the goodwill for all the people.” Goodwill even for those who had not yet embraced Christianity. The community of Christians was a bright spot in the community.

How are we doing? Do you spend time in prayer? Do you pray for the church, for people in the church? Do you pray that God would continue to stretch and grow your faith? Do you pray that you would be open to the moving of the Holy Spirit? While the church has a primary responsibility to help us in our life of faith, we as individual Christians always have a responsibility to our church to help it be a place where the things Peter outlined — the preaching of repentance, baptism, and seeking the Holy Spirit — happen. The church, with our help, should also ensure that the practices of the early converts — worship, fellowship, caring for one another, common goals in mission and ministry, an active prayer life among the membership, a thorough Christian education for newcomers and members alike are carried out.

You can't help but notice that a fundamental element of Pentecost is astonishment. Our God is a God of astonishment. Think about the disciples – the first apostles of the church. No one expected anything more from them: after Jesus' death they were a small, insignificant group from Galilee. But then, an unexpected event happened that astounded a crowd of people. They were astounded because each of them heard the disciples speaking in their own tongues, telling of the great works of God. Only minutes before, they were cowardly, but now they speak with courage and candor, with the freedom of the Holy Spirit. And when Peter opened his mouth and preached the first sermon, three thousand people believed.

How does the Spirit of God astonish you? How does it astonish us? How are we alive and astounding the community around us?

Jews from all the nations of the world were gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost that day; to commemorate the day that God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mt. Sinai. But the God of Moses is always on the move. He is always doing something different. And so The Holy Spirit surprised them that morning.

The Holy Spirit anointed three thousand unsuspecting people. The passage from Acts 2 says, "Without warning... It filled the whole building... the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks." They didn't look for the Spirit. It came upon them without warning. As a result, their lives were forever changed. They became believers and they were baptized. But that wasn’t the end of the story. The Holy Spirit changed them; it transformed them. And so they stayed behind. These new believers from every nation stayed in Jerusalem and they devoted them-selves to the apostles teaching, to fellowship and breaking bread with one another; and to prayer.

These early believers had a deep sense of awe. They were inspired by the evidence of God’s power and presence through the many signs and wonders He was performing through the apostles. They knew that their Lord was still with them. They knew that He was powerfully at work among them.

What about you? Do you have a deep sense of awe for the presence and power of God around us? Do you believe that the Lord is still with work? Working through us? Do you believe that the Holy Spirit might be about to astound us? To surprise us? To do something new in and through us?

Friends, we have the gift of the very presence of Christ, living within us – as individual believers and as the Body of Christ. Although we may not see tongues of fire or hear violent winds or begin speaking in foreign languages during our worship service this morning, the power of the Holy Spirit has been given to us as the body of Christ. Do you believe this? Do you trust this is so?

Let’s walk in confidence and truth and live into what it means to be His Church; to be followers of Christ; filled with His Spirit. And may we trust and believe that God’s Spirit will give us the same boldness and courage that was given to the disciples and believers on that first Pentecost, over 2,000 years ago as we continue to be witnesses to the good news to the ends of the earth.

Let us pray: Holy Loving God. Thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit. Thank you for this reminder of that first Day of Pentecost and the power and might that came upon the early church. Help us to remember that we – your Church today, have this same power, this same truth, this same presence. Transform us into all that you have called us and want us to be. In your Son’s Holy name we pray. AMEN.