THE POWER TO BE WITNESSES

(Preached on Sunday, May 27, 2007)

AC this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law.@                                                                                            -Acts 2:23

 

Things change in a house when someone new moves in.  Whether it might be the birth of a baby, the arrival of an exchange student, the advent of a foster child, or the coming of an elderly parent needing care, things change.  It=s no different when God moves in.  Things change.  While some of the changes that come with God=s arrival are anticipated and welcome, others are not.  The story of the first Pentecost illustrates this very powerfully.  It was an occasion when God moved into the lives of the first disciples in a new and special way. 

 

Pentecost is a difficult day for many of us in the church. We continually try to domesticate the Holy Spirit in the church because it is so uncontrollable and threatening.  Like this quote from ancient Church Father Cyril of Alexandria who wrote: AThe Spirit comes gently and makes himself known by his fragrance.  He is not felt as a burden, for he is light, very light.  Rays of light and knowledge stream before him as he approaches.  The Spirit comes with the tenderness of a true friend and protector to save, to heal, to teach, to counsel, to strengthen, to console.@  There is some truth there, but it certainly does not convey the truth of the Holy Spirit experienced at Pentecost.

 

The description of the arrival of the Holy Spirit in Acts is much more powerful and frightening.  It is described as arriving with the Arush of a violent wind.@  Next, there is fire.  For those of us in Florida, rushing violent winds and fire are not comforting, encouraging images.  We know the violence and destruction that both can cause.

That is certainly not the intent of the author of this description.  The symbols of wind and fire are often used in the scriptures to speak of the presence of God.  They imply a purifying, transforming power.  In this case they illustrate how the Holy Spirit moves in and changes the disciples, enabling them to begin proclaiming God=s message in powerful, life changing ways.

 

Peter, especially, who just a few weeks before cowered at the suggestion that he might be associated with Jesus, now declares the name of Jesus in the streets.  Pentecost is Peter=s moment.  He stands up to correct the notion that the believers had too much to drink and launches into his first sermon.  In that sermon he pointedly describes how they missed the boat with Jesus, misunderstanding him, and lays at their feet the responsibility for torturing (crucifying) and killing him.  (Not the sort of AGod is love@ sermon most of us want to hear.)  It was a powerful witness, though, for at the end of the sermon the crowd cries out Awhat should we do?!@  Peter tells them to Arepent and be baptized@ and we are told 3,000 of them were.

 

We like to think of God=s Spirit as a beautiful, ethereal feeling that is given to us in quietness and peace.  We like to think of our witness as being a warm, loving, accepting, gentle and peaceful sort of sharing.  But sometimes we need to be confrontational.  Sometimes we need to stand up for what is right.  Sometimes the Holy Spirit burns in us as a fire, purifying and raging against what is wrong.

 

Josh always enjoyed attending church camp each summer.  Over the years, he made friends with boys from other churches in the area.  Josh even convinced some of his friends from school to attend.  AIt will be great,@ he told them.  After he graduated from high school, Josh was asked if he would be a counselor at the church camp that summer.  He immediately agreed and was really looking forward to working at the same camp that had meant so much to him.  The boys he was assigned were active and picked fights with other boys.  The first couple of days it seemed as though Josh did nothing but break up fights.  One boy accused another of stealing his basketball, which was found in one of the other cabins.  This was not what Josh expected.  One evening, after a trying day, Josh called all the boys together.  He told them in no uncertain terms that their fight must stop.  AAnd it must stop now!@ he said.  Then he shared his experiences of attending camp and the friendships he made.  He spoke of all the positive things that could take place if they would stop fighting.  That was a turning point.  From that moment, the boys began cooperating and friendships developed.  Before the week ended several boys made a new commitment to follow Jesus with their lives.  On the last day, one of the boys said he hoped Josh would be his counselor the next summer.  Josh wondered what would have happened had he not spoken up when he did?

 

 Quite possibly souls and lives would have been lost in terms of those young boys and their finding a meaningful connection to God.  This past week it has been laid on my heart that we run a similar risk today if we do not stand up and bear witness against a growing cancerous attitude in our nation.  I am referring to the growing acceptance by our political leadership, by our troops, and by our citizens of the use of torture on enemy prisoners.

 

In early May news services carried stories about a Pentagon study that found many of the U.S. Marines and soldiers in Iraq would support torture in attempts to get strategic information and would not report on a comrade for killing or wounding civilians.  Plus, in a recent debate of the Republican candidates for President all but two made statements supporting the use of torture, or Aenhanced interrogation techniques@ for the purpose of securing information from enemy combatants.  One of those two who spoke against it was Senator John McCain, a former Viet Nam War POW who has personally experienced torturel.  Two of the candidates, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romnney, announced that they intend to withdraw the U.S. from the U.N. Convention against torture!  Even more disturbing are the two candidates who make the most out of their faith as Christians, Senator Brownback and Governor Huckabee, expressing great enthusiasm for torture.

 

That is just wrong.  I have heard so-called preachers on television argue that Athese people are out to kill us and destroy our way of life@ and therefore justify that whatever our government must do to protect us is acceptable.  But there is no way one can defend torture as consistent with Christian ethics with any integrity.

 

Judaism and Christianity are biblical faiths that have a profound respect for the human body.  Genesis tells us God created the human body out of the dust of the earth and blew the Spirit of God into the human being to bring it to life.  The Psalmist=s proclaim that we are Afearfully and wonderfully made.@  Judaism celebrates the passions, desires, and sensory glory of the human flesh and is a faith concerned with issues of hunger, shelter, clothing, the ethical treatment of all people.

 

The core belief of Christianity is the incarnation C the idea that God took on human flesh in the person of Jesus the Christ C to live as one of us, fully experiencing and fully blessing, human flesh.  The belief in the incarnation makes sacred all human flesh, all human bodies.  The apostle Paul reminded the Corinthians of this truth when he wrote to them: AYou must know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is within C the Spirit you have received from God.  You are not your own.  You have been purchased and at a price!  So glorify God in your body.@  That would include in how we treat other bodies.