a pearl downunder: 20180527

Psalm 104:24-35

Philippians 4:4-9

Traditionally today is the day we try and get our heads around what it means to worship a triune God: God the creator, redeemer and sanctifier, or God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, or many other wordings.

This year I am not even going to attempt to explain the Trinity to you, today we are celebrating Pentecost again. We celebrated Pentecost last Sunday, as we heard about the spirit being made real in the lives of those gathered with the apostles in Jerusalem. We pondered where the fire of the Holy Spirit was active in our lives, and where we might need to allow the spirit to blow life into the embers.

This morning we are again thinking about the action of the Holy Spirit. It can be easy for us to think of the dramatic events in Acts 2, with the Spirit coming in tongues of fire and roaring winds and thunder as the first time the Spirit was given to people or was active in the world, but that is not the case.

Back in the beginning of Genesis, we read:

In the beginning God
created the heavens
    and the earth.
The earth was barren,
    with no form of life;
it was under a roaring ocean
    covered with darkness.
But the Spirit of God
    was moving over the water.[i]

In 1 Samuel:

Samuel poured the oil on David’s head while his brothers watched. At that moment, the Spirit of the Lord took control of David and stayed with him from then on.[ii]

And in Ezekiel

The Lord said, “Ezekiel, son of man, I want you to stand up and listen.” After he said this, his Spirit took control of me and lifted me to my feet.^{^[iii]}

So, what has all this to do with us?

Would you walk up to the Queen of England and start talking with her? It is unlikely you would get past the security detail, and what would you talk with her about?

As the people of God, we get to speak to God, without going through a metal detector, or having to make an appointment.

I like the book of Psalms:
it is very real and gritty in places,
it contains songs and poems
it covers a wide range of emotions and life situations.

The part of the Psalm we heard this morning, is full of images about creation. There is a sense of awe and wonder.

Notice that the Psalmist is addressing God, not talking about God. The Psalmist continually refers to God as you, here are a few examples:

· Our Lord, by your wisdom

· You created all of them by your Spirit,
and you give new life to the earth.

· As long as I live, I will sing and praise you, the Lord God.

The Psalmist is not giving a lesson on the creation, the Psalmist is speaking to God, to the creator, about the wonder and beauty of the world, recognising God’s care for all the creatures of the earth.

Talking to God, rather than about God, takes courage and faith. The Psalm section this morning isn’t all nice and sweet:

“I hope my thoughts will please you,
because you are the one who makes me glad.
Destroy all wicked sinners from the earth once and for all.
With all my heart I praise you, LORD! I praise you!”

Psalms,

· Earthy
· Real
· Honest
· There is no pretending or being careful
· It is an outpouring of joy and an acknowledgement of the imperfection of the world.[iv]

In the section of the letter of Paul to the Philippians that we heard this morning, we are encouraged to live in the reality of the kingdom of God.

Paul is in prison when he writes this letter, yet he reminds the people in the church at Philippi, to rejoice, to pray, to give thanks. This might sound ridiculous; how can we always be joyful?

“Paul is holding two realities in view at the same time.”[v] We live in a world where despair and anxiety, pain and prison are real, and at times overwhelming. We also live in God’s world, a world of beauty, a world of promise and peace.

I know for myself, at times it can be difficult to live into the kingdom of God. It is not always easy to focus on ‘whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper.’ To keep ‘thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise.’

I can look in the garden at home and focus on the weeds, or I can focus on the beauty of the plants and flowers and see homes for birds and insects.

We can look at the community and focus on domestic violence, homelessness, drug abuse, and ….; or we can focus on the good work done by so many groups, such as Mary Macs and Coast Shelter.

In the creation story, the Spirit was moving over the water.

In our lives, the Spirit is also moving,

· transforming,
· welcoming and
· naming is as children of God.

Focusing on the Kingdom of God, thinking about what is true and pure and holy, does not always come naturally. But, living into the Kingdom of God is not some pipe dream, you don’t need rose tinted glasses.

We live into the Kingdom of God when we allow the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, to transform us.

We live into the Kingdom of God when we

· look for the good in any situation,
· when we focus on God
· when we allow ourselves to be honest about ourselves and about life
· when we rejoice in the Lord whatever our circumstances
· when we give thanks to God
· when we pray, that is speak to God, openly and honestly

“because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.”

Just as Paul lived in two realities so do we. Which reality determines our outlook on life?

[iv] https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=3654

[v] https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=1011

a pearl downunder

Saturday, 26 May 2018

Pentecost part 2