A Transformed People of God

This is a Sermon I originally gave Pentecost Sunday (May 19th, 2013) at Steinmann Mennonite Church.

Ten days after Jesus ascended into heaven, the disciples were gathered together, waiting, in Jerusalem for a gift that Jesus promised that God would send them.

while they sat waiting, Jews from all around the world were gathering in Jerusalem for Pentecost. Pentecost, or Shavout, as it was known in hebrew, was one of the pilgrimage festivals that Israel Celebrated, marking important points within Israel's story, and responding with an offering

50 days ago we celebrated Easter, Easter took place over Passover, another of these pilgramage festivals. Passover remembers the story in exodus when during the last Plaque, God sent the Angel of Death to Egypt to kill the firstborn children, but because the Hebrews killed lambs, and marked their doors with the blood, the Angel of Death Passed over them, and they were freed from slavery.

The Easter Narrative parralels this story. The entire world was in Bondage to Sin, so God sent his Son Jesus, to die so those who are covered by his blood would be protected from death, and are free from bondage.

But after they were freed from slavery in Egypt, the Hebrews weren't really a nation. They were just a collection of loosely affiliated tribes, following Moses into the Sinai desert. The Jewish holiday of Pentecost remembers the day that, at Mount Sinai, God formed them into a people, fullfiling his promise to Abraham:

"Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him."

God turned the 2 Million Hebrews, Abraham's descendants into Israel, by giving them a gift. A gift that would teach them the right way to live, a gift that would govern their lives, and define them as a people. Something that to this day Judaism regards as more important than anything else on earth: Torah

Torah, or The Law was gift given to the newly formed People of Israel as a way to bring them into right relationship with God. By following economic, policical, dietary, and lifestyle patterns that were different from the people around them, the formed a national Identity, which protected them from cultural erosion by their myriad of neighbours. And even though, as we read on in the Bible, Israel failed at following the commandments, it always served as a rallying cry. When Israel didn't obey God's commandments, and became like their neighbours, worshipping Idols instead of God, God through the prophets call them back to the Law, to relationship with their creator. The Jewish holiday of Pentecost Marks the Birth of Israel, a great and powerful Nation, the Children of God. A nation defined by their heritage as Abraham's Descendants, and by the Law.So now lets return to the Disciples, here are 120 or so people, in the upper room, praying and waiting, Outside, there are Jews from all over the world who have gathered together to celebrate the fact that even though they are scattered accross the known world, they still have the Law, the cornerstone of their Identity.As the Disciples wait, tongues of fire descend on their heads, and they are filled with the Holy Spirit. They begin to pray. At this point they must have left the upper room because they are now in the streets, with the community of Israel, proclaiming the Mighty Works of God.As Peter explains, this is the fulfillment of Joel, the Holy Spirit has been poured out to all people, Young and Old, Rich and poor. The Last Days are here, and everyone is welcome to join in.

God is transforming the People of God.

Now instead of Torah telling us what we have to do to be in right relationship with God, God has sent the Spirit to show us how to Live, to lead and guide us, to walk with us and comfort us.

Israel's mission was to demonstrate to the world the way of Life God has for us, by living according to the law, they demonstrated that God, the creator of the universe wanted them to live differently:

in other Ancient Near east countries, the justice system allowed those more powerful to lord it over those under them. If a member of a lower class somehow took out the eye of someone in a higher class, the injured person could take out both of the perpetrators eyes, as well as I don't know, break their legs and sell their wife and children into Slavery

For Israel, the law is clear, that regardless of what class you are in, the consequences for your actions were are the same. An Eye for an Eye. Israel and it's Laws showed the world around them another way of living

At Pentecost, when the disciples recieved the holy spirit, they, and us by extension, were called to embody a new, transformed world, where we are no longer slaves, captive to a spirit of fear, but rather we are free to choose  today, and every day, to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us, guide us, shape us. The Holy Spirit empowers us to do God's work, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ to everyone we meet. Whether it be relief efforts in Syria, or having coffee with a friend and being that shoulder to cry on.

We are empowered to live differently than the world around us, to show God's love to our neighbours, and to invite them to join us.

When we do this, we are adopted into God's Family, we become children of God, we become heirs with Christ. An Heir cares about their Parent's work because they know one day they will be responsible for it. They are going to inherit that farm, or inherit that factory, and so they work now at making it the best it can be. When they are younger they look to see what their parents do, and find ways of helping out, because they know that their continued well being is dependant on it. We need to look to see what God is doing, and find ways of partnering with God to make the Kingdom of God the best it can be.
While the Jews waited, hoping for a restored, geographically located Israel, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit shows the transnational nature of this transformed people. No longer are we restricted to one place. People from all over the world were hearing the mghty works of God in their own languages. The Kingdom of God is available for you regardless of where you are.
We are called into a new people, God's beloved community. In a world dominated about what's important to me, about what I can do, or what I can get, we are now in a global community of believers, who choose to follow God the creator of the world, Whose primary commandments are to “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ and to ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ It is only together as a united people of God that we are able to do this fully. It's only as a whole that Steinmann Mennonite Church is able to do what we do.My very first day here, I was taken to two organizations that you have supported. I visited the Wilmot Family Resource Centre, which started as a toy library, and now has more programs to build strong healthy families than I would believe possible. I then visited the Interfaith Counselling, an organization that sees the deep wounds that traumatic events cause in people and guides them thro ugh the healing process. I've also seen the work you do at Nithview Mennonite Home, and at the MCC thrift store.

Sure, you can make a difference individually, but because of the network of people that makes up this congregation, we are able to more than what 424 individuals could do by themselves. And even if you don't specifically volunteer somewhere, does not mean that you aren't a part of this group, by supporting those who do, through prayer, finances and fellowship, you enable the church as a whole to do it's work. So continue to find a way that you can support the church to do God's work.

Communion is a way that we act out our unity as the church, when denominations resolve their differences and recognise each other's validity, it's referred to as entering into community with each other.

 In receiving the elements of Holy Communion with faith and prayer we are truly joined to God in Christ and the Spirit, we are truly united with our fellow members in the church in this act of worship, we are truly joined with believers of all times and places who have celebrated the bread and wine in the past. We join together in doing the work of God.


I invite all who wish to be part of this Transformed people of God to join me in the Lord's supper.

Originally posted online at SMChurch.ca