Sunday, May 15, 2016

1st draft, sermon, "Keep the Candle Burning", by Pastor Ruth Foss, Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church, Patten, ME, May 15, 2016, Pentecost Sunday



May 15, 2016
Stetson Memorial UMC
Pentecost Sunday
Sermon Series:
“When in doubt. . . read the instructions”
Be One in the Spirit
(What did Jesus instruct His disciples then and now. . . ?)
Acts 2:1-21
1 Corinthians 12:1-13
Psalm 104:2-35


“Keep the Candle Burning. . . ”

Prayer for God’s Word to be heard through me or in spite of me. . .

Do you remember when all of those forest fires were happening in California in 2014? There were over a thousand forest fires. I there was a drought at that time and it just seemed that no matter what they did they couldn’t get these costly. . . deathly. . . fires at bay. It is hard to believe that a little spark. . .  a little spot that was dry but the heat of the sun made it begin to smolder. . . could just run out of control the way it did. . .

Today is Pentecost Sunday. It is a day that we celebrate another fire that went out of control. It is the day that the church was birthed in the midst of fire. . . a holy fire sent down from God onto all who believed. This is one of my favorite days in the Christian Calendar. Usually Ray has to bring bungee cords to tether me. . .  I love this day because it was and is that spark that has set me on fire for God.  Let’s read that account that is in the book of Acts, chapter 2 verses 1-21.
Read scripture. . .
Speak about hot and cold. . . lukewarm believers. . .
But as we think about the Holy Spirit and how it makes us one with all other believers I must ask these questions. . .
1.    Are we really one in the Spirit?
2.    Are we really on fire for God or has that spark be doused with the stagnant water of the world?

We are all on a reading journey as we read the instructions that Jesus gave the first disciples and what He intended all to follow to do. We gathered knowledge that we need to be Christ Ambassador’s in a world in need of a Savior. We are called to take His example, His instructions and follow them. Some of the instructions may not be words but I think it was mostly by His actions that Jesus modeled His disciples. Now if have forgotten your bible this morning, there are some in the pews. I want us each to look up the instructions. . . for ourselves. . . instead of me reading them to you. Hey. . . I have a great idea. Let’s continue to read God’s word even though our series has reached its climax. . . you never know what will happen. Maybe we will be transformed by the Word of God. . .

We have now come to the last week of this wonderful reading journey together. So. . . where have we been so far? The first instruction was Go, tell. The next were stay. . . wait. . . witness (stay where they were and to wait for the Holy Spirit, then to witness to and for Him all over the world). Another is touch. . . heal. How about “Beware. . . don’t worry”. . . now that is a hard one when we see them as too different to be included? And then there is one of my favorites. . . “Don’t Argue, Agree to Disagree.” We need to unite together so that we can see God’s Kingdom Come and His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven all heaven is in agreement so is should be on earth. . .  And next was about our eternal life and also about the life of abundance we can enjoy now. . . on earth. . . ”Live, now and forever”. . .

 Jesus knew how we “humans” acted and thought. Remember He was fully human and fully Divine. So the next thing. . . the next instruction was Be One In the Spirit. What does that mean to be one in the spirit. . . how would that look?

In one of Paul’s letters to the people of Corinth he talked about the Oneness of the Spirit. . . he scripture I am talking about is found in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verses 1-13. . .  Let’s read that passage together about this oneness of the Spirit. . .
Read scripture. . .
Corinthians 12:1-13Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Diversity of Spiritual Gifts
12 Now concerning what comes from the Spirit:[a] brothers, I do not want you to be unaware. 2 You know that when you were pagans, you used to be led off to the idols that could not speak. 3 Therefore I am informing you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
4 Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are different activities, but the same God activates each gift in each person.[b] 7 A demonstration of the Spirit is given to each person to produce what is beneficial:
8 to one is given a message of wisdom
through the Spirit,
to another, a message of knowledge
by the same Spirit,
9 to another, faith by the same Spirit,
to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit,
10 to another, the performing of miracles,
to another, prophecy,
to another, distinguishing between spirits,
to another, different kinds of languages,
to another, interpretation of languages.
11 But one and the same Spirit is active in all these, distributing to each person as He wills.
Unity Yet Diversity in the Body
12 For as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by[c] one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
Speak from the Spirit about this scripture. . .

Go, tell. . . stay, wait, witness. . . touch, heal. . .  be on guard, don’t worry. . . don’t argue, agree to disagree. . . Love, the Main Thing. . . Live, Now and Forever. . . Be One In the Spirit these instructions really are as simple as that.

 But we as Christians sometimes forget that we really are one body that should work together. We spend so much time trying to follow the instructions Jesus gave His disciples then and all who will follow that if we ignore His instructions and not follow them to the point of us truly being that image of Christ our commissioning that Christ gave all of His disciples we cannot live them out in our lives. As I have said before. . . there are going to be times when we forget these instructions. One way of remembering is reading God’s Word each day. . . if we spend time daily with the Author of the manual, Immanuel we will have more of a chance of following the instructions for life.

Maybe if we read God’s word. . . if we ponder on His goodness, if we count our blessings. . . maybe just maybe we can ignite that fire again, maybe we can be that body of Christ working together with all of our gifts side by side. But in order to be one. . . we need the fire to ignite us to do so. Here’s my analogy of what happens when tou let the Spirit in. . . the locked door. . .
Let us go forth with our Spirit blazing and setting the entire world around us a blaze in the Spirit. . .  As we follow our calling from God we will begin to see our part in the WHOLE body of Christ rather than just our small piece of the pie. Let us Go forth for God, in the peace of Christ and the strength of the Spirit to be that light bearer in the world with a burning hope inside that is given to us and through us in the Name of our Risen Lord Jesus Christ,

Amen.

May 15, 2016
Stetson Memorial UMC
Pentecost Sunday
Sermon Series:
“When in doubt. . . read the instructions”
Be One in the Spirit
(What did Jesus instruct His disciples then and now. . . ?)
Acts 2:1-21
1 Corinthians 12:1-13
Psalm 104:2-35
and sermon, “Keep the Candle Burning. . . ”
text
  
video

by Pastor Ruth Foss
sermon blog
meditation blog
“God’s Whisper” blog
Children’s Message from Mystery Box

by Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
May 15, 2016
&
May 8, 2016
Stetson Memorial UMC
Sermon Series:
“When in doubt. . . read the instructions”
Live, Now and Forever
(What did Jesus instruct His disciples then and now. . . ?)
Luke 10:25-37
John 3:14-17
Mathew 19:16-22
Psalm 47
and sermon, “Do You Want To Live Forever. . . ?”
text
video
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Children’s Message from Mystery Box
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
May 8, 2016
&
May 1, 2016
Stetson Memorial UMC
Sermon Series:
“When in doubt. . . read the instructions”
Love, the Main Thing
(What did Jesus instruct His disciples then and now. . . ?)
1 Corinthians 13:1-7a
Mark 12:28-32
Psalm 67
The Proof of Your Love by King and Country
sermon, “Love, Is A Many Splendid Thing. . . ”
text:
video
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Children’s Message from Mystery Box
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
May 1, 2016
&
April 24, 2016
Stetson Memorial UMC
Sermon Series:
“When in doubt. . . read the instructions”
Don’t Argue, Agree To Disagree
(What did Jesus instruct His disciples then and now. . . ?)
1 Corinthians 1:10-18
Mark 9:33-35; Matthew 18:18-20
Romans 12:15-17; Philippians 4:1-3;
2 Timothy 2:22-25; Titus 3:8-9
Psalm 148
sermon, “Can We Just Get Along. . . ”
text:
video
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Children’s Message from Mystery Box
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
April 24, 2016
&
April 17, 2016
Stetson Memorial UMC
Sermon Series:
“When in doubt. . . read the instructions”
Beware, Don’t Worry
(What did Jesus instruct His disciples then and now. . . ?)
Mark 13:9-11
Matthew 6:25-34
Psalm 23
Philippians 4:4-7
sermon, “Be Courageous. . . ”
text:
video:
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Children’s Message from Mystery Box
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
April 17, 2016
&
April 10, 2016
Stetson Memorial UMC
Sermon Series:
“When in doubt. . . read the instructions”
(What did Jesus instruct His disciples then and now. . . ?)
Acts 3:1-10 AMP
Mark 6:53-56 AMP
Psalm 30
sermon, “Touch. . .  Heal. . . ”
text:
video:
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Children’s Message from Mystery Box
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
April 10, 2016
&
April 3, 2016
Stetson Memorial UMC
Sermon Series:
“When in doubt. . . read the instructions”
(What did Jesus instruct His disciples then and now. . . ?)
Acts 1:1-14 NKJ
Psalm 150:1-6
sermon, “Stay. . . Wait. . . Witness”
text:
video:
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Children’s Message from Mystery Box
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
April 3, 2016
&
March 27, 2016
Stetson Memorial UMC
Resurrection (Easter) Sunday
Acts 10:34-43 AMP
John 20:1-18 AMP
sermon, “On the Third Day”
text:
video:
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Children’s Message from Mystery Box
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Resurrection (Easter) Sunday
March 27, 2016

All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See all 41,220+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

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