Pastor’s Notes for the Day of Pentecost, ADate: 6/8/14

Theme: Jesus Appears to the Disciples, Rivers of Living Water

Bible Ref’s: Acts 2:1-21 or Numbers 11:24-30; Psalm 104:24-34, 35b; 1Corinthians 12:3b-13; and

John 20:19-23 or John 7:37-39.

Prayer of the Day

O God, on this day you open the hearts of your faithful people by sending into us your Holy Spirit. Direct us by the light of that Spirit, that we may have a right judgment in all things and rejoice at all times in your peace, through Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Brief Sermon Outline: “Puffed-up Christians?”

Focus Stmnt: The Spirit has guided us into the truth of the Gospel—God’s love for the world in J.C.

1. Eldad and Medad were caught doing what looked like unauthorized ministry in the camp—coloring outside the lines. It created such a stir among the elders that one young assistant of Moses (you might even call him a Confirmand) exclaimed, “My lord Moses, stop them!” Moses replied to him, “Would that all the LORD’S people were prophets, & that the LORD would put his spirit on them!”

2. Now I want to come back to what this Confirmand Joshua was worried about (he was actually a young lieutenant in Israel’s army who’d later lead the Israelites into the promised land)—I want to come back to what Joshua was afraid of by Eldad/Medad prophesying in the camp because it’s important for understanding what gets in the way of us living our faith as Christians & as a church.

3. But first, let’s appreciate what Eldad & Medad were doing. In the section just before our OT read-ing, Moses had been complaining that he just couldn’t carry the burden of leading all the people of Israel anymore. “If this is the way you are going to treat me,” Moses complained to God “put me to death at once.” (11:15) So the Lord tells Moses to gather up 70 elders & bring them to the tent of meeting (the place where the ark of the covenant was), and God makes a promise to Moses.

4. “I will take some of the spirit that is on you & put it on them; and they shall bear the burden of the people along with you so that you will not bear it all by yourself.”(11:17) Now Eldad & Medad were among the 70 that Moses selected, but see, they didn’t come to the tent of meeting like the rest of them, they stayed in the camp. Were they deserters? Maybe just wandered off like Sgt. Bergdahl?

5. I think the main thing to realize is that the Lord laid a burden on their hearts to do this new thing Moses had asked them & the Spirit was leading them to do. And it probably took courage b/c this was a new thing the Spirit was compelling them to do, it broke w/ the normal rules for doing things.

6. I prefer to leave it a bit ambiguous what Eldad/Medad’s motives were for staying in the camp; what really matters is that the Spirit burdened them to do the right thing & that the right thing was to pro-phesy in the camp even though others would criticize them for it. That thing happens to us when the Spirit lays a burden on our hearts to color outside the lines, to do ministry in places we other-wise wouldn’t think of going, ministering to people we otherwise would hardly notice or care about.

7. Now Joshua, the young lieutenant in Israel’s army, wasn’t just jealous to protect Moses’ authority. I mean, Moses had been very explicit re: what the Lord wanted: for Moses to select the 70 & have them gather at the tent of meeting. Disobeying the Lordhad deadly consequences on numerous occasions. In fact, Joshua’s strong response suggests that maybe Eldad/Medad weredeserters.

8. But Joshua was also part of Moses’ inner circle of command & control. He’s the one who defeated the Amalekites in Ex. 17; he’d become Moses’ successor leading people into the promised land.

9. Joshua had rank/authority/prestige not only militarily but religiously…In fact, Joshua really had no reason to distinguish between military authority and religious authority. For Joshua, they were the one and the same. Israel’s destiny depended upon religious and military discipline, maintaining Israel’s rules & regulations, its cultural norms & traditions, itspriestly order & chain of command.

10. Now let’s fast-forward some 3000 years to the time of the Reformation. When Luther went up against the hierarchy of the medieval church, he used as a key theological principle the priesthood of all believers—which Luther’s opponents said would lead to all kinds of heresies & violations of official church doctrine & tradition. They were, of course, right—which is precisely how the Spirit (and more precisely, the Gospel of J.C.) works to overcome sin & death, coloring outside the lines.

11. So we see that the outpouring of the spirit that created such a stir in the wilderness of Numbers 11 is a foreshadowing of the priesthood of all believers, the outpouring of the H.S. unleashed on the world at Pentecost —leading to a holy church & a holy people not puffed up with themselves, taking on a holier-than-thou attitude, but a church & a people puffed up w/ the very breath of God—a generous outpouring of grace that Moses/Joshua only vaguely glimpsed & longingly hoped for

12. About this breath of God that puffs up God’s people in a holy way: it is the ruach of God the Father that gives us life (Gen. 1). This breath of God is the peace with which Jesus puffed up his disciples, dispelling their fear, giving them courage (John 20). This breath of God is the rushing wind and the tongues of fire at Pentecost that stirred peoples’ consciences and puffed up the church to proclaim the forgiveness of sins and to declare reconciliation & peace in Jesus’ name.

13.Would that all God’s people bore Christ’s burden of love for the world as the triune God has so generously created, consecrated & commissioned them to do. We are God’s holy people; we are God’s holy church! More than some vague vision or hope for the world, the Holy Spirit has guided us into the truth of the Gospel—God’s steadfast love for the world in Jesus Christ. With our Confirmands today, may we all affirm & celebrate our baptismal promises as a holy people and a holy church whose mission it is to proclaim forgiveness and peace in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hymn of the Day: “Breathe on Me, Breath of God” (LBW #488)

Children’s Sermon

Today is a special day, not only because it’s the birthday of the church (Pentecost), but also because it’s Confirmation Sunday.

To help us celebrate this day, I wanted to teach you all a song that I think many of you already know, but I have a few different words. <take time to teach the song to the kids

On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came down from heaven as Jesus had promised. Jesus said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth…” <use the bulletin insert coloring sheet to help tell the story> So, when the Holy Spirit came down, there was the sound of a loud rushing wind and tongues of fire rested on the people. (I would like you all to color in that rushing wind in this picture—which means you’ll have to color outside the lines. Do the same with the tongues of fire—color outside the lines.) They began to tell about God in all the world’s languages—kind of like all of them singing “He’s God the Whole World in His Hands” but in different languages so that all people could understand.

Let’s pray: God of grace and glory, we thank you for raising Jesus from the dead and for sending your Holy Spirit to guide us into the truth of your love for the whole wide world. Bless our Confirmands today, that they will always remember the truth of your love for them in Jesus Christ, and will learn to share that love with others in Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Word

(Numbers 11:24-30)

So Moses went out and told the people the words of the LORD; and he gathered seventy elders of the people, and placed them all around the tent. 25 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again.

26 Two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the spirit rested on them; they were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. 27 And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, “My lord Moses, stop them!” 29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the LORD’S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit on them!” 30 And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.

(Psalm 104:24-34, 35b)

24 O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.

25 Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great.

26 There go the ships, and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.

27 These all look to you to give them their food in due season;

28 when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.

29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.

30 When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground.

31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works--

32 who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke.

33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.

34 May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD.

35b Bless the LORD, O my soul. Praise the LORD!

(1Corinthians 12:3b-13)

I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Let Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

(John 20:19-23)

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Sermon Notes

In ancient Israel, priests acted as mediators between God and people. They ministered according to God's instruction and they offered sacrifices to God on behalf of the people. Once a year, the high priest would enter the holiest part of the temple and offer a sacrifice for the sins of all the people, including all the priests.

Although many religions use priests, most Protestant faiths reject the idea of a priesthood as a group that is spiritually distinct from lay people. They typically employ professional clergy who perform many of the same functions as priests such as clarifying doctrine, administering communion, performing baptisms, marriages, etc. In many instances, Protestants see professional clergy as servants acting on behalf of the local believers. This is in contrast to the priest, whom some Protestants see as having a distinct authority and spiritual role different from that of ordinary believers.

Most Protestants today recognize only Christ as a mediator between themselves and God (1Timothy 2:5). The Epistle to the Hebrews calls Jesus the supreme "high priest," who offered himself as a perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 7:23–28). Protestants believe that through Christ they have been given direct access to God, just like a priest; thus the doctrine is called the priesthood of all believers. God is equally accessible to all the faithful, and every Christian has equal potential to minister for God. This doctrine stands in opposition to the concept of a spiritual aristocracy or hierarchy within Christianity.

The belief in the priesthood of all believers does not preclude order, authority or discipline within congregations or denominational organizations. For example, Lutheranism maintains the biblical doctrine of "the preaching office" or the "office of the holy ministry" established by God in the Christian Church…Martin Luther adduced it in his writings for the purpose of reforming the Christian Church, and it became a central tenet of Protestantism.

(excerpted from article on “Universal priesthood (doctrine)” on Wikipedia)