Pentecost All Age Sermon

Acts 2.1-21 (John 7.37-39)

(Gospel is read in different languages)

(Children gather at front)

Imagine Pentecost sights and sounds – LET”S MAKE sound of a rushing violent wind! (Rattles, shakers, everything!!!) Imagine also seeing tongues of fire on the disciples’ heads!?!

ACTUALLY Bible says “a sound LIKE the blowing of a violent wind” and “what seemed to be tongues of fire” – the writer of Acts is seeing and hearing something too unusual and amazing to describe!

WE TEND TO FOCUS on these spectacular effects which were signs of the coming of the Holy Spirit coming BECAUSE we want people to know Church isn’t boring (or hasn’t always been boring) – it can be as exciting as any theme park or Hollywood film!!

BUT it wasn’t these SFX which impressed the crowds – Jews & others from all over Roman Empire – after all the signs happened INSIDE the house where the disciples had been waiting and praying.

It was what happened AFTERWARDS which was really amazing, as we will see …

The HS is a very special gift which was given to the Church at Pentecost (7 weeks after the first Easter). The Spirit was given first to the disciples (give out envelopes of balloons & pens to the kids & get them to look inside)

But this was NOT because God wanted to make a special little group of people with a secret gift. It was for the OPPOSITE reason – because God is INCLUSIVE – God wants to bring everyone under his gentle kingdom rule, in which, as Jesus said, “his yoke is easy and his burden light”. This is GOOD NEWS not just for Jewish people, or people of a particular racial or religious background, not just for intelligent people or people who have lived perfect lives, but for EVERYONE!

(Now send children to “choir pews” with balloons - God’s good news - and pens. Written instruction for them with adult help is to blow up balloons and write on each one ‘Jesus loves you’ in different languages, and a picture of a cross or a fish).

While they are doing this…

The importance of the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was that the followers of Jesus, under the control of the Spirit (or Helper) are enabled to tell the good news of the Kingdom in a way which can be understood by all kinds of people.

This should challenge us – in an age when the gospel doesn’t seem to be having much impact in our society and where the Church’s teaching seems archaic, irrelevant or unintelligible to most of our neighbours.

What IS the Gospel?
If we are going to turn things around we need two things so that the Gospel is heard by the people around us in a language they can understand – FIRST to be clear about what ‘the Good News’ IS… and I think we overcomplicate it – I’m as guilty as anyone.

The message Jesus actually preached is simply:-

‘Repent for the kingdom of God is here’.

He taught a lot of other things, but all based on that simple message. The kingdom of God has come in Jesus… and if people will live as citizens of that kingdom here and now, in this world, they can undermine and heal all that is wrong and ungodly and sick and dangerous about the world system that human beings have made.

‘Repent for the kingdom of God is here’ … or to put it another way ‘Think again, because the vision of God has been made achievable’.

Spread the Good News
Now Jesus made it clear to the disciples that their task was to take this good news to all people and all countries. In fact he said (Acts 1.8) that they would be his witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. That’s a big task! If these (empty) balloons represent the good news, let’s try to hit them to the four corners of the Church (including the balcony) using a tennis racquet (one of our tennis players to help!)

That didn’t work too well – why not? No air! Yes, the balloons need to be filled, and with the right stuff – not helium or they would go straight up into the sky (or make us speak with funny voices).

We need the Holy Spirit

SO, as well as learning again the simple, pure message of Jesus we also need to pray for the Holy Spirit to come and fill our lives as the lives of those first disciples were filled. Just like the balloons I gave the children need to be filled with air – otherwise they just DON’T WORK – they CAN’T DO what they were made to do!

SOMETHING I often hear from people is that they don’t think they are good enough or clean enough to be filled with the Holy Spirit, but the Bible’s promise is that the Spirit will be poured out on ALL people. God doesn’t wait until we are good enough – which will never happen – the work of spreading his love is far too important for that… (if you don’t believe me, read Acts 10 later!)

So HOW did the disciples get filled with the HS? It was an act of God, outside their control but THEIR PART was to

• Gather together
• Pray expectantly
• Be patient

None of which come naturally to us. But unless we do them we are unlikely to be filled with the HS or equipped for our task…

Like the disciples we need to be able to SHOW and TELL the good news of Jesus in language that can be understood by people outside the Church. In deeds as well as words… acts of service which go the extra mile, acts of welcome and hospitality and kindness which break down barriers of suspicion, and new ways of communicating truth which are not limited by history.

(Now the balloons can be batted from person to person until they are in all parts of the church)

Let these balloons remind us of the work of the Holy Spirit, taking God’s love and truth and mercy to all corners of the world, all races and languages and nations!

Conclusion

What happened at Pentecost was essential to the progress of God’s kingdom. The signs of the Spirit were spectacular – showing people that something very important was happening – but the EFFECT of the Spirit was more important and still is – GOD’S LOVE WAS BEING MADE AVAILABLE TO EVERYBODY.

FINALLY let’s use those words from John’s gospel as a prayer for a fresh outpouring of the HS on us so that God can work through us and take his love, his good news to the world with boldness and power.

Jesus says to us… ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.

AMEN!!!