WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.040 Are you suspicious of free gifts? Maybe we've been made suspicious by the power of advertising, 00:00:08.040 --> 00:00:13.060 you know, free phone, free data, free internet access. After all, we all love a bargain, don't 00:00:13.060 --> 00:00:19.859 we? But at the back of everyone's mind, I guess there's that question of where's the catch? 00:00:20.620 --> 00:00:25.940 That can't be free, can it? And that can make us not only suspicious, but it can make us 00:00:25.940 --> 00:00:36.260 cynical. Is any gift really free? Well, today we recall one of the biggest free gifts that 00:00:36.260 --> 00:00:41.320 we were ever given. It was promised by Jesus to his followers and they were waiting and 00:00:41.320 --> 00:00:48.420 they were expectant for something to arrive. And it did. Pentecost, the coming of the Holy 00:00:48.420 --> 00:00:55.180 Spirit for all people, not just a few, but for all people. What's the catch? There is 00:00:55.179 --> 00:01:00.679 no catch. The gift, the presence and power of the Holy Spirit is poured out for all people, 00:01:01.000 --> 00:01:08.019 for you and for me. And yet, sadly, sadly, many Christians dismiss God's gift. They accept 00:01:08.019 --> 00:01:13.500 everything else, the hymns, the songs, the robes, the buildings, the traditions, the fridge magnets 00:01:13.500 --> 00:01:21.439 with the Bible verses on. That's fine. But often they dismiss this tangible and life-changing 00:01:21.439 --> 00:01:32.319 gift. You see, I strongly believe that being a Christian without having accept the gift 00:01:32.319 --> 00:01:37.819 of the Holy Spirit is a bit like owning a car and then not putting any fuel in it, or if 00:01:37.819 --> 00:01:43.539 it's electric, not charging it up. It looks good on the drive, you can polish it, but it 00:01:43.539 --> 00:01:49.159 doesn't really do anything or go anywhere. It just sits there, maybe looking good, but at 00:01:49.159 --> 00:01:55.399 times often gathering dust. And that was my story for many years. That was part of my 00:01:55.399 --> 00:02:02.620 Christian faith, sat parked, inactive on the drive of my life. I never realised the potential, 00:02:03.439 --> 00:02:11.199 the power of the Holy Spirit and what that could do for me and through me. In our reading 00:02:11.199 --> 00:02:19.259 today, Jerusalem was teeming with people. People were packed into Jerusalem. Jesus said 00:02:19.259 --> 00:02:25.179 to his disciples to wait, wait for this gift that's going to come. And faithfully, they 00:02:25.179 --> 00:02:32.280 waited until this day. The people in the crowd knew the disciples. They had seen them. They 00:02:32.280 --> 00:02:38.539 had seen them with Jesus. And when that gift came, they saw the difference. The disciples 00:02:38.539 --> 00:02:44.219 had been radically changed. The power of the Holy Spirit was present with them and in them. 00:02:44.539 --> 00:02:52.060 They had come alive. They were exuberant, bold and courageous. And that was the struggle, 00:02:52.560 --> 00:02:56.519 you see, for the establishment and for some, because they pointed the finger and said, oh 00:02:56.519 --> 00:03:04.299 dear, tut, tut, tut. They must be drunk. No, they haven't. They're just filled and exuberant 00:03:04.300 --> 00:03:11.020 because they've been freed. They have been freed to speak about Jesus. They've experienced the grace, 00:03:11.020 --> 00:03:16.460 the love, the peace, the presence of God, the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. 00:03:17.080 --> 00:03:24.300 As Bishop Peter said, you know, the gifts were stirred up in them. They were freed. 00:03:25.280 --> 00:03:30.700 They've been freed from all that bound them, from the fear, the doubts, the insecurity. 00:03:30.699 --> 00:03:37.579 They were empowered to speak out the good news in the power of the Holy Spirit. And maybe you are 00:03:37.579 --> 00:03:45.919 longing to be set free from something in order to share Jesus with others. Just ask today and receive. 00:03:47.579 --> 00:03:52.519 Many years back, I remember there was a move of the Holy Spirit. It was a large move of the Holy 00:03:52.519 --> 00:04:00.419 Spirit across the land, but it started in a small church in Toronto. And people were so ready to point 00:04:00.419 --> 00:04:07.079 the finger. They pointed the finger at John Wimber, Reverend David Watson, David Bishop, David Pitches, 00:04:07.319 --> 00:04:14.979 so many, and said, oh, you know, it's all hype. No, it was an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. 00:04:15.719 --> 00:04:22.159 It's amazing how we can all get cynical and suspicious when God reminds us of something that 00:04:22.160 --> 00:04:30.740 was just as fresh today as it was 2,000 years ago. You see, God often sends a burning bush into our 00:04:30.740 --> 00:04:37.800 lives, fire to seize our attention. Listen, get warmed up, the Spirit of God saying, I am here. 00:04:38.800 --> 00:04:45.320 It was true for John Wesley as we celebrated his celebration last Sunday. You know, that great 00:04:45.319 --> 00:04:53.139 move of the Holy Spirit in his life that transformed the church and the movement in this country. 00:04:54.399 --> 00:05:02.079 This is for all people. Have you experienced that? In these times of social distancing, 00:05:02.439 --> 00:05:07.759 the doorbell rang last week. And as I opened the door, this was left on the doorstep. 00:05:07.759 --> 00:05:17.800 It's for you. Now, I didn't know what was inside until I opened it and explored all the gifts that 00:05:17.800 --> 00:05:25.680 had been sent for Mandy and I. Someone had taken a lot of time, a lot of love, a lot of care, 00:05:26.480 --> 00:05:34.779 and there was quite a bit of cost involved as well. And surely it's courtesy to open the box, 00:05:34.779 --> 00:05:43.179 to receive the fullness of what it is and give thanks and thank you for the gift. It would be a 00:05:43.179 --> 00:05:49.339 waste, frankly, and quite rude to just leave it unopened on the doorstep. 00:05:51.579 --> 00:06:00.439 I was one of those people, a Christian who failed to open that box for years. And in fact, sometimes I 00:06:00.439 --> 00:06:07.240 was one of those who mocked others who had opened the box for their exuberance in worship and praise, 00:06:07.339 --> 00:06:15.720 how wrong I was. Because I remember the day very clearly, my Pentecost day, when I received the 00:06:15.720 --> 00:06:24.319 outpouring of the Holy Spirit into my life. I asked and said to the Lord, am I really special to you? 00:06:24.319 --> 00:06:30.939 And there was this outpouring of the Holy Spirit. And wow, it's a day that changed and transformed my 00:06:30.939 --> 00:06:37.899 life. Ask me and I'll happily tell you the story. Pentecost encourages us to receive and be filled 00:06:37.899 --> 00:06:45.180 with the Holy Spirit afresh today, to break any suspicion or cynicism that we may have over the 00:06:45.180 --> 00:06:54.019 gift that Jesus promises and as it was delivered and will be delivered as and when we ask. 00:06:54.019 --> 00:07:02.419 It is there for us as we pray to stir up the gifts in us that will empower us to not only shape us, 00:07:02.799 --> 00:07:06.120 but to shape the lives of others in the community that we serve. 00:07:07.479 --> 00:07:14.879 Have you opened the box and explored the gifts? How do I do that? You say in Ephesians 5.18, it says 00:07:14.879 --> 00:07:21.319 be filled with the Holy Spirit. And that filling means just being kept on, being filled. This isn't like 00:07:21.319 --> 00:07:27.759 Oliver Twist for us to go and beg with a bowl of God and say, give us some more. No, this is freely 00:07:27.759 --> 00:07:35.360 poured out again and again and again for all of us, for all believers. I'd invite you to do that now, 00:07:35.879 --> 00:07:41.819 to be filled with the Holy Spirit, because I could do with that now. An advertiser said, I think, 00:07:41.819 --> 00:07:48.719 it's the gift that just keeps on giving. So maybe this morning with me, maybe just hold out your hand 00:07:48.719 --> 00:07:56.459 as though you're expectant, as we all are, in readiness to receive. And shall we pray together? 00:07:58.219 --> 00:08:08.079 Father, on this Pentecost Day, Holy Spirit, would you come into our lives? Thank you for the gift 00:08:08.079 --> 00:08:14.680 of your Holy Spirit. And thank you for offering that gift to me now. I accept all that you have 00:08:14.680 --> 00:08:24.259 for me. Come into my life, that I may experience you as comforter and friend of all. And stir up the 00:08:24.259 --> 00:08:33.759 gifts in me. Stir them up to overflowing with your love, your peace and your power. And may the God of 00:08:33.759 --> 00:08:41.980 hope fill us with all joy and peace as we trust in him, so that we may overflow with hope by the power 00:08:41.980 --> 00:08:45.740 of the Holy Spirit. Amen.