Call to Worship
Come worship God, the God of change.
Come worship God, the God of growth.
Come worship God, the God of progress.
Come worship God, the God of hope.

Unison Prayer: The Serenity Prayer
God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference. Amen.

Words of Assurance: Isaiah 58:11, NIV abb.
The Lord will guide you always;
you will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.

The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father,
who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil;
for thine is the kingdom,
and the power,
and the glory forever.
Amen.

Opening Song: Billie Eilish, “What Was I Made For?”

Scripture Reading: Philippians 1:3-6, 9-11, NIV
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Sunday Sermon

Billie Eilish’s song “What Was I Made For?” was written for the movie Barbie. In the movie, Barbie becomes self-aware and begins to question her purpose in life. Everyone else seems to have a plan for her – literally putting her in a box – but she suspects there may be something more. She rejects the shallow life she has, based on other people’s expectations, and pursues a more meaningful existence.

The movie and song struck a universal chord. Many people, from teenagers to middle age to older adults, find themselves in a time of life when they question their entire existence. For a teenager, it may be because there are so many expectations laid upon them, and they’re not even sure who they are yet. For a person in middle age, it may be a mid-life crisis. For an older adult, it may be a reevaluation after retirement or the loss of a spouse. A person may ask, “What was I made for?” “What am I here?” or “Who am I now?”

Paul’s life is filled with purpose. But in order to discover this purpose, he had to go through a time of trial. After persecuting the Christian church, he found himself struck blind by Jesus and realized he had been spiritually blind as well. After realizing this, both types of sight returned. He went from persecuting Christians to spreading the Christian faith. To mark this decisive life change, he even changed his name from Saul to Paul. He was, in an almost literal sense, a new man.

Like many of Paul’s letters, the letter to the Philippians is written from prison. It’s remarkable to think that so much of the New Testament was written in captivity; the encouragement we have comes from a person whose circumstances are worse than ours. There will be a long line of such people, from Martin Luther King to Nelson Mandela to our own Karim. They have this in common: their faith keeps them going, and they use their captivity to encourage others.

Paul writes, “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” He is writing this to Lydia, a seller of purple cloth, the leader of the Christian community in Philippi and the person with whom he stayed when he was there. He is writing to a jailer who risked his job to invite him into his own home, who first had him flogged and then washed his wounds. He is writing to the hundreds who saw miracles happen in Philippi, and believed. And while the original letter was a scroll, he is writing through the years to us.

What good work has God started in us, as a church and as individuals? As a church, God has made us a church of hospitality, a church of missions, a church of encouragement, a church of joy. And I believe that God will see these things through to completion, while adding other tasks along the way.

What good work has God started in us as individuals? God has given each of us spiritual gifts, but are we using them? And are we on the right path?

When I was in seminary, one of our teachers asked each of us to explain our calling. Most of the answers were as expected, although in retrospect we seemed a little full of ourselves. “I am called to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the entire world.” “I am called to preach the Good News to the poor.” “I am called to support social and economic justice.” And there was one guy we made fun of, because he said, “God wants me to be a cheerleader.” Looking back, my entire image of him has changed, because I think that’s what God intends for me as well. This classmate had a sense of purpose way back in seminary, and I suspect that as a pastor, he has had a life of joy.

The other new thing that has become clear to me is that in our church, God is calling me to be the person who throws things out. As you know, I didn’t arrive here with a lot of stuff, and then I started throwing out your stuff. I think years from now, no one will remember any of my sermons, but they will say, “oh, he’s the guy who threw things out.” And if that’s how I’m remembered, I’ll be okay with that, as long as people remember that it’s also a spiritual discipline.

I think if there’s a name for what I do, it’s “Dumpster Evangelism.” Because other people have caught on as well. I’m not sure if you’ve seen the attic lately, but Rick and Bob have done an incredible job discarding the debris of a lifetime. There’s still a lot more to come down and to go out. This week in the office, Megan and I decided that we didn’t need all the weird-sized paper that’s been there for years. Robin weeded the front garden, and Lynn and Glenn laid down mulch. Then Rick and Bob went back to work on the side yard facing the neighbors, while on the north side another neighbor is clearing trees. Whether we’re decluttering an office or an attic or a garden or a yard, we’re also deciding what to keep – what has value, what has use, what is worth saving. And the same holds true for our lives.

What attitudes and habits have we accumulated that are not working for us, that may even be working against us, that obscure the good things we have? What parts of our lives do we need to get rid of so that our lives may have better value, so that we might enjoy life more, so that we might feel closer to God and each other? And in related fashion, what recurring thoughts do we have that are hurting us? Are we held back by something in the past – some long-ago trauma, some words spoken to us decades ago, some sin that we carry around like overstuffed luggage? We often ask, “Are there better things that I could do doing with my time?” Let’s add, “Are there better things that we could be thinking?” For example, to stop dwelling on how we’ve been hurt and remember how much we’ve been blessed?

The tasks may seem never-ending. One might think, for example, that the attic will be finished when every single thing has been taken down, but instead it’s when we know that everything in the attic has a reason to be there. The same is true of our lives; our task will only be complete when we dispose of every bad habit and every bad thought, but we know that won’t happen on earth, which is why Paul’s phrase “the day of completion” means the day we get to heaven. But Paul also prays that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ. I want to focus on the phrase “more and more,” because it’s incredibly encouraging. Paul is writing, in effect, I pray you make progress. I hope you love more and more. In other words, don’t be upset if you haven’t reached your spiritual goal, but know that if you have moved closer and plan to move closer still, you are pleasing the Lord.

There will always be more stuff. There will always be more stuff to worry about. There will always be more plants to weed. There will always be people who see that now there’s some new space in the attic and they will put their stuff there. There will always be people who are starving. There will always be people who need love. There will always be people who haven’t heard of Jesus. But it’s a good thing to know that there will always be more to do, because this means we will always have a purpose. To paraphrase, if you don’t know what your purpose is, try one of these: feed people. Love people. Tell them about Christ. In Christ, every one of our lives has meaning.

And so, let us do our best to keep getting better. Let us strive for perfection even though we know we won’t reach it. May we focus not on how far we have to go, but how far we have already traveled; and may we give thanks to God, who has accompanied us on this path and who will walk it with us until the day of completion, who will complete the good work in us that has already begun. Amen.

For Reflection and Meditation
What is my purpose?
How is God calling me?
What path is God telling me to avoid?
What good work did God start in me that is not yet complete?
What aspect(s) of my spiritual life am I working on?
What habits are hindering me?
What habits are helping me?
What recurring thoughts would I like to discard?
What recurring thoughts would I like to put in their place?
Am I making progress and if so, how am I growing?
What is my realistic expectation of where I will be spiritually by the end of the summer?
Apart from God, with whom might I share these thoughts?

Closing Song: Hillsong Worship, “Who You Say I Am”

Benediction
May the Lord shine a light on the path that is right for you,
darkening every other path so that the road may be clear. Amen.

What was I made for? What is my purpose? How am I being called? What good work did God start in me? What am I working on? Am I making progress and if so, how am I growing? These were some of the questions discussed in this week’s Bible study, and they will also be the core of this week’s message. We hope to see you Sunday morning at 10!

Call to Worship
Come, Holy Spirit, come:
Enter our lives;
free us from fear.
Come, Holy Spirit, come:
Bring us courage and hope:
Teach us to be your children.

Unison Prayer:
Spirit of the Living God,
fall afresh on us.
Renew our hearts, minds, and spirits,
So that we may serve You with joy.
Amen.

Words of Assurance: Psalm 145:13-14
The Lord helps those who are in trouble; he lifts those who have fallen.

The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father,
who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil;
for thine is the kingdom,
and the power,
and the glory forever.
Amen.

Opening Song: Francesca Battistelli, “Holy Spirit”

Scripture Reading: Acts 2:1-4, 17, Good News Bible

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

“‘n the last days,” God says,
    “I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
    your young men will see visions,
    your old men will dream dreams.”

Sunday Sermon

Pentecost is one of the most important days in Christianity: the day when the church is born. At the Last Supper, Jesus told his disciples, “I will not leave you alone; I will send you a Helper, a Counselor, a Comforter, an Advocate.” At his ascension, he told them, “Go to Jerusalem and wait there for what I have promised.” And on Pentecost, the disciples were gathered together when the Holy Spirit descended like a dove or like tongues of fire, rested on each one of them, and helped them to understand each other. The same Spirit that was in Christ was now in them.

All of church history unfolds from this point: the universal church, comprised of believers from all nations; the possibility of being born again, by inviting the Holy Spirit in; the whole idea of being spiritual as a Christian. After Pentecost, the Holy Spirit became available to everyone, which means every Christian has the ability to access the fruits of the Spirit ~ love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control – and every Christian has unique gifts and combinations of gifts, which range from preaching and teaching to prayer and generosity to art and music. Everything we need is now accessible: the ability to be calm, the ability to transcend suffering, the ability to overcome our own impulses and to put Christ first.

Pentecost also sets up a huge battle. If the main conflict in the Gospels is Jesus v. organized religion, or Jesus v. the Devil, then the main conflict in the Epistles is human nature v. the Holy Spirit. This is the conflict we see unfolding in our own lives, struggle by struggle, day by day, and playing out across the entire world.

Here are some examples: Will the human race turn from its course of destruction, decide that peace is better than war, put down its weapons and start cooperating? Will humanity realize that it has everything it needs to feed, shelter and care for everyone, and prioritize these things over its selfishness desires? Will the rich continue to get richer and more powerful and the poor people get poorer and less powerful, or will someone say enough and lead a revolution? Will entertainment and social media continue to dominate our time and our thoughts, or will we find time for prayer and community action? Will we complain, or will be help?

Human nature is not only about what we do, but how we think. Paul writes, “Those who live as their human nature tells them to, have their minds controlled by what human nature wants. Those who live as the Spirit tells them to, have their minds controlled by what the Spirit wants.” Here is what human nature wants me to think, based on a quick look at the internet yesterday afternoon: I should be mad at politics. I should click on this actress to see how good she looks in a swimsuit. I should worry about my retirement. I should read about some crime in another state. I should take advantage of the Memorial Day sales this weekend. I should be very concerned about Ebola. I should not be very concerned about Ebola. I should be concerned about who to trust and not trust what I read, except for the article I’m reading now. Here are 5 foods I shouldn’t eat. Here are 10 things I should never say in a restaurant. Here are a thousand places I should see before I die. Am I dying? Will I ever have enough time to see all these places?

Here is what the Spirit says: Forget all that. It is natural to think all these things, which means it is human nature, but we can do better, and we should do better, and it’s not like the Holy Spirit is chastising us, but wondering why we keep ignoring the best life we could have when it is right here in front of us, and why we keep saying we are anxious and can’t sleep and are worried about the state of the world and everyone in it.

Here is what Jesus says: I have come to give you peace. (Not “I come in peace,” that’s what aliens say.) I have come to give you peace. Do you still want it? The other day I was at a friend’s house and I noticed an Amazon box on the table. “Aren’t you going to open it?” I asked. “No, I know what’s in it,” they said. Sometimes our peace, and the answer to all our questions, and the Holy Spirit, is like that Amazon box. We know what’s in it, but we don’t open it.

Here’s another analogy: every season I get an email from my credit card company. It says, this season you can earn 5% off of gas, or food, or travel, or online purchases; the type of savings changes every season. There’s no fee. All I have to do is click “Activate,” and I do. But I wonder how many people ignore it. And in terms of the Holy Spirit, I wonder, if we could make one aspect of our lives 5% better with one prayer, would we do it?

What happens when we do let the Holy Spirit in? Here’s what happened in the early church: they met together, ate together, prayed together and shared their belongings. No one lacked for anything miracles happened every day, and the disciples were filled with joy ~ so much joy that everyone wanted to be a part of it, and the church grew from 12 to hundreds to thousands to tens of thousands in a short period of time. The early church was characterized by meaning and purpose and praise. Human nature was always trying to creep in, but together they were able to transcend it.

When do we know it’s the Holy Spirit? When God helps us to do something that we doubt we could have accomplished alone; or when prayer prompts us to think in a more positive way; or when we lose our taste for something harmful and feel compelled to change our lives. Through the Holy Spirit, I’ve seen older couples adopt abused children and raise them as their own; I’ve seen people with incurable diseases who exude gratitude and peace; I’ve seen people whose hearts were completely shattered find the courage to love again. But the Holy Spirit is not restricted to big things. Sometimes the Holy Spirit simply gives us the strength to get out of bed, or a quiet prayer changes the trajectory of our day, or Scripture suddenly reveals the path that we should have been on all along.

We can be like everybody else, and no one will fault us for it. We can feel disillusioned and think that people are terrible and the world is getting worse and we don’t have the power or the agency to do anything about it. We can get mad at people who cut us off or have 13 items on the checkout line that says “12 items or less.” We can repeat the scary stories that we only know because we clicked on them. On a sunny day, we can complain about the rain that’s supposed to happen the next day. We can leave the Holy Spirit on the counter, unopened, and go about the rest of our lives.

But don’t we want to do better? Don’t we want to feel better? Don’t we want to become better persons? Don’t we yearn for peace and patience? Wouldn’t it be great to feel joy every day, if only for a moment, and to know that God is real and right beside us and within us and all around us? Wouldn’t it be amazing to feel like the early disciples felt? Thanks to the Holy Spirit, we can. Thanks to Pentecost, these amazing, astonishing gifts are only a prayer away.

Closing Song: All Sons and Daughters, “Rest in You”

Benediction:
May the Holy Spirit rest upon you;
May the Holy Spirit fill you with peace;
May the Holy Spirit energize you;
May the Holy Spirit flow through you.
Amen.