"Fan those Flames" - Pentecost Sermon, June 4, 2017
Community
UMC, Quincy
“Fan
Those Flames”
June
4, 2017: Pentecost Sunday
Pastor
Andrew Davis
Acts
2: 1-21
1
Corinthians 12: 3b-13
About 30-ish years ago, I got to go
on my first camping trip with my dad, grandpa, and a family friend up to
Antelope Lake not too far from here.
Now, this was my first time camping away from home and will just say it
only lasted one night for me, as I went back down with our family friend the
next day. But as he and my dad went out
to do some scouting, I think for the upcoming deer season, my grandpa and I
stayed behind. I was eager to build a
campfire, so my grandpa decided to show me how to build one. It was only with small twigs and some paper
towels to start and while it was a pretty pathetic fire, that moment taught me
the basics of building a fire, a skill I’ve developed over the years. Then again, I’m known to build some pretty
hot fires too. Plus when I’m down at my
parents house and build a fire there, their tortoiseshell cat, Nikki is almost
always stretched out in front of the fireplace before long, so we know she is
content whenever someone builds a fire in our house.
But in order to start a good fire,
you need some tinder such as newspaper or pine needles, some kindling (more
like what I tried to build my first fire exclusively with), and then the big,
coal-producing logs, preferably oak or walnut which will burn long or hot. Then you want to fan those flames as your
fire gets going so it’ll spread and ignite and become a nice fire. While fire is useful for keeping warm,
cooking, and providing a nice, relaxing atmosphere, we know all too well that
it can also be destructive and deadly, especially since it can cause severe
burns and destroy homes and land. In
fact when I took a drive up to Antelope Lake last September while exploring the
outdoors in Plumas County, I could have cried when I saw the scarred hillsides,
burnt-out trees, and destruction caused by the fire up there ten years
ago. And we know that with the effects
of extensive drought and bark beetle infestation around us in California and
the West, we know that fire can happen at anytime and how destructive fire can
be when the fuel is there and the flames are fanned by the wind. Plus, there are many of you here who still
vividly remember the fire on Christmas Day 1984 that damaged this sanctuary and
part of the education wing. These are
two cases where we don’t want to see those flames fanned.
As we just heard in our lesson from
Acts a few minutes ago, we heard the story of the first Pentecost, the day the
Holy Spirit showed itself to all the believers in an amazing, powerful,
spectacular way!! But besides coming in
like a rushing wind, the Holy Spirit also appears in the form of tongues of
fire, settling on every believer gathered in that house that day (Acts 2:
2-3). Now I’m not sure about you, but
I’d be a little worried about seeing fire resting on me, as my first instinct
would be to do like we learned in elementary school, ‘stop, drop, and roll
over.’ But this fire was not like a destructive fire, but was the fire of the
Holy Spirit, as it didn’t burn anyone.
Remember back to the burning bush story where Moses encounters the burning
bush, yet the bush was not consumed by the fire? That’s a lot what the fire of the Holy Spirit
looks like, burning, but not consuming.
And that fire was powerful, as people also began speaking different
languages and understanding each other (Acts 2: 4-12). In this case, they were on fire, but on fire
with the Holy Spirit, a case where those flames need to be fanned!!
When the Holy Spirit works through
us, amazing things can happen, as it’s the fire of passion that burns through
us. Back in 2002 when Salt Lake City
hosted the Winter Olympics, the theme for those games was “Light the Fire
Within,” something that I think about whenever I think about the fire of the
Holy Spirit. We have the fire of
Christ’s presence within each of us, the flames of passion for being his hands
and feet in our community and world.
More importantly, each of us gathered here has unique gifts and
passions, as each of us can fan those flames of the Holy Spirit in realizing
and fully using our gifts.
In fact, the Apostle Paul talks
about using those gifts of the Spirit in his first letter to the Corinthians,
chapter 12, verses 4-6 when he says
God’s various gifts are handed out everywhere;
but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various ministries are carried
out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various
expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it
all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets
in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit,
and to all kinds of people! (MSG)
Each
of the gifts we have, that fire within us, and our passions are all connected
to God and that fire can burn brightly when we allow the Holy Spirit to work
within us and fan those flames. And
perhaps, we can even throw some kerosene on those flames too when thinking of
how to use our gifts from God!! As we
talked about last week, we all have different experiences in life, different
viewpoints, and likewise, we have different gifts and different passions, but
it takes the Holy Spirit and fanning those flames of the Spirit to work through
us. Now, it doesn’t mean that we’re
literally going to burst into flames (although there are some Sundays I get so
excited that I may just burst into flames!), but we need to rely on that fire
of the Holy Spirit within to guide us along the way on this journey of faith,
even through the ups and downs that life brings us. But more importantly, what are we as a church
most passionate about? What are the
flames that are burning within each of us that need fanning, perhaps need a
little kerosene thrown on?
One
of the things our committee on lay leadership (aka nominations) is doing this
summer is a study of Rev. Mike Slaughter’s book, The Passionate Church which talks about The United Methodist
Church’s Four Areas of Focus which are 1) Developing Principled Christian
Leaders, 2) Engaging in Ministry with the Poor, 3) Creating New and Renewed
Congregations, and 4) Improving Global Health.
I have to say that I see the flames of the Holy Spirit burning in each
of us here, as we have very strong lay leadership in this church, a passion for
music and worship, a passion for helping people and active involvement in the
community. And we do it by joyfully
living our faith!! In fact, we follow in
that same line with John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, as some often
wondered if Wesley would catch on fire because of his enthusiasm for living his
faith in the world by visiting the sick and poor, preaching in the fields and
coal mines, and through his intense devotion and study of the Bible. However, Mike Slaughter explains that “Wesley
reconnected Christ followers with the power of the Holy Spirit and birthed a
new, transformative movement that actively served the mission of Jesus in the
world.”[i]
And
so on this Pentecost Sunday, we acknowledge that Jesus while is not physically
present in the world today, we STILL feel his presence and see his presence
alive and well through the power and movement of the Holy Spirit, lighting the
fire within each of us, and fanning those flames through the wind of the
Spirit. But it’s also up to each of us
to carry on that work in the world today, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us
and to fan those flames of passion. As
we go into this new week, I want all of you to think about something you are
most passionate about in this church, and perhaps where that passion and the
Holy Spirit may guide you to serve when you fan those flames. Let’s see those flames burn bigger and
brighter than they did when I built my first campfire and let’s see our
passions burn brightly in this world as we go out to serve, guided by the Holy
Spirit!!
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
let the church say, AMEN!!
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