Pentecost Sunday
Honor the Graduates Sunday
John 14:8-17
May 27, 2007
Rev. Philip A. Bouknight
Philip said to Jesus, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." John 14:8
Thomas said "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe." John 20:25
Peter and John would not believe Mary Magdeline who shouted that Jesus was no longer in the tomb until they had run and seen for themselves. Peter even had to go into the tomb and look around. It wasn’t enough to see the stone rolled away. John 20: 1-10
There is a pattern to the disciple’s reaction to God. Show me!
Lord, show us the father says Philip.
Lord, show me your hands and your side says Thomas.
Show me the Lord’s tomb says Peter and John.
We want to see and then believe.
One of my favorite musicals is My Fair Lady. There is a little Eliza Dolittle in all of us.
She sings
Don't talk of love lasting through time.
Make me no undying vow. Show me now!
Sing me no song! Read me no rhyme!
Don't waste my time, Show me!
Don't talk of June, Don't talk of fall!
Don't talk at all! Show me!
We know that words only go but so far. People want action to be convinced so what does Jesus do. For Thomas, He appears and offers his hand and side. For Peter, John and the rest of the disciples, He appears and shows them that he has been raised. For Philip, He reminds him that if you will not believe that you have seen the Father when you have seen me, then look at my actions. Jesus shows them what they need to see.
At Pentecost, God gathered people from different races and cultures into one place where he showed them the gift of the spirit. The rush of a violent wind was obviously felt and those who were there saw the effects of such wind. They heard the Gospel spoken in their own language by those who were normal Galileans. That was God, showing the Spirit’s presence. At Jesus’ baptism, there is a physical shape that the spirit takes as it descends upon Jesus. The dove was a means of showing us the Spirit. God gathered the disciples together after the crucifixion so that he might show them that he was alive. God gathered his people together after 50 days had passed so that he could show them the gift of the Spirit. Do you see the pattern here?
God knows our need and he provides for it, yet He still requires our action. For instance, He brought Mary to the tomb and then sent her running to tell the others. He gathered the disciples in the upper room and sent them out into the world. He gathered His people together at Pentecost and sent them out with the Holy Spirit. God isn’t satisfied with Show Me! He wants show and tell.
Do you remember the elementary school educational tool called show and tell? You had to bring an item to present to the class. You couldn’t simply lay the item out on the table. You had to tell about it. You had to tell what it was. You had to tell why it was important to you and explain why you brought it.
Jesus shows us He is risen so that we can tell about it.
He shows us his hands and his side so that we can tell of his wounds.
He shows us the work of the Spirit so that we might tell the world.
In that telling, we show that we love our God.
In that sharing, our faith becomes action. It is seen.
Just as we need proof to believe; just as we need to see the hand of God in our lives, the world needs to see the hand of God in our lives. They are looking for proof before they will believe. Show me! Every Sunday, we are gathered together in this place. We gather around the font for confession to remember that we are forgiven. We gather around the table to remember that we are strengthened to be his disciples. We are gathered to be sent. He shows us the water in the font so that we might tell others what He has done for us. He shows us bread and wine so that we might tell others about the body and blood of Christ. On this day, He shows us the gift of the Spirit so that we might tell others that it is God that dwells in us. Every Sunday is a sending service. It is as simple as show and tell.
We come here to see how God is active in this community.
We hear how he has died for us.
We taste his body and his blood.
We feel the warm embrace of others as we share the peace.
None of this is done so that we might feel good about ourselves. It is done solely for the telling. We are shown so that we might tell. We are gathered so that we might be sent.
On this day, we send our graduates out into the world. We entrust them to God remembering that they are not ours. They are his. We have spent hour after hour, year after year, showing them His love, telling them the he loves them. Now we are sending them, praying that they have seen him in us. We are praying that they have seen the marks in his hands and side and now believe. We are praying that through our showing and our telling, this young man and these young women know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God’s spirit dwells in them. It is he that will guide them as they make the exiting decisions that are before them. It is he that will use them to proclaim his Word to their friends.
We do not send them away empty. We send them filled with the Holy Spirit. May they know for certain that God loves them, when they see how much we love them. We send them filled with the Word of God as we give them these bibles so that they might read it and learn. We send them filled with a warm blanket that was made with the love of this community. We are showing and telling, gathering and sending.
The Spirit of God compels us to show our love. It also compels us to let them go. Graduates, we send you into the world to be the man and women that God has called you to be. We send you into the world so that you might show and tell of his love. We send you knowing that the Spirit you received in baptism is the Spirit that will guide you every day of your lives. We hope that no matter where you are sent, that you will gather together in some place of worship so that you may be reminded when you see the font that you are his child; when you taste the wine and the bread, you will remember that He is in you; when you feel the warm embrace of fellow Christians, you will remember that it is Christ that embraces you. Go now, into the world and show them what has been shown to you. Tell them what has been told to you.
And for all of us, unlike Liza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, this love requires walking…..and talking. It is time for all of us to show and tell.
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