Psalm 66:8-20

This is a moving song, but even more moving is the story behind it. Tommy Dorsey wrote it in response to a personal tragedy in his life. In 1932 his wife and son died in childbirth. His response was to write this moving song of trust in God in the midst of this tragedy.

But that is only part of the story. The tune he used was actually written in 1844 to do with a hymn: "Must Jesus Bear the cross alone." The first verse of this hymn goes: "Must Jesus bear the cross alone, And all the world go free? No, there's a cross for everyone, And there's a cross for me." The hymn is about taking up a cross but it ends in a triumphal way: "O precious cross! O glorious crown! O resurrection day! When Christ the Lord from Heav'n comes down And bears my soul away."

The hymn is about us taking up the crosses of life and Jesus making that cross a means of lifting us up. I wonder if Tommy Dorsey in the midst of his grief over the death of his wife and son was singing this hymn. He was bearing a cross of grief and he longed for the "resurrection Day" that the hymn talked about. He got to the last verse: "O Precious Cross" and needed to go further. So he called out to God. He just kept singing that hymn by writing new verses. "Precious Lord, take my hand � lead me home."

Of course Tommy Dorsey was not the first follower of God to look to God in the midst of trials and troubles and end up praising God in the end. The psalms are full of such people. The psalmist says "You have kept us among the living, and have not let our feet slip." Apparently the psalmist was close to death by God had lifted him or her out. The Psalmist also says "For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried." He or she goes on "We went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a spacious place."

The psalmist is unclear about the exact circumstances. It could apply to any number of situations in Israel's past. It could be the exodus where God led them through the sea. It could have been the time in the wilderness and leading Israel into the Promised Land. It could have been any the crises that Israel faced during the period of the Judges.

Perhaps the psalmist was inspired to be vague for a reason. As a result the psalm could apply to any number of situations or circumstances. Any number of times they were tried by fire and led through water. Repeatedly God lifted them out of near death circumstances. And they praised God.

This is where it really gets interesting. In verse 13 the psalm suddenly switches to singular. Up to verse 12 is was "us" and "we," then it suddenly changed to "I" and "me." Some Bible scholars think that verse 12 was the original end of the psalm and then verse 13 to 20 were a later addition. It is kind of like Tommy Dorsey taking an older hymn and expanding on it in a deeply personal way.

This second psalmist said, "I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will pay you my vows, those that my lips uttered and my mouth promised when I was in trouble." Just as God had lifted Israel out of the pit God had done the same for this Psalmist. As a result the Psalmist seeks to praise God and worship God. The Psalmist says, "Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for me." He is going to give his testimony.

God has heard his prayers and the psalmist seeks to praise God! That praise includes offerings and songs and prayers of thanksgiving. But an important part of that is sharing what God has done in that individual's life.

God has lifted us out of the pit. We were as good as dead and God lifted us up. The human race was lost in sin and headed to destruction and death. And God send Jesus to pull us up out of sin to righteousness. He bore a cross and literally entered into our death and bore our sins. But then he rose again to give us eternal life. And he calls us to take up a cross and follow him.

I know he has lifted me up. Repeatedly when I have faced darkness and death and trouble on every side he was there for me. He took me by the hand and lifted me up. He gave me abundant and everlasting life. And I am here to praise God and bear witness to the goodness of our God. He has taken me by the hand and led me through the storm and given me hope and so I will lift Him up in praise.

Has God given you new life? Have you ever been in a pit and had Jesus take you by the hand and lead you home? If he has, then praise the Lord. Join the chorus. Lift up your voice in praise. Offer up prayers and offerings to God. And bear witness to God's mighty deeds in your life.

The writer of the second half of Psalm 66 was inspired to add his voice to that of the people singing the first half. Tommy Dorsey added his voice about what the Precious Lord did for him to the people singing "Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone." Will you add your voice to the chorus of praise? Auditions will begin now at the altar!

Acts 17:22-31

Paul had been driven out of yet another town. He had angered some people and to save his life he escaped but Silas and Timothy had stayed behind to finish establishing the new church. Paul went as far as Athens where he would wait for his co workers to catch up with him. While in Athens he went to the synagogue and tried to show that Jesus was the Messiah come in fulfillment of the prophesies. During the week he went to the market to sell the tents he made. But all the time he was witnessing.

Picture it in your mind. The market place of Athens. Kind of the Harbison Blvd of ancient Greece. There is a butcher, there a baker, there a seller of fabric, there a Starbucks� I am sure there was a Chick-Fil-A in the food court too. And in the middle of it was a place where people shared ideas.

They didn't have talk radio back then so the people would get up and share their new philosophies with each other. Paul took advantage of this opportunity to share with these people the Gospel. He began "I see that you are very religious people." It sounded like a complement but coming from a monotheist it was a veiled insult of the fact that they worshipped many gods. But he uses a particular altar dedicated to "An Unknown God" as a way of introducing them to the one true God. He even quotes some of their poets in doing it.

I can't help but see a parallel with our day. People today are very religious. I know you may not see it that way because many of them don't believe in God. But they all believe in something. They worship their careers, or their bodies, or their portfolios, or their desires, or their bottles, or their ball teams� They don't even realize they are worshipping but they are. They are living for those things and that is worship.

Like Athens in Paul's day people today like new things. Not just new cars and appliances and new electronics but new ideas. The newer and more controversial the more people tune in to hear it. New age, new wave, everything is neo- something. They don't want modern philosophy; that's so passé' They need "Post Modern" ideas.

But in the end they really don't know what they are worshipping. They are just worshipping idols of gold, and silver, and silicon, and flesh, and human thought. They are very religious about it sometimes. But it is an empty religion with no eternal depth or hope. They are worshipping they know not what. The need the one true God to worship!

"Harbisonians, I see that you are a very religious people. You worship all sorts of gods. I have even found an altar dedicated to an unknown god - so let me introduce this God to you. This God is the God who made the world and everything in it. This God crafted the quasars and black holes and galaxies in deep space. This God created the intricate details of a butterfly's wings and He wrote the songs of the birds. This God made everything from dinosaurs to bacteria, from whales to hummingbirds.

And this God is Lord over all of them. This God commands the motions of the planets and the movements of the tides. This God established the seasons of the year and commands the sea and sky. This God is everywhere and has command over everything.

And this God cannot be contained in any temple or shrine. This God is not dependant on humans in any way. This Almighty God is the one who gives life and breath to all things. God does not need us, but we need God.

God is not only the creator of all things but God is the Heavenly Father of all people. God formed the first human out of the dust of the earth. Then God breathed into them the breath of life. God commanded them to be fruitful and fill the Earth. And God established the times and places, the beginnings and the endings of their cultures and civilizations.

And God gave them time. Centuries and Millennia of time. Time to see their Father in creation. Time to see the imprint of the creator's thumb in events of their world. Time to see their Father's image in their fellow human being.

And many of them did! The poets and philosophers said it: "In Him we live and move and have our being," and "We's all God's chilluns."

We are all God's children. So we ought not to worship things of gold and silicon and paper and things derived from the imaginations of mere people. God is all knowing. So God understands when we are ignorant. But God has also provided all the information we need to put the pieces together.

Our Almighty Father will not allow us to be ignorant forever. Like a school child who refuses to do their homework and study their lessons, God will put us all in eternal detention, God will ground us literally. God the Almighty Father commands that all repent.

In fact God has already set the court date for all creation. There will be a trial! And he has already appointed his Son to be the judge. He has demonstrated His Son Jesus' authority by raising him from the dead.

This God is our all knowing, all loving, ever present Father. Repent and believe in Him. His son is coming again to judge the world."

I hope all of you already know this God I am talking about. If you don't, I hope you come to know Him today. But there are a lot of people out there who don't know God. They are all worshipping something. But they need to be worshipping God their Heavenly Father. Somebody needs to tell them about their Heavenly Father.

This passage we read this morning stopped at the end of Paul's speech. The verses that follow tell how the people laughed him off the podium. In Greek thought life after death was the stuff of fairy tales. The minuet he mentioned it they stopped listening and ridiculed him.

We need to tell the world, as Paul did, that they have a Heavenly Father who loves them. They all have in their hearts and souls an empty place. In it is an altar inscribed with the words "To an unknown god." They are trying to fill that empty place with all kinds of human made gods. But only a relationship with their Heavenly Father can fill that emptiness. So tell them of their Heavenly Father and their brother in Christ who died for them. They may laugh at you and ridicule you for telling them what they consider "fairy tales." Tell them anyway because they need to hear it. A day of judgment is coming and ignorance will be no excuse.

John 14:15-21

Have you ever been all alone? Now there is a difference between being alone and being all alone. I appreciate times alone. Sometimes in the mornings I get to the church before 8 am and I have some time alone. I can pray and think during that time in solitude.

We all need times of solitude. We need those times to be alone with God. Even Jesus would go away from the crowds to spend time alone with God. So aloneness in that sense is good for us.

But that's not being all alone. Being all alone is being separated from others, isolated, lonely... You can be alone in a crowd. That's what I mean by being all alone. Have you ever been all alone?

Jesus knew what it meant to be all alone. Not too long after Jesus said the words I read this morning, he was nailed to a cross. And among the thing he said was "My God My God why have you forsaken me." In that moment he took our sins on him and knew what it meant to be separated from God. In that moment he experienced true aloneness.

But Jesus promised that his disciples would never be all alone! In our reading today he tells his disciples that he will not leave them "orphaned" or in some translations "desolate." He will send another "counselor" to be with them. Some Bibles translate this as an "advocate." In short Jesus will make sure that there is someone to stand with them. Someone to guide, comfort and teach them.

Jesus fulfilled part of this promise after the resurrection. They were not orphaned - all alone. He appeared to his disciples for 40 days. For 40 days he counseled them and opened their eyes. But then Jesus further fulfilled this promise when he sent the Holy Spirit. Ten days after he ascended to the Father, on the day of Pentecost, he sent the Spirit. And through it we received another advocate. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus and the Father are made present in our lives. Through them we are never alone whether in a crowd or when no one else is around.

But all this talk of being alone and not being alone is framed by statements about keeping Jesus' commands. Verses 15 & 16 say, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments, and I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, to be with you for ever." Then verse 21 says, "He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him." Now it would be easy for me to say, "So if you want to have Jesus in your heart you must do what he says." But that doesn't seem to be that point here. Jesus is not saying "if you don't want to be alone, you'd better do as I say."

It's deeper than that. Loving God and keeping his commandments are all rolled together. You really can't do one without doing the other. If you truly love God you will want to do his will. And you can't sincerely try to do his will without first loving him. In the same way loving God and knowing his presence are all rolled together. God is present in our love for him and in our actions that live out that love.

You know we talk about the Holy Spirit and feeling Jesus in our hearts. We sing "I walk with him and talk with him.." But the Bible is telling us that Christ is made present to us in our love for one another. That's why church is so important. Not the building but the community. Here we love one another in Jesus name and we live out God's love together in our worship and ministry. And Christ is present in that.

I guess you could say that the kingdom of heaven is like a Father who took his son fishing. This Father and son would make a habit of going fishing together. It was there special time together. It was the time that they talked and shared things. Year after year they did this. Even when the son had grown and moved away they would make special plans to go fishing together.

Then the Father died, and the son kept on going fishing. First by himself and then with his son. And in those times of fishing he would remember his father and things that they shared. And he would feel the love and presence of his father once again.

You see when we do the things that Jesus taught us he becomes a part of us. And it is like that son. His father was no longer physically present but was there in his memory and in his heart when he did the things that they shared. When we do these things Jesus taught us he is present there in our hearts and lives.

You see why it's not an "If ... then" thing. The point is not that "if" we do this "then" he is present. It's more a "both ... and." In the doing Jesus is there. In the loving of others Jesus is present. That is why activities like Salkehatchie and Habitat for Humanity are so popular. When we practice love, Jesus is made present to us in special way.

And that is what we do here. When we break this bread and drink this cup we experience the presence of Jesus. It is like the son who feels his father's presence when he goes fishing, but it is more. The analogy with the father and son fishing trips breaks down at this point. Because the son's father is not truly present, just the son's memory of the father stirred by the sights, sounds, and smells of fishing.

But Jesus is truly present with us through the Holy Spirit. When we share Holy Communion or act according to Jesus' teaching, Jesus is there. He is in our hearts and souls; but not just as a memory as with the man and son in the story. Jesus us really present by the Holy Spirit of God. So come, for Jesus has promised that we are never alone; we are not orphans. He is with us in the breaking of the bread and the sharing of the cup and the living of the Christian life.

1 Peter 3:13-22

"A mother's fears." As a pastor I have a lot of mothers ask to pray for their children. The concerns of these mothers ranged from whether her child would survive an illness to whether her child would pass an exam. Once a mother came to me asking for prayer because she was afraid her son would be called away to fight in the Gulf War. More recently a mother asked me to pray for her children because prom night was approaching. Countless times, when people are in pain both emotional or physical, it is their mother who is the first to turn to God in prayers.

The reality of Motherhood is that along with all the joys and blessings of caring for a child there are also fears. Fears of what the future holds. We live in a society that seems to be getting worse by the hour. We fight against crime and injustice and drugs yet those things seem to be on the rise. What will happen to our children in the future?

We all have both hopes and fears for the children we raise. Will the things that we try to teach them here in the church and at home stick. Will they surrender themselves to God and receive strength for abundant living. Or will they give in to the pressures of this world and suffer the pain of a life lost in sin. Sometimes the fears overshadow the hopes.

The early church faced a similar situation. Their fears for their children in the faith sometimes overshadowed their hopes. The early church faced enemies on all sides. The Jews opposed their proclaiming that Jesus was the Messiah and they started riots wherever the Christians went. The Romans didn't like the problems that this new upstart religion was causing so they persecuted the Christians too. What would become of the church and of the spiritual children that were being born again into it every day.

Peter the Apostle was concerned and so, inspired by God, he sent a message of hope to the church. He began, "Who will harm you if you are eager to do good?" It makes sense. Would you beat someone up for trying to lift you out of a hole. But that was exactly what was happening to the Christians. The Jew and the Romans were beating them up for trying to lift them out of the hole of sin. Peter is very much aware of that reality so in his next sentence he says, "But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed." He goes on, "Do not fear what they fear and be intimidated." So even though they suffer for doing good they should have hope and not fear.

Now forgive me for complaining but the last thing a person who is genuinely concerned wants to hear is "Don't worry." You remember the a few years back there was a song that said, "Don't worry, Be happy." It is good to be hopeful, but that attitude belittles people's concerns. People don't need to be told "Don't worry" they need to be told why they don't need to worry. Is Peter here telling the early church in the midst of persecution "Don't worry, be happy?"

Peter is not saying "Don't worry, be happy" to these suffering Christians. He is not ignoring the enormity of the troubles that faced the early church. Remember who Peter is: He is the chief Apostle. He is was the first for the disciples to confess that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God. And do you remember Jesus response to Peter's confession. "You are Peter(the rock), and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it."(Matthew 16:18) Now Jesus did not build his church upon Peter. Peter was just a chip off the old block. The rock Jesus built his church upon was the truth that He, Jesus, was the Christ the son of God. So Peter reminds the church of this truth. First Peter says "for it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God's will, than to suffer for doing evil"(vs. 17) Then he puts this suffering in context, "For Christ suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous in order to bring you to God."

This statement says several things to the early Christians. 1. Christ suffered for us. He knows the suffering we are going through. He can feel our pain. 2. Like us he suffered for doing good; for following God's will. 3. God willed his suffering for a greater good. It was his suffering that bought our salvation. He suffered and died so that all of us could live eternally. So our suffering must be for a greater good. What was that greater good that the early church was suffering for? If they had not suffered in faith who would have passed on the faith to us. Their suffering is a living proof of what Peter has written here. It was also a fulfillment of what Jesus said to Peter: "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it!"

Peter points out that Jesus "has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him." Jesus Christ has ultimate authority over all things. The powers of evil have been let loose on this world for a time and they make the righteous suffer. But Jesus has ultimate authority over them, as well. In Christ we have victory over the forces of this world! In other words the church should not fear for the future because their faith was in Jesus who is King of Kings

Have you ever feared for your children? What woman who has mothered a child hasn't feared for that child's future. The Bible has several very important things to say to you. 1. Jesus knows your suffering. He's been there. Jesus said, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem. How often I have desired to gather your children as a hen gathers her brood."(Matt. 23:37) Out of love Jesus wished to "Mother" his father's children but they would not let him.

2. Your worries and fears are sanctified by love. Your suffering is one born of love for your children. I believe God honors that love, just as God honored the love Jesus had for us as he died on the cross. When we suffer for doing good we are following in Jesus' footsteps.

3. Your suffering is not in vain. God knows your concern. And when you lift those concerns to God in prayer God hears and answers.

4. Don't fear as the world fears. Don't fear because Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior. If you have confessed that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God, then He lives in you. In that case your life and your prayers are built on that rock of faith. And if you teach your children that faith then the gates of hell shall not prevail against them. Simply put your trust and your children in Jesus' hands.

Acts 2:1-21

John 14:15-17; 25-27

"Do you believe in the Holy Spirit?" The question was asked by a seminary student as part of a discussion group. The first response I gave was "Of course I do! I'm a Christian, aren't I?" One of the basic doctrines if Christianity is a belief in the Trinity; that the one true God is revealed in three persons: Father, Son and, last but not least, Holy Spirit. But this student confessed that there was a member in his church who said he did not believe in the Holy Spirit. As we talked we realized that this member didn't doubt the Trinity but rather had misgivings about certain worship practices involving the Holy Spirit.

Most Sundays we say "I believe in the Holy Spirit" as part of our Affirmation of Faith. That statement of its equivalent is in the Apostles' Creed and most of the other creeds we use in worship. But too often main line Christians like ourselves are uncomfortable talking about the Holy Spirit.

I think that too many Christians really don't know what the Holy Spirit is. Some equate the Holy Spirit with emotionalism or ways of worshipping that we are not accustomed to. But God's Holy Spirit is more than the worship practices of one group and it encompasses much more than just the emotions. So today I want to address the question, "What is the Holy Spirit?"

First of all, what did Jesus say about the Holy Spirit? As Jesus was preparing his disciples for his death he told them of the Holy Spirit. Open your Bibles to John 14:16 Jesus said, "I will ask the Father and he will give you another," what? "advocate." Later in verse 26 this advocate is identified as the Holy Spirit. An advocate is one to stands by you in times of trouble or adversity. An advocate is also someone who helps and gives aid and support.

And how will this Advocate give aid. In verse 26 it says that this advocate will do what? someone read aloud verse 26. "Will teach you everything, and remind you of everything I(Jesus) have said to you." So it is the Holy Spirit that helped the Apostles tell and eventually others to write down their accounts of Jesus' life. It is also the Holy Spirit that helps us understand the Bible and apply it to our lives.

So the Holy Spirit gives us help and understanding, but it is also the source of the peace that Jesus says he gives his followers. This peace is not like the peace that the world gives. The peace of mind that the world offers is based on human understandings and abilities. But the peace the Holy Spirit give is a peace that surpasses understanding. It is the peace of mind and tranquillity that we have even in the case of events we do not comprehend and cannot control.

Jesus' promise to send the Holy Spirit was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. Let's consider what happened at Pentecost. I read the beginning of that story in the Book of Acts. After raising from the dead Jesus appeared to his disciples for forty days. Then Jesus went up into heaven. Ten days later on the Jewish Feast of Weeks, also called Pentecost, God sent the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit came upon the disciples like a mighty rushing wind and flames of fire appeared and rested on each of them. Then they went out into the streets and began to speak in different languages. And people from many different nations who had come to Jerusalem to worship God heard the apostles speaking to them in their native languages. Now some people say that the Apostles here are speaking in tongues. But this is a different phenomenon from what is referred to as "speaking in tongues" in other places in the Bible. The term "speaking in tongues" usually refers to speaking in the language of the spirit. Just read through Paul's letters. He talks about "ecstatic utterances" in a language of the Spirit that humans cannot understand without a special gift of interpretation. In Paul's writings "speaking in tongues" is speaking in a non-human language that the Spirit speaks through people as an aid to prayer and as a sign to unbelievers. On the day of Pentecost the Apostles were not speaking the language of the Spirit. They were speaking human languages by the Holy Spirit. Non-believers were hearing them and understanding what they were saying. By the power of God's Holy Spirit they were given an ability they did not have before. They were given the ability to speak foreign language so that all may hear the Good News of Jesus and believe.

Have you ever wanted to tell someone about Jesus but you just didn't know how? Maybe you tried and it seemed like you were speaking a foreign language to them: they just didn't understand. For instance how do we tell people outside the church that they need to accept Christ to have abundant life. Sometimes when Christians try to speak to the world it is as if we are speaking a foreign language. They look at us as if we are babbling on in Russian or something. It's the Holy Spirit that helps us at such times. Through the Holy Spirit God gives us the ability to communicate across those barriers.

What is the Holy Spirit? It's God's presence with us. God's Holy Spirit is with us to be an advocate and aid. It's the Holy Spirit that give us understanding of God's Word. It's the Holy Spirit that gives us power and strength. It's the Holy Spirit that give us the gifts we need to carry out the ministry that God has planned for each of us.

So do I believe in the Holy Spirit? I do because I have experienced it! I have experienced that presence of God in my life. I have experienced strength through times of difficulty. And that strength came not from me. It came from God's presence with me. I have experienced the presence of God giving me abilities I did not have before so that I may be an instrument of God's grace.

Do you believe in the Holy Spirit? If you have given your life to Christ then the promise of the Holy Spirit is for you. The problem is that many Christians don't know that God has given them a helper, an advocate. They think that they have to live the Christian life on their own. But you don't have to do it alone. God has given you an advocate, a helper, a teacher. But it's up to you to accept that helper. Then God's power will work within you and your life.

This morning I want to do something a little different. As we sing the "Hymn of Response" I want to invite everyone who would like to receive the Holy Spirit to come forward so that I can pray for you. Now let me explain to you what I mean. I know some of you may have been in services where the preacher invited people to come forward and receive a particular gift of the Holy Spirit That is not what I am talking about this morning. I don't ridicule those who do that, I simply do not feel called by God to do that. However I do feel called to invite you to open your hearts and minds to God's presence in your life. That presence is called the Holy Spirit.

You may have given your life to Christ years ago. You are already a Christian and have a reservation for heaven. I'm not talking about that. I am talking about receiving the one who helps us in the here and now to live for Christ. The accept the advocate Jesus has sent to give you strength and guidance in your walk with God.

As we sing the "Hymn of Response" if you want to receive the Advocate Christ has sent you; the Holy Spirit, then I ask you to come forward to the center of the Altar. Then I will ask that you kneel and I will place my hands on your head and pray a simple prayer for the Holy Spirit to be at work in you. If you feel led to come forward to pray for any other reason I will ask that you go to sides of the Altar.