LAST SUNDAY'S SERMON NOTES
Read Peter's preaching notes....
“The Spirit’s New Work”
Isaiah 44:1-8
5/31/20
Celebrate Pent today: when HS came upon small band of 120 believers
no one could predict or imagine what would happen: certainly not believers!
had been waiting & hiding in upper room, unsure of what God would do
HS entered time of uncertainty & did the unexpected
what if believers had decided didn’t want any part of it? too strange & unsettling?
what if God works strange new thing among us, & decide to sit this one out
Exactly what’s happening here, across country, around world
Lord has brought us to place & time of uncertainty caused by c-v
didn’t choose it, or even expect it
nothing to do w/ what we’ve done/haven’t done, who we are/aren’t
but it’s here: as a result, have some choices
1. Give up in despair: all is lost: not likely in our case
but could imagine some churches, struggling to keep going, think can’t meet challenge
throw in towel & become victim of pandemic
2. Focus on the past as our goal: turn 2019 into an idol to chase after: “What Was”
how can we get through this time as unchanged as possible?
bring back What Was as quickly and completely as we can
ie nothing new worth gaining from exp
merely unfortunate hiccup or interruption till back to regularly scheduled program
3. Recognize opportunity: see HS doing new, unexpected, strange thing in midst
what can we learn? how can we see God lead & empower?
last summer, rented cabin on Allegheny along rail trail just north of Kennerdell
went for walk w/ granddaughter: 4 at the time: came to Kennerdell Tunnel
dark opening in mountainside surrounded by trees & vines: kind of creepy
she didn’t want near it at all: but later in day wanted to go back, went partway in
when got too far from light of entrance, wanted back out
this is our Kennerdell Tunnel: do we have faith to follow God into unknown darkness?
not just a little bit, still see light behind us, think means we’re safe
but keep going until surrounded by darkness
beyond what we are comfortable w/ thinking we can handle
into place where have to trust God to do what only he can do
Is 44 holds up God’s promise: what he can do, wants to do w/ & for us
lead us out of dry thirsty land to where life-giving waters flow
pour out HS on us, give us new ID: call ourselves his people
not only say the words that God is the mighty one, but live like it
watch to see powerful, new, strange, unexpected things that he does
Watch to fulfill what he promised in chapter before
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
God is in the business of doing a new thing: Pent simply one big example of it
too often, we don’t rise to challenge: don’t forget former things, dwell on past
but that is not where we are going to meet God: ahead of us somewhere
I have no idea what has in mind: only know have to walk into darkness to get there
Time like this, while everything up in air, best time to reassess life, situation
consider how we are going through world as past disrupted & future uncertain
ask selves questions like
What is worth bringing back & continuing?
Will what we bring back continue in a revised way?
What will simply float away? don’t need, but never realized we didn’t
things that stayed in Roger’s garage, not brought back to basement
What new thing has emerged?
whether from necessity or out of ground from where old was uprooted
or new perspective only now visible because of changes?
Georgian Place was always there but didn’t know it
Is this a new thing we want to keep?
just because it’s new doesn’t mean it’s good: can become different kind of idol
willing to open selves to this new thing, see if it is where God is leading us?
Choice: act out of faith or fear
Hebrews 10:39: ”We do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed,
but to those who have faith and are saved.”
to have faith means taking a risk in order to see a miracle
are you ready to take the risk, so we can exp miracle God has in mind?
Once recognize where God leading, able to dream his dream
on Pent, Peter preached sermon, referred to Joel 2
“I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.”
God has dream in mind for each of us, individ & as congre
this is the time for us to dream those dreams & see those visions God has for us
But dream isn’t enough: must become decision
once catch vision, put legs on it: begin new course of action
shift my metaphor, instead of following God into dark unknown of tunnel in mountain,
follow by climbing that mountain: working toward goal of that dream
mountain in front of us now is our future, future of church, in light of pandemic
again, could turn around & run from challenge, or freeze in indecision
but the mountain is in front of us: are you ready to climb?
Isaiah 44:1-8
5/31/20
Celebrate Pent today: when HS came upon small band of 120 believers
no one could predict or imagine what would happen: certainly not believers!
had been waiting & hiding in upper room, unsure of what God would do
HS entered time of uncertainty & did the unexpected
what if believers had decided didn’t want any part of it? too strange & unsettling?
what if God works strange new thing among us, & decide to sit this one out
Exactly what’s happening here, across country, around world
Lord has brought us to place & time of uncertainty caused by c-v
didn’t choose it, or even expect it
nothing to do w/ what we’ve done/haven’t done, who we are/aren’t
but it’s here: as a result, have some choices
1. Give up in despair: all is lost: not likely in our case
but could imagine some churches, struggling to keep going, think can’t meet challenge
throw in towel & become victim of pandemic
2. Focus on the past as our goal: turn 2019 into an idol to chase after: “What Was”
how can we get through this time as unchanged as possible?
bring back What Was as quickly and completely as we can
ie nothing new worth gaining from exp
merely unfortunate hiccup or interruption till back to regularly scheduled program
3. Recognize opportunity: see HS doing new, unexpected, strange thing in midst
what can we learn? how can we see God lead & empower?
last summer, rented cabin on Allegheny along rail trail just north of Kennerdell
went for walk w/ granddaughter: 4 at the time: came to Kennerdell Tunnel
dark opening in mountainside surrounded by trees & vines: kind of creepy
she didn’t want near it at all: but later in day wanted to go back, went partway in
when got too far from light of entrance, wanted back out
this is our Kennerdell Tunnel: do we have faith to follow God into unknown darkness?
not just a little bit, still see light behind us, think means we’re safe
but keep going until surrounded by darkness
beyond what we are comfortable w/ thinking we can handle
into place where have to trust God to do what only he can do
Is 44 holds up God’s promise: what he can do, wants to do w/ & for us
lead us out of dry thirsty land to where life-giving waters flow
pour out HS on us, give us new ID: call ourselves his people
not only say the words that God is the mighty one, but live like it
watch to see powerful, new, strange, unexpected things that he does
Watch to fulfill what he promised in chapter before
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
God is in the business of doing a new thing: Pent simply one big example of it
too often, we don’t rise to challenge: don’t forget former things, dwell on past
but that is not where we are going to meet God: ahead of us somewhere
I have no idea what has in mind: only know have to walk into darkness to get there
Time like this, while everything up in air, best time to reassess life, situation
consider how we are going through world as past disrupted & future uncertain
ask selves questions like
What is worth bringing back & continuing?
Will what we bring back continue in a revised way?
What will simply float away? don’t need, but never realized we didn’t
things that stayed in Roger’s garage, not brought back to basement
What new thing has emerged?
whether from necessity or out of ground from where old was uprooted
or new perspective only now visible because of changes?
Georgian Place was always there but didn’t know it
Is this a new thing we want to keep?
just because it’s new doesn’t mean it’s good: can become different kind of idol
willing to open selves to this new thing, see if it is where God is leading us?
Choice: act out of faith or fear
Hebrews 10:39: ”We do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed,
but to those who have faith and are saved.”
to have faith means taking a risk in order to see a miracle
are you ready to take the risk, so we can exp miracle God has in mind?
Once recognize where God leading, able to dream his dream
on Pent, Peter preached sermon, referred to Joel 2
“I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.”
God has dream in mind for each of us, individ & as congre
this is the time for us to dream those dreams & see those visions God has for us
But dream isn’t enough: must become decision
once catch vision, put legs on it: begin new course of action
shift my metaphor, instead of following God into dark unknown of tunnel in mountain,
follow by climbing that mountain: working toward goal of that dream
mountain in front of us now is our future, future of church, in light of pandemic
again, could turn around & run from challenge, or freeze in indecision
but the mountain is in front of us: are you ready to climb?
Old Union Presbyterian Church | 200 Union Church Road, Mars, PA 16046
724-538-8672 | OldUnionChurch@gmail.com
724-538-8672 | OldUnionChurch@gmail.com