Pentecost Sunday May 23, 2010 - Sermon by Confirmands
Eric "Trip" Propper
Today is the day of Pentecost. Pentecost is fifty days after Easter Sunday and represents the day that the Holy Spirit came to the Apostles and other followers of Jesus and told them to spread the word of God.
"On the day of Pentecost all the Lord’s followers were together in one place. Suddenly there was a noise from heaven like the sound of a mighty wind. It filled the house where they were meeting. Then they saw what looked like fiery tongues moving in all directions, and a tongue came and settled on each person there. The Holy Spirit took control of everyone, and they began speaking whatever languages the Spirit let them speak."
This passage from the Book of Acts shows that Pentecost is a day of miracles. Jesus’ followers were able to understand each other even though they did not each others’ languages and were able to spread the word of God. Also, Pentecost is a day of spreading word of what you believe in or what has happened so the people can get help. For example, the earthquake in Haiti on January 12th, 2010, wounded, displaced, or killed millions of people. The world reacted quickly because people spread the word. Doctors and nurses went to work right away even though they did not have adequate technology. Once they finished cleaning the airport, supplies were flown in. Hundreds of thousands of lives were saved because of hard work. Some organizations like Episcopal relief and development sent people to help ration out food and act like parents of the children who had lost theirs. Conditions were fixed because people, companies, and organizations spread the word and helped. People were able to text a number and donations would be sent to Haiti. The whole world got involved just because people spread the word. This parish even donated just under $5,000.
Through Pentecost, God is trying to get us to spread the word of everything that goes on, good or bad. This is what the day of Pentecost is all about.
Josh Oquendo
Pentecost is the great festival that marks the birth of the Christian church by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Another mark given by the Holy Spirit is a baptism.
Baptism is given once to a person, usually as an infant. Water is poured over the head to symbolize the washing away of sins. The Holy Trinity is called upon to strengthen the new Church member.
Baptism is a sign that a person has been reborn into a new family, THE CHURCH FAMILY
My baptism was on September 11, 1994. I do not remember my baptism BECAUSE I WAS AN INFANT; however looking through pictures and listening to stories that my parents and godparents told me I know that it was a huge celebration and a blessing to everyone including myself.
And yet another mark has been given to me and my family today the blessing of my confirmation.
Nick Mudry
When reading the prayer book, confirmation is defined as "the rite in which we express a mature commitment to Christ, and receive strength from the Holy Spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands by a bishop". To be honest, when I was told that I had to write part of a sermon about confirmation the first thing I did was Google it. The definition that I came up with was that confirmation is a statement of faith by someone in their early adolescence, or "age of reason". I found that amusing, because even I can admit that teenagers and reason don’t usually go hand in hand. So as I’m thinking about confirmation, it’s important to remember that as we start moving away from the security of our families, this is also the time when we are moving towards the security of our faith. Our faith is something you can always count on, even during the hardest times. It is with you from childhood into adulthood. Sure, at some point in the journey you might drift away; but if this faith is really a part of you then you will find it eventually, and it may be even stronger. Throughout life, especially in the next few years, we will be facing a lot of changes and decisions. The Holy Spirit guides us along the way, and helps us decide how we can best serve God in our own lives.
Julia Eldridge
Originally when I was asked about having to write about the Holy Spirit for my part of the sermon, I was ecstatic. I couldn’t wait to sit down and really write something meaningful to tell all of you. However, when sat down to actually write, I found it a lot harder than I thought it would be. I believed that I would be able to sit down and just write down something fantastic that would automatically sound good because I knew what I had to write about. It wasn’t that hard, just sit down and "let the Holy Spirit flow through you". Well when the Holy Spirit doesn’t want to flow through you, it doesn’t. I’ve found that the Holy Spirit really is God. God doesn’t just give us random help if we don’t ask for it. We have to ask for the help and allow the help to come to us and humble ourselves in order to receive the help. So when I sat down on Wednesday night to completely rewrite my part of the sermon, I just sat down and wrote. I opened myself up to the Holy Spirit, asking for its help in writing what the congregation needed to hear, welcoming its warmth and comfort and help. In some ways I felt that writing about the Holy Spirit helped me to renew my covenant with God more than Confirmation did. So on this day of Pentecost, when God sent forth the eleven to spread the Holy Spirit in different tongues, I’m spreading the Holy Spirit through my confirmation in the Holy Spirit, God’s guiding force, to all of you and I pray that you spread the Holy Spirit in return.
Diane Gremillion
Baptism, Confirmation, and Pentecost all bring us together as a community of God. In Pentecost, there is a ‘reverse-Tower-of-Babel effect’. At the Tower of Babble, God (displease with the people of Babel) reeks havoc by changing each of their languages. Likewise, even though God changes the language that each person speaks in the scripture of the Pentecost, each can understand one another. In fact, this is a way in which God connects to the people.
Peter points out, "God will pour his spirit upon
all our flesh."
By this, Peter means that God shares his spirit with all of us. The father is
glorified in the son and the son gives to believers. God works through several
means, but eventually we receive the Holy Spirit and The Spirit of Truth. From
then on, the Holy Spirit unites us; hence, the reverse-Tower-of-Babel effect—we
are united by God.
Likewise, Baptism invites one to the church. Confirmation is like accepting and sending one’s RSVP. In the end, we are here together and it is the Holy Spirit of God within us which drives us together. Each person reaches this connection in different ways (and maybe in different languages,) but it brings us here to the same place.
God is like an accepting parent. God the father brings us together as one church family.