Preach The Gospel At All Times And, When Necessary, Use Words
Pentecost, Year C May 23, 2010
Preach The Gospel At All Times And, When Necessary, Use Words
The Reverend Dr. Howard J. Hess
I. Introduction. When I graduated from Yale Divinity School, a close friend gave me a framed quotation that read: “Preach the Gospel at all times and, when necessary, use words.” It is attributed to St. Francis, although there is no reliable record indicating that he actually spoke these words. It would appear that Francis valued both living and preaching the Gospel and was an extraordinarily powerful preacher. All indications are that Francis relied upon the spoken word to build upon and interpret the actions of a life lived according to the Gospel.
II. This model of using words to clarify what it means to live as disciples of Jesus Christ is at the heart of what happened on the first day of Pentecost. The disciples were gathered together and experienced the powerful coming of The Holy Spirit. It was just as Jesus had promised.
As your Rector, one of my responsibilities is to point out where God is at work among us. Today on The Feast of Pentecost at The Church of The Ascension in 2010 God continues to send the Holy Spirit to inspire us to new vigor and enthusiasm as followers of Christ. Our service this morning is filled with the evidence of the Spirit’s presence here at Ascension. For example, today we will baptize a new baby, Edward Richards Brabham; we have a rose on the altar celebrating the birth of Ashlyn Grace Burge, from a new family here at Church of the Ascension. God is sending more and more children to us for spiritual nurturance and direction. And God has sent us a new Director of Christian Formation, Deacon Amy Morehous, and a colleague to work with her, Amy Avery. They will continue the fine work begun by Jacqueline Soltys, who is moving to the Chicago area and leaving this position at the end of May.
This morning we also will commission 16 new Stephen Ministers who are committed to bringing the love of Jesus Christ to this parish as your servants. They join 21 other ministers who have been trained. This is an outpouring of the movement of the Spirit in this place. It is through the Spirit's help that we can reach out in deep love for one another. Ascension’s capacity to provide such a ministry is a sea change in the life of this parish.
Today we will bless and anoint Kathleen Ambrose at the 10:30 service as she begins a year of dedicated spiritual reflection and retreat. She has been model of Christian discipleship among us. We will also bless a beautiful communion kit crafted by Al Hudson to allow us to transport Communion vessels for large Eucharists away from the church. Over 60 hours of loving dedication have created this box.
Also, as a real testament to your willingness to respond to the urging of the Holy Spirit in our midst we have parts of a new roof that your generosity has made possible and a new air conditioner that arrived THE VERY DAY THAT THE OLD UNIT DIED! We can also report that due to your faithfulness we have had to borrow no money thus far to meet budget expenses at Church of The Ascension in 2010. And, today we are preparing for the visit next Wednesday of our first candidate for the Youth Minister position, also made possible by the generosity of God's people in this place.
III. Thanks be to God that the winds of The Holy Spirit are moving through Ascension. But remember -- the Holy Spirit moves us and the Holy Spirit strengthens us, but will not do our work for us. Let us invite the Spirit to continue to lead us into a time of renewal and revival of our mission as a community of believers.
Preach The Gospel At All Times And, When Necessary, Use Words
The Reverend Dr. Howard J. Hess
I. Introduction. When I graduated from Yale Divinity School, a close friend gave me a framed quotation that read: “Preach the Gospel at all times and, when necessary, use words.” It is attributed to St. Francis, although there is no reliable record indicating that he actually spoke these words. It would appear that Francis valued both living and preaching the Gospel and was an extraordinarily powerful preacher. All indications are that Francis relied upon the spoken word to build upon and interpret the actions of a life lived according to the Gospel.
II. This model of using words to clarify what it means to live as disciples of Jesus Christ is at the heart of what happened on the first day of Pentecost. The disciples were gathered together and experienced the powerful coming of The Holy Spirit. It was just as Jesus had promised.
As your Rector, one of my responsibilities is to point out where God is at work among us. Today on The Feast of Pentecost at The Church of The Ascension in 2010 God continues to send the Holy Spirit to inspire us to new vigor and enthusiasm as followers of Christ. Our service this morning is filled with the evidence of the Spirit’s presence here at Ascension. For example, today we will baptize a new baby, Edward Richards Brabham; we have a rose on the altar celebrating the birth of Ashlyn Grace Burge, from a new family here at Church of the Ascension. God is sending more and more children to us for spiritual nurturance and direction. And God has sent us a new Director of Christian Formation, Deacon Amy Morehous, and a colleague to work with her, Amy Avery. They will continue the fine work begun by Jacqueline Soltys, who is moving to the Chicago area and leaving this position at the end of May.
This morning we also will commission 16 new Stephen Ministers who are committed to bringing the love of Jesus Christ to this parish as your servants. They join 21 other ministers who have been trained. This is an outpouring of the movement of the Spirit in this place. It is through the Spirit's help that we can reach out in deep love for one another. Ascension’s capacity to provide such a ministry is a sea change in the life of this parish.
Today we will bless and anoint Kathleen Ambrose at the 10:30 service as she begins a year of dedicated spiritual reflection and retreat. She has been model of Christian discipleship among us. We will also bless a beautiful communion kit crafted by Al Hudson to allow us to transport Communion vessels for large Eucharists away from the church. Over 60 hours of loving dedication have created this box.
Also, as a real testament to your willingness to respond to the urging of the Holy Spirit in our midst we have parts of a new roof that your generosity has made possible and a new air conditioner that arrived THE VERY DAY THAT THE OLD UNIT DIED! We can also report that due to your faithfulness we have had to borrow no money thus far to meet budget expenses at Church of The Ascension in 2010. And, today we are preparing for the visit next Wednesday of our first candidate for the Youth Minister position, also made possible by the generosity of God's people in this place.
III. Thanks be to God that the winds of The Holy Spirit are moving through Ascension. But remember -- the Holy Spirit moves us and the Holy Spirit strengthens us, but will not do our work for us. Let us invite the Spirit to continue to lead us into a time of renewal and revival of our mission as a community of believers.
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