Message
by Rev. Carol Kniseley
/ Title: Dancing with the Wind
I
was looking out the back window of our house the other day, when I saw
something that took my breath away.
A young squirrel had climbed out onto one of the narrowest of limbs and
was seemingly oblivious as to just how high off the ground he really was. Be that as it may, what caught my
attention was not so much the extreme height of the situation…but the fact that
the wind had begun to blow. And just
like that, without any warning of any kind that I could see, the squirrel
suddenly found himself in for the ride of his life.
Today,
three of our young people are preparing to do the same. They have been preparing themselves for
this particular moment for the last three years. Studying such things as The Ten
Commandments, The Lord’s Prayer, The Apostles Creed and the
Bible…just to mention a few.
And today…is their day…for discovering just how far out on a limb they
are willing to go. Without their
parents to speak for them…or their sponsors to act in their behalf…this time
the answers to the questions will have to be their own.
Questions
like: Do you believe… in God the Father?
Do you believe… in Jesus Christ the Son of God?
Do you
believe… in God the Holy Spirit?
Do you intend to continue in the covenant
God made with you in Holy Baptism:
To live among God’s faithful
people,
To hear his word and share in
his supper,
To proclaim the good news of God in Christ
through word and deed,
To
serve all people, following the example of our Lord Jesus,
and to
strive for justice and peace in all the earth?
To
which each of the Confirmands will answer:
I do…and I ask God to help and guide me.
What
better day than on the day of Pentecost to find oneself literally out on a
limb…perhaps even for the very first time in one’s life. May I suggest that according to today’s
story in the book of Acts…that is precisely where the early followers of Jesus
suddenly found themselves. They had somehow gotten themselves out on
a very narrow limb…with Jesus no where in sight…and in desperate need of
direction.
Enter
the Holy Spirit. Not with a mild
breeze just enough to break the early morning heat. But
with a gust of wind so powerful that it blew the doors right off their hinges. Without any warning of any kind, the room
in which some 120 people were hiding was suddenly lit up like a firecracker on
the fourth of July.
Only
this time, the fireworks weren’t up in the sky but were dangerously close…so
much so that flames began to iminate from on top of each person’s head. As the wind began to build…so did the
confidence of each one of the disciples.
They began to speak in languages that none of them could understand…that
is until someone from the outside was
able to put it into perspective.
What God had done at
Before
we go much further, I need to ask a question of all of us here. When you came here today…knowing that this
was the day of Pentecost…did the question cross your mind as to whether or not you still believe? Do you
believe…that God still has the power to blow through this congregation with
such a gale force that hearts can be transformed and lives can be turned upside
down…even to the point that we suddenly find ourselves dangling out on a
limb? Ready to take
the next big leap…even if it is a leap of faith…in order to dance with the
wind?
It
occurs to me that as I watched the squirrel high up in the tree…that perhaps
what he was really doing was merely dancing with the wind…going with the flow,
so to speak. Allowing himself to live in the moment and
trust that this is what he was meant to do from the very beginning of his life.
And
that is what I believe I would want to say to our three young Confirmands on
this their special day. You were
each born into this life for a very special reason. From the beginning God has been
watching your every step so much so that on the day of your Baptism, it was
he who actually held you in his arms and carried you through the Baptismal
waters of new life.
From
that moment on…you have never once walked alone. In those moments of tremendous triumphs
when you just knew you had given your all…it was Jesus himself who cheered the
loudest. And in those times when you discovered the
true meaning of a broken heart…it was Jesus himself who wiped away each
tear.
But
it wasn’t until you heard the still small voice that turned your head…even
for just a second…that made you turn to follow the truth…did you begin
to learn what it truly means to be called by the Holy Spirit.
Good
old Martin Luther got it right…when he said:
“I believe that I cannot of my own understanding or effort believe in
Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him.
But, the Holy Spirit has called me through the gospel…enlightened
me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in true faith.” In other words: someone around you knew the story of the
gospel and told you. Since the
very beginning of the church…that telling has been the work of the Holy
Spirit.
And
now, it is your turn. To dare to go out on a limb…for Christ and the building up of his
kingdom. Because above all
else, you know, don’t you…that you were made for this very purpose.
You
are a baptized child of God. Born to dance with the
wind…and experience for yourself…the true giver of
life. Amen