Bible Study and Questions Reply
Pastor Ernest has started posting on YouTube a Bible study in response to questions submitted to him. Each week he will do his best to answer those questions with an in-depth discussion of different topics. Please click on the button below to go to this week's study.
Please join us for on-line worship each Sunday by clicking the button below Pastor Ernest's message.
If you are a member at St. John's, don't forget that our expenses continue even as we are apart. Mail your check to the church and it will be used to the glory of God.
St. John's UMC
501 S. Alexander Drive
Baytown TX 77520
May 27, 2020
.
Pastor’s Message
This Sunday is Pentecost. While it is not as important to the United Methodist calendar as, say, the Assemblies of God, I would argue that it should be, especially considering our current situation. The preaching guides for Pentecost all call for ministers to put extra effort into bringing some “new life” into the sanctuary for worship. While I would argue that every time we gather as the people of God, there is life, I understand how celebrations like Pentecost are opportunities for stepping out and going even further. It is a call for clergy to try to recapture the experience of being empowered by the Spirit for the task of building the church and making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Pentecost is one day when such a thing doesn’t feel quite so outlandish, but it might just be within the realm of possibility—at least in the Spirit-breathed possibility.
But with an empty sanctuary and our church family scattered to the four winds, how do I accomplish that? If I had the computer skills and resources, I guess now would be the time to break out some MTV-quality music videos or for me to film the sermon while skydiving. (Note: That last one is NEVER going to happen.) However, maybe that sort of entertaining “flash” is the wrong approach.
For our Jewish forefathers Pentecost was originally an agricultural festival celebrating the first harvest of the growing season. Later it became a commemoration of the giving of the land of Canaan to the people of Israel; and even later, it morphed into an observance of the giving of the law to Moses on Mount Sinai. All these are important times of celebration, but nothing in those celebrations indicates the power that was unleashed on this day. It certainly caught the disciples by surprise. They were used to a low-key holiday (not like Yom Kippur or even Rosh Hashana), but instead found themselves in an encounter with God that literally blew them away.
So “new life” should not be a euphemism for a new thrill. Sure, no doubt the experience of Pentecost was exciting for the disciples who experienced it, but ultimately it meant that their lives had changed forever. Now they were entrusted with the same power experienced by Christ. With that power came the awesome responsibility of venturing out into the world to spread the Good News. As we all know, that mission came at a terrible cost for each one of them.
So it is with us. We do not gather this coming Sunday—even if it is just online—to be entertained or enthralled. Instead, we are to be reminded that we too are called to be Christ’s body here on earth.We too are called to places and missions that are uncomfortable, exhausting, and sometimes even dangerous. God may put us into a space where we aren’t always in control of what is happening or we don’t fully understand it, but our courage in the face of such uncertainty makes us more ready to receive the Spirit when it comes. That Spirit is always resting upon us, ready to empower, guide, and sustain us. There is a time and place for us to worship in a calm and reserved manner. Friends, Pentecost is not that time or place.
Your Brother in Christ, Pastor Ernest
If you are a member at St. John's, don't forget that our expenses continue even as we are apart. Mail your check to the church and it will be used to the glory of God.
St. John's UMC
501 S. Alexander Drive
Baytown TX 77520
May 27, 2020
.
Pastor’s Message
This Sunday is Pentecost. While it is not as important to the United Methodist calendar as, say, the Assemblies of God, I would argue that it should be, especially considering our current situation. The preaching guides for Pentecost all call for ministers to put extra effort into bringing some “new life” into the sanctuary for worship. While I would argue that every time we gather as the people of God, there is life, I understand how celebrations like Pentecost are opportunities for stepping out and going even further. It is a call for clergy to try to recapture the experience of being empowered by the Spirit for the task of building the church and making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Pentecost is one day when such a thing doesn’t feel quite so outlandish, but it might just be within the realm of possibility—at least in the Spirit-breathed possibility.
But with an empty sanctuary and our church family scattered to the four winds, how do I accomplish that? If I had the computer skills and resources, I guess now would be the time to break out some MTV-quality music videos or for me to film the sermon while skydiving. (Note: That last one is NEVER going to happen.) However, maybe that sort of entertaining “flash” is the wrong approach.
For our Jewish forefathers Pentecost was originally an agricultural festival celebrating the first harvest of the growing season. Later it became a commemoration of the giving of the land of Canaan to the people of Israel; and even later, it morphed into an observance of the giving of the law to Moses on Mount Sinai. All these are important times of celebration, but nothing in those celebrations indicates the power that was unleashed on this day. It certainly caught the disciples by surprise. They were used to a low-key holiday (not like Yom Kippur or even Rosh Hashana), but instead found themselves in an encounter with God that literally blew them away.
So “new life” should not be a euphemism for a new thrill. Sure, no doubt the experience of Pentecost was exciting for the disciples who experienced it, but ultimately it meant that their lives had changed forever. Now they were entrusted with the same power experienced by Christ. With that power came the awesome responsibility of venturing out into the world to spread the Good News. As we all know, that mission came at a terrible cost for each one of them.
So it is with us. We do not gather this coming Sunday—even if it is just online—to be entertained or enthralled. Instead, we are to be reminded that we too are called to be Christ’s body here on earth.We too are called to places and missions that are uncomfortable, exhausting, and sometimes even dangerous. God may put us into a space where we aren’t always in control of what is happening or we don’t fully understand it, but our courage in the face of such uncertainty makes us more ready to receive the Spirit when it comes. That Spirit is always resting upon us, ready to empower, guide, and sustain us. There is a time and place for us to worship in a calm and reserved manner. Friends, Pentecost is not that time or place.
Your Brother in Christ, Pastor Ernest
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