Pentecost

Ashley Herr

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Sermon Notes

Sermon Series: Encountering the Risen Jesus

Sermon Title: Pentecost

Passage: Acts 2:1-21

Preacher: Ashley Herr

The Spirit Comes (v1-4)

Uses familiar imagery from the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures:

• wind describing the Spirit of God (Genesis 1, Ezekiel 37)

• fire describing the presence of God (Exodus 3, 13, 19, 40)

1. The Spirit empowers us, to fulfill the mission Christ has given us

The Crowd Reacts (v5-13)

2. The Spirit unites us

Peter Responds (v14-21)

3. The Spirit overcomes what divides us

• True with regard to gender (v17b)

• True with regard to age (v17c)

• True with regard to social class or caste (v18)

Reflection

1. A Prayer of Reflection: Why am I so reluctant to the leading of the Holy Spirit?

2. A Prayer of Petition: Help me to be more reliant on the leading of the Holy Spirit!

Sermon Footnotes

• “God has come to them, on them, with them.“ - Willie James Jennings (Acts from The Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible series, p28)

• “Imagine peoples in many places, in many conquered sites, in many tongues all being told that their languages are secondary, tertiary, and inferior to the supreme languages of the enlightened peoples. Make way for Latin, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, and English. These are the languages God speaks.“ - Willie James Jennings (Acts from The Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible series, p30)

• “to speak a language is to speak a people. Speaking announces familiarity, connection, and relationality.“ - Willie James Jennings (Acts from The Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible series, p28)

• “This new world order begins with collapse. God shakes foundations, especially ones that wrongly claim divine imprint.“ - Willie James Jennings (Acts from The Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible series, p35)

Recommended Reading:

• Acts (from the Belief: A Theological Commentary on Acts series) by Willie James Jennings

• Pentecost (from the Fullness of Time series) by Emilio Alvarez

• He Who Gives Life by Graham Cole

• The Holy Spirit (from the Contours of Christian Theology series) by Sinclair Ferguson

• The Liturgical Year: The Spiraling Adventure of the Spiritual Life by Joan Chittister

• I Believe: Exploring the Apostles’ Creed by Alister McGrath

• Ancient-Future Time: Forming Spirituality through the Christian Year by Robert Weber

The Ascension

Ashley Herr

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Sermon Notes

Sermon Series: Encountering the Risen Jesus

Sermon Title: The Ascension

Passage: Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:1-13

Preacher: Ashley Herr

Introduction

Two questions: Where is Jesus? What is Jesus currently doing?

5+1 reasons why the ascension is neglected

1. The Bible speaks little of it

2. It seems like a bad plan

3. The implications are unclear

4. The event is abnormal

5. The resurrection subsumes the ascension

6. The liturgical calendar is often overlooked

Their Question (Luke 24:50a, Acts 1:1-8)

Jesus corrects their misunderstanding of:

• when the kingdom of God will come

• power in the kingdom of God

• their role in the kingdom of God

His Ascension (Luke 24:50b-51, Acts 1:9)

Their Response (Luke 24:52-53, Acts 1:10-13)

They responded by:

• worshiping Jesus - recognizing who he is, remembering what he had said

• obeying Jesus

Close

Seeing the significance of the ascension

1. The Bible speaks of it extensively (references from sermon noted below)

   • Jesus: John 6:62, John 16:5,7

   • Paul: Ephesians 4:8-10, 1 Timothy 3:16, Colossians 3:1

   • Peter: 1 Peter 3:22

   • The Author of Hebrews: Hebrews 4:14, 6:19, 9:24, 12:2

2. It was an incredible plan

3. The implications are becoming more clear (John 7:39, 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, Ephesians 5:23)

4. The event is abnormal

5. The ascension was a critical turning point

   • Apostles Creed

   • The Second Helvetic Confession

   • New City Catechism: Question 49, Question 51

Reflection

1. Reflect on Christ’s presence, here with us, through his Spirit (John 14:18-20, 26-29)

2. Reflect on Christ’s presence in heaven, with the Father (Romans 8:31-39)

Sermon Footnotes

• “Five reasons the ascension is neglected” - Patrick Schreiner (The Ascension of Christ, p2-6)

• “It is the nature of liturgical spirituality itself - the attempt to live the Jesus life over and over again all the years of our lives - that is the essence of this book.” - Joan Chittister (The Liturgical Year, p-xvi)

• “The liturgical year is the process of slow, sure immersion in the life of Christ that, in the end, claims us, too, as heralds of that life ourselves.” - Joan Chittister (The Liturgical Year, p13)

• “In every age, the liturgical year exists to immerse its world in the current as well as the eternal meanings of the Christian life. Then, after years of repeating the messages of the feasts and probing their meanings for our own lives, we come to a point where we look back over the decades and realize that little by little the slow drip, drip, drip of the Christian ideal has insinuated itself into the deeper parts of our psyches.” - Joan Chittister (The Liturgical Year, p11-12)

• “The ascension must be thought of as an ascension beyond all our notions of space and time, and therefore as something that cannot ultimately be expressed in categories of space and time.” - Thomas Torrance (Atonement: The Person and Work of Christ, p286 - taken from The Ascension of Christ by Patrick Schriner, p32)

• “We now know, however, that space is such that heaven is not merely upward from the earth, and it also seems likely that the difference between earth and heaven is not merely geographic. One cannot get to God simply by traveling sufficiently far and fast in a space vehicle of some kind. God is in a different dimension of reality” - Millard Erickson (Christian Theology, p710)

• “As we find in many passages of the New Testament, Jesus is not far away; he is in heaven, and heaven is not a place in the sky, but rather God's dimension of what we think of as ordinary reality. This is an essential feature of biblical cosmology, and the failure to grasp it leaves many Christians puzzled about how to put together the biblical picture of eschatology. The point is that Jesus is presently in God's dimension, that is, heaven; however, heaven is not a place in our space-time continuum, but a different sphere of reality that overlaps and interlocks with our sphere in numerous though mysterious ways. It is as though there were a great invisible curtain hanging across a room, disguising another space that can be integrated with our space; one day the curtain will be pulled back, the two spaces or spheres will be joined forever, and Jesus himself will be the central figure.” - NT Wright (Surprised by Scripture, p96-97)

Recommended Reading:

• The Liturgical Year: The Spiraling Adventure of the Spiritual Life by Joan Chittister

• Christian Theology by Millard Erickson

• I Believe: Exploring the Apostles’ Creed by Alister McGrath

• Exalted Above the Heavens: The Risen and Ascended Christ by Peter Orr

• The Ascension of Christ: Recovering a Neglected Doctrine by Patrick Schreiner

• Ancient-Future Time: Forming Spirituality through the Christian Year by Robert Weber

• Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church by NT Wright

• Surprised by Scripture: Engaging Contemporary Issues by NT Wright

Encountering Deeper Intimacy With Jesus

Ashley Herr

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SERMON NOTES

Sermon Series: Encountering the Risen Jesus

Sermon Title: Encountering Deeper Intimacy With Jesus

Passage: Luke 24:28-32

1. An Invitation Extended (v28-29a)

1st Question: What do we learn from the travelers?

• We learn that we must allow our lives to be interrupted by Jesus in order to deepen our intimacy w/ Jesus.

2. An Invitation Accepted (v29b-30)

2nd Question: What do we learn about Jesus?

• We learn that Jesus always accepts the invitation to deeper intimacy.

3. Intimacy Experienced (v31-32)

3rd Question: What do we learn from Jesus?

• We learn that Jesus always initiates the interruptions that lead to deeper intimacy

Reflection: Spiritual Practice of Examen

Click the button below to download the Examen Guide

Examen Guide

SERMON FOOTNOTES

• “Only with an invitation to ‘come and stay with me’ can in interesting encounter develop into a transforming relationship.” - Henri Nouwen (With Burning Hearts, p57)

• “Discernment is an increasing capacity to recognize and respond to the presence of Christ - in ordinary moments and also in the larger decisions of our lives.” - Ruth Haley Barton (Life Together in Christ, p138)

• Discernment is “finding God in all things, so that we might love and serve God in all (things).” - St Ignatius of Loyola (from Life Together in Christ by Ruth Haley Barton, p137)

• “Discernment requires us to move beyond our reliance on (our own) cognition and intellectual hard work to a place of deep listening and response to the Spirit of God within us and among us.” - Ruth Haley Barton (Discerning God’s Will Together: Discovering a Process of Leadership Discernment)

Recommended Reading:

• Surrender to Love: Discovering the Heart of Christian Spirituality by David Benner

• Life Together in Christ: Experiencing Transformation in Community by Ruth Haley Barton (based on the story of the road to Emmaus)

• Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life by Henri Nouwen

• With Burning Hearts: A Meditation on the Eucharistic Life by Henri Nouwen (reflection on the the story of the road to Emmaus)

Encountering the Way of Jesus

Ashley Herr

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SERMON NOTES

Sermon Series: Encountering the Risen Jesus

Sermon Title: Encountering the Way of Jesus

Passage: Luke 24:25-27

1. Jesus Confronts Their Misunderstanding (v25)

1st Question: What do we learn from the travelers?

• We learn that familiarity with Jesus is not the same as intimacy with Jesus. Proximity to Jesus does not guarantee obedience to his words, faithfulness to his way, or being formed into his image.

2. Jesus Challenges Their Understanding (v26)

3. Jesus Corrects Their Misunderstanding (v27)

2nd Question: What do we learn about Jesus?

• That he is the fulfillment of promise

3rd Question: What do we learn from Jesus?

• We learn what this journey we are following Jesus on looks like

Reflection

1. Read Luke 24:25-27 and ask yourself, “How have I misunderstood Jesus?” How have I misunderstood who he is, what I hoped he would do, when I hoped he would do it, and the way I hoped he would do it? How have I been foolish in not recognizing his presence, only seeing what I want to see? How have I been slow of heart, not believing his words, only hearing what I want to hear?

2. Read Luke 9:23-24 and ask yourself, “How have I misunderstood the way of Jesus?” How have I misunderstood the journey he is leading me on? Thinking he’s taking me somewhere other than where I want to go. What is holding you back from being all in, prevenient you from entering the narrow gate? What are you holding on to, that is preventing you from picking up your cross and faithfully following the way of Jesus?

SERMON FOOTNOTES

• “You have been staring at an obstacle not willing to consider that the obstacle was put there to show you the right path.” - Henri Nouwen (With Burning Hearts, p42)

• “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die…If we refuse to take up our cross and submit to suffering and rejection at the hands of (others), we forfeit our fellowship with Christ and have ceased to follow him…Discipleship (following Jesus, being formed into his image) means allegiance to the suffering Christ, and it is therefore not at all surprising that Christians should be called upon to suffer.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Cost of Discipleship, p89,91,91)

Recommended Reading:

• The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

• Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation by M. Robert Mulholland Jr.

• Life Together in Christ: Experiencing Transformation in Community by Ruth Haley Barton (based on the story of the road to Emmaus)

• With Burning Hearts: A Meditation on the Eucharistic Life by Henri Nouwen (reflection on the the story of the road to Emmaus)

Encountering Jesus in our Disappointment

Ashley Herr

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SERMON NOTES

Sermon Series: Encountering the Risen Jesus

Sermon Title: Encountering Jesus in our Disappointment

Passage: Luke 24:17-24

First Question (v17-18)

1st Question: What do we learn from the travelers? When we’re angry, it’s easy to take our anger out on others

• Straining our relationships

• Perpetuating a cycle of anger

Follow-up Question (v19-24)

2nd Question: What do we learn about Jesus? That he is so incredibly patient

3rd Question: What do we learn from Jesus? How to patiently listen to others

Incarnational Listening:

• is not about you

• is fully present

• asks questions - good questions and follow-up questions

• waits patiently

• embraces silence

• remains attentive to God

SERMON FOOTNOTES

• Displacement: the transfer of feelings or behavior from their original object to another person” - [VerwellMind] - [PsychologyToday]

• “Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person, they are almost indistinguishable” - David Augsburger (Caring Enough to Hear and Be Heard - quote taken from Emotionally Healthy Discipleship, p149 by Peter Scazzero)

• “Ask me not where I live or what I like to eat...ask me what I think I am living for, in detail, and ask me what I think is keeping me from living fully for the thing I want to live for.” - Thomas Merton (My Argument with the Gestapo - quote taken from Life Together in Christ, p74 by Ruth Haley Barton)

• “Christians, especially ministers, so often think they must always contribute something when they are in the company of others, that this is the one service they have to render. They forget that listening can be a greater service than speaking. Many people are looking for an ear that will listen. They do not find it among Christians, because these Christians are talking where they should be listening. But he who can no longer listen to his brother will soon no longer be listening to God either.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Life Together p97-98)

Recommended Reading:

• Emotionally Healthy Discipleship by Peter Scazzero

• Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero

• The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality by Ronald Rotheiser

• Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation by M. Robert Mulholland Jr.

• Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

• Life Together in Christ: Experiencing Transformation in Community by Ruth Haley Barton (based on the story of the road to Emmaus)

• With Burning Hearts: A Meditation on the Eucharistic Life by Henri Nouwen (reflection on the the story of the road to Emmaus)

Encountering the Presence of Jesus

Ashley Herr

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SERMON NOTES

Sermon Series: Encountering the Risen Jesus

Sermon Title: Encountering the Presence of Jesus

Passage: Luke 24:13-16

The Journey (v13-14)

1st Question: What do we learn from the travelers? That our journey of spiritual formation requires:

• Our Togetherness

• Our Openness - with ourselves, with others, with God

The Encounter (v15-16)

2nd Question: What do we learn about Jesus? That he has drawn near and is always present.

We encounter the presence of Jesus:

• By creating space for an encounter

• By gathering with his people

• By reading the words of Scripture

3rd Question: What do we learn from Jesus? How to lover others who are unable to see him, through the power of our:

• Presence with them

• Prayers for them

• Patience as we wait with them

SERMON FOOTNOTES

• “Spiritual formation is a process of being formed int the image of Christ for the sake of others.” - Robert Mulholland Jr (Invitation to a Journey, p16)

• "Spiritual transformation is the process by which Christ is formed in us - for the glory of God, for the abundance of our own lives, and for the sake of others; it results in an increasing capacity to discern and do the will of God.” - Ruth Haley Barton (Life Together in Christ, p11-12)

• “Only in Jesus Christ are we one, only through him are we bound together…Our community with one another consists solely in what Christ has done…The more genuine and the deeper our community becomes, the more will everything else between us recede, the more clearly and purely will Jesus Christ and his work become the only thing that is vital between us.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Life Together, p24,25,26)

• “To grieve is to allow our losses to tear apart feelings of security and safety and lead us to the painful truth of our brokenness. Our grief makes us experience the abyss of our own life in which noting is settled, clear, or obvious, but everything constantly shifting and changing.” - Henri Nouwen (With Burning Hearts, p27-28)

• “So spiritual formation is not something that we do to ourselves or for ourselves, but something we allow God to do in us and for us as we yield ourselves to the work of God’s transforming grace.” - Robert Mulholland Jr (Invitation to a Journey, p38)

• “Sometimes I consider myself there as a stone before a carver, where of he is to make a statue; presenting myself thus before God, I desire Him to form His perfect image in my soul, and make me entirely like Himself.” - Brother Lawrence (Practicing the Presence of God, p36)

Recommended Reading:

• The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality by Ronald Rotheiser

• Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation by M. Robert Mulholland Jr.

• Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

• Life Together in Christ: Experiencing Transformation in Community by Ruth Haley Barton (based on the story of the road to Emmaus)

• Opening to God: Lectio Divina and Life as Prayer by David Benner

• The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence

• With Burning Hearts: A Meditation on the Eucharistic Life by Henri Nouwen (reflection on the the story of the road to Emmaus)

Encountering the Empty Tomb

Ashley Herr

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SERMON NOTES

Sermon Series: Encountering the Risen Jesus

Sermon Title: Encountering the Empty Tomb

Passage: Luke 24:1-12

Pursuing Hope

Ashley Herr

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SERMON NOTES

Sermon Series: Liturgy of Lament

Sermon Title: Pursuing Hope

Sermon Text: Lamentations 4:17-5:22

Ramifications of Sin

Ashley Herr

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SERMON NOTES

Sermon Series: Liturgy of Lament

Sermon Title: Ramifications of Sin

Sermon Text: Lamentations 4:1-16

Turning to Truth

Ashley Herr

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SERMON NOTES

Sermon Series: Liturgy of Lament

Sermon Title: Turning to Truth

Sermon Text: Lamentations 3