• Greater Things to Come! John 14:8-17, by Rev. Randy L. Quinn  (see below)

• Doing the Works of Jesus, John 14:1-17, by HW in HI
   

• Adopted by God, Romans 8:14-17,  by Rev. Randy Quinn
   

• Tuning Up to God's Spirit! Acts 2:1-20, by Rev. Frank Schaefer

• What Language Shall We Use? Acts 2 by T. Hall

• Of Dreams and Visions, Acts 2, by F. Schaefer  

• What Do We Do When the Spirit Starts Messing With our Worship? Acts 2, by T. Hall

• Breaking Down the Walls in the Name of Christ, Acts 2:1-21, Rev. Frank Schaefer

• It doesn't have to be noisy,  Acts 2:1-20, annonymous

• What language shall we use?  Acts 2:1-21, by Thomas Hall

• Using the Gifts of God, Acts 2:1-21,  by Rick Mason

• A Little Piece of Pentecost,  Acts 2:1-21, Brad Hall

• Experiencing God  Acts 2:1-21, by Sue in Cuba, KS
• Expecting the Unexpected, Acts 2:1-21, Rev. Dr. Cynthia Huling Hummel

• Tuning up to God's Spirit Acts 2:1-20, by Rev. Frank Schaefer

• Dreaming Along the Margins, Acts 2:1-21, by Rev. Cindy Weber

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Greater Things to Come!
a sermon based on John 14:8-17
by Rev. Randy L. Quinn

English is really the only language I’ve ever known.  I’ve taken classes in Spanish, German, and Hebrew, but I’ve never really known how to speak any of them.

But what little I did learn about those languages has made me aware of some limitations of the English language.  There are some concepts, for instance, that are hard to say in English.

Without knowing another language, you can see that when you look at the directions to new equipment.  Typically they are now printed in several languages.  But some languages seem to say the same thing in far fewer words!  (A comic strip this week suggested it took fewer words because the manufacturer doesn’t have to cover as many possibilities since there are fewer lawyers who speak those other languages.)

One of the places that I encountered a limitation in English in our text today is in the second person plural.  The closest we have to that in English is the southern “y’all.”  But in the Greek, it’s apparently easy to hear how Jesus starts answering Philip and begins addressing everyone.

He changes from “you” to “y’all” in the middle of our passage today[1].  When I read that, I realized that my first response to this passage was right on target!  The promises of this text are for the corporate body of the church, not for individual members of the church.  This is about the Body of Christ.

Our text today is set within the context of the last supper.  This is the dinner conversation between Jesus and his disciples.  There have been several questions and answers, including this one.

But the focus, at least from the perspective of Jesus, is that he is leaving so they can become part of something bigger.  They want to cling to Jesus, they don’t want him to die; but he knows the only way for the Holy Spirit to give them power is for him to leave.

It’s easy to let someone else do something for us.  And Jesus knows we can do far more than we think is possible – but not as long as he is doing those things for us.

He must leave so we can be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

But he isn’t talking about individuals being filled with power.  He’s speaking about the community of faith, the Church, that is filled with power.  The Holy Spirit will come to “y’all” and “y’all” will be able to do far greater things than Jesus did.

That’s because when he leaves, we become the Body of Christ.

At Christmas we celebrate the Incarnation.  That’s a fancy word we use in the church to explain an important concept.  God is revealed to us in terms we can see.  God becomes flesh and blood in the human Jesus.  That is the Incarnation.

At Pentecost we also celebrate the Incarnation.  God is revealed to the world in terms we can see.  God is revealed in and through the Church.  We become God’s hands and feet and arms and eyes and ears.  We are the Incarnation.

Since Thomas Edison invented the incandescent light bulb, several new types of bulbs have been developed.  The original bulbs, like most bulbs in use today, generate light almost as a by-product of the electrical phenomena of resistance.  You see, when electricity travels through a substance – any substance – there is some resistance, or friction.  That friction generates heat and in certain substances it also generates light.  [continue]