Peter’s first sermon on the Day of Pentecost was powerful and effective (Acts 2:13-36). It reflects the change the Holy Spirit made in Peter’s life, for prior to this, he was the impulsive, big-hearted disciple who nonetheless knew fear and doubt and had denied Jesus three times. Now, he is bold and fearless as he proclaims a message of hope which sees 3000 added to the church in one day.

The people there heard Peter proclaim peace and freedom to all who would follow Jesus Christ. For centuries the Jewish people had known that they were special. They were the ones chosen by God Almighty to be His own special people.For centuries God had protected them, directed them and provided for them. They had a relationship with the Creator of the whole universe that was totally unique.

However, that relationship came at a price. The price was total obedience to a series of over 600 laws and directives and when they inevitably failed to keep all those laws, there was an elaborate sacrificial system to deal with these infringements of the Law. The very fact that there were so many people in Jerusalem at this time was because it was Pentecost, one of those mandatory times of sacrifice and offering to God.

But now Peter is telling them that all this ritual and law keeping, all this costly and elaborate sacrificial system, was no longer necessary. Jesus Christ had become the ultimate and final sacrifice and had paid the price for all of their sins. Because of the working of the Holy Spirit that day, because of what they saw in these disciples of Jesus, the people believed the message that Peter preached.

As these 3000 people responded to the message, the Holy Spirit began a work in each of them. Suddenly all the barriers of race, colour and gender melted away and the new converts began to meet with each other every day. One of the distinguishing traits of the early Church was its love for one another.(Acts 2:44-46). This continues to be the distinguishing mark of the church, for we – who are all different in so many ways – are called to be the family of God. We are called together to belong, to love, to share and to welcome others. As we do this, our church too will grow and we will see the continuing, exciting growth of the church as the Holy Spirit adds to our number those who are being saved.

We enjoy celebrating birthdays at our church – birthdays are a celebration of life and as such, worth remembering and making a fuss of, even if (as we get older), we tend to want to tone down the celebrations somewhat! Pentecost Sunday is the day when we celebrate the arrival of the Holy Spirit and in many ways celebrate the birth of the church.

Before Pentecost, the followers of Jesus were confused, bewildered and still a little afraid. They knew that when Jesus was cruelly put to death on the Cross of Calvary, they had stood and watched in silence. Now, even though the Risen Lord had appeared before them, some of them doubted. They doubted that He could ever forgive them.They doubted that He would ever want anything else to do with them.They doubted their own sanity and wondered whether He was just a figment of their own imaginations.They were frightened and confused and they clung together trying to find some sort of security with familiar faces and friends.

Uncertain what would happen next, they waited and prayed, waited and prayed, and eventually, on the 10th day after the Ascension of Jesus on a cloud, they received the promised Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:1-Acts 2:13)

The Holy Spirit came with great force and with dramatic signs. The effect was truly amazing. They heard the sound as of a mighty rushing wind, and tongues of fire danced on each of their heads. Immediately each one began praising God at the top of their voice. It must have been like a madhouse in there, men and women dancing, shouting, singing, exploding in joy and worship to God. But it didn’t stop there! They spill out into the street, still jumping and rejoicing and praising God. The people outside think that they are drunk but Peter stands up and begins to preach the first gospel sermon and they see 3000 added to their number that day. The church continued to grow and find favour with many, even as Jesus had found favour with many. Everything was different after this day. We celebrate Pentecost today because of that day. This was a birthday to remember, a birthday we can all celebrate.

Two birthdays were celebrated last Sunday:

For years when I worked in a school, the process of accreditation was an important one. Schools – even independent faith schools – cannot just please themselves; they have to be accredited (officially recognised or authorised.) Local authorities, governing bodies or official boards are in charge; premises have to be approved; examinations are accredited by national awarding bodies to ensure a fair standard is set. As an examinations’ officer, it was part of my job to ensure that everything we did could be accredited and approvde by these organisations, with the ‘General Regulations’ and ‘Instructions for Conducting Examinations’ the rule book not only for what was done but how it was done.

Accreditation is connected to standards set by external regulators. The Bible tells us that ‘Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, signs and wonders, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.’ (Acts 2:22) Jesus often spoke of His Father being the witness to His ministry, to being the One who validated what He did. Essentially, Jesus was ‘approved’ by God. In always doing the Father’s will, Jesus fulfilled all the righteous requirements of the law.

Every summer during the examinations’ period, I would wait for the JCQ Inspector to come and inspect all that I was doing and give me a report that effectively allowed the school to continue to offer public examinations. The storage of examination papers, the process for recording receipt of examination papers, the way the exam room was set out and exams conducted were all checked. A higher authority accredited what I was doing. It was always satisfying to get that report with its column of ticked boxes!

Jesus’ work and ministry was, Peter says, accredited by God. We can be confident that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was accepted by God; the resurrection is proof of that. We can therefore put our whole confidence in Jesus of Nazareth and trust in HIm for our salvation.

David is one of my favourite Bible characters. We are given insight into much of David’s life from a young age through to his death, and David is seen from all angles. He wrote many of the psalms, so we gain insight into his inner life in ways we rarely have the privilege to see. We see him in action on the battlefield, but we also see his ‘ordinary’ shepherd life beforehand. We see him as a powerful king dispensing justice, but we also see his tumultuous relationships with people and the way he treated individuals. One reason I think so many people identify with David (even though few of us are shepherds or kings!) is that he is seen as an intensely human character. His flaws and failings are laid before us as visibly as his virtues and victories. David goes through so many trials which have the the stuff of the familiarity of everyday life about them. Sibling rivalry, jealousy, injustice, loyalty, love, hatred, unpopularity, scheming, political juggling, folly, rashness, impatience, impetuosity, kindness, mercy, rage, bitterness, compassion and despair are all woven into David’s life.

David’s humanity and fallibility remind us that God looks at the heart. This important principle, brought out for us at the start when Samuel meets this youngster to anoint him king over Israel, is key to understanding David. He was far from perfect and some of the sins he committed later in life (when he definitely should have known better!) are truly bewildering, but he loved God intensely and was passionate even in repentance. David knew great highs and loves in life, but through it all, he kept on returning to God. His weakness was never disputed but was not a barrier (see 2 Sam 3:39). Like Paul, he discovered that when he was weak, God was strong. (2 Cor 12:9-10)

David teaches us:

1. to keep going with God no matter what

2. to put God first always

3. to trust in God’s love, mercy and forgiveness more than in our own strength

4. to admit when we’re wrong

5. to turn to God in repentance when we mess up

6. to wait for God’s timing in everything

7. to honour God, even at our inconvenience.

Such an example inspires us in our own faltering pursuit of God.

Tonight in our ‘Little Big Church‘ we looked at the subject of sin and cleansing.

Sometimes it’s hard to see sin and we are not always aware that it is present in our lives. Sin is taking a wrong turn, doing things that God does not like, missing the mark. All of us have sinned and fall short of God’s glory. (Rom 3:23) Our sins ultimately make us unlean and impure:

If we confess our sins, however, God has made a way for us to be cleansed from sin:

The fact that Jesus died for us means that when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, He cleanses us from everything that is impure:

God’s mercy and compassion mean that we can be forgiven of our sins and He can make us totally clean and ‘just as if we’d never sinned’ through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ.

This is good news not only for us, but also for the whole world!