Sermon Pentecost Sunday - 23rd May 2021

Text: Romans 8:22-27 - Groaning with God

We live in a world that is groaning.

We hear it every time we turn on the TV news – every time we pick up the newspaper – every time we hear the hourly news bulletin on the radio.

We hear the rising infection rates of the pandemic.

We hear the warnings that our world is going to quickly reach a point of irreversible destruction if we don’t reduce our emissions.

We hear the turmoil in the Middle East again.

We hear of family breakdowns that go right to the top including the royal family.

No one is immune.

But somehow we have this belief that it hasn’t always been this way.

That our worldly problems are the result of our modern times.

That somehow, in ages past, it was all roses and sunshine.

And when we believe this we then believe that if we can just turn things around then we can, if it’s not too late, clean up our act and leave a better and healthier world for our children, grandchildren and future generations.

But we hear from St Paul, in our 2nd reading from Romans, that this is far from the reality.

Paul wrote this almost 2,000 years ago that things were not that good then for our planet.

He says: We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now;

Our world is groaning – it has always been groaning in pain.

This is not just a modern phenomenon.

This has been going on since the beginning of time.

In fact in the Old Testament, right back in the first book of the Bible, it talks about the groaning of our world.

When Cain killed his brother Abel, God said that it was the earth that groaned from his evil behaviour.

The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you.

St Paul’s answer to this groaning is not in human hands but in God’s hands.

He reminds us that it is not only Creation that is groaning but that we humans are also groaning.

And that’s not surprise because Adam was created from the dust of the earth.

In fact the name Adam comes from the same word for earth – Adamah.

Adam was created from Adamah.

He says; not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved.

Paul points us to putting our hope in God for the world and for us.

He is not saying that there isn’t anything we can do but that our only hope for the world is in God.

And if we want to pass on a better world to our children and grandchildren then there is nothing better that we can do than to pass on our Christian faith in God.

And that’s what we are celebrating today as several of our young members are prepared to receive Holy Communion through the rite of First Communion.

As the creator of our world our only hope is in God for the future of our world.

Our Psalm today says that this is the work of the Holy Spirit which we celebrate today on Pentecost Sunday.

The holy spirit of God is a creative spirit.

It was there at the beginning of creation – hovering over the empty and void world preparing to create life.

It was there on the Day of Pentecost to create the Christian Church.

Our Psalm says: You send forth your Spirit, and they are created; and so you renew the face of the earth.

The work of God’s Holy Spirit is to create and renew and transform.

Look at the change in the disciples that takes place.

Before the Holy Spirit came upon them they were a group of frightened people.

After Jesus had died we heard that they were locked away in a room fearing for their lives.

But after receive the Holy Spirit they will go out and tell everyone about Jesus even at the risk of being placed in jail, like Peter– even at the risk of being put to death like Stephen.

Our world needs renewing – there is no doubt about that.

But the renewing begins with renewing our relationship with the world’s creator – God.

And he has sent his Holy Spirit to renew the face of the earth.

Jesus said – he is sending us a helper in the Holy Spirit because we can’t do this alone.

In the beginning when God created the world it was a world that God declared to be very good.

And because God is the creator he loves this world that he created and does not want to see it groaning in pain.

And it is not only us and creation that is groaning but God is also groaning in pain.

Paul said that the Holy Spirit is groaning in prayer, praying for our world and all that it needs.

He says: The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Friends, none of us likes the state of the world and where it is going and we want future generations – our children, and grandchildren – to have a world passed on to them that is beautiful and free of the condition that it is currently in.

But we can only do that if we allow God to take control and let his Holy Spirit renew us and the face of the earth.

If we don’t allow that then the world will continue to deteriorate.

We heard that in our Psalm also:

You hide your face, and they are terrified; you take away their breath, and they die and return to their dust.

Pentecost is about renewal.

Renewal of creation as the Holy Spirit prays for the world.

Renewal of faith as the Holy Spirit creates the Christian Community we call “the church”.

Renewal of our ongoing faith as we receive the Holy Spirit in our Baptism and as the Holy Spirit creates through Bread and Wine the body and blood of Christ for the renewal of our lives through the forgiveness of our sins.

Our world is a beautiful world – it’s not perfect – it never can be.

That’s why the Book of Revelation talks about God creating a new heaven and a new earth.

But until then God, through his Holy Spirit, prays for the world and offers us hope that despite the turmoil, disruption and chaos in the world that God continues to renew the face of the earth.

God created this world and will never abandon it even though many parts of the world have abandoned him.

Like many people, I get a little depressed when I open the newspaper and read all the doom and gloom.

But then I open my bible and read about how much God loves the world and cares for the world that he would send his one and only son, not to condemn the world but to save the world through him.

God opens his hand, and we are filled with good things.

So may the Holy Spirit continue to reassure you that he is praying for you and that he knows all your needs.

That’s why Jesus sent him to be your advocate to stand with you and be your comforter in your time of need.