Sermons

Whoever invented the tool box sure knew how to frustrate people.  When you have one of those things, you have a place to put your hammer and your screwdrivers and all those other things you need to do the jobs around the house.   The problem with a tool box, though, is that you can find everything in one except for the tool you are actually looking for.  That particular tool is more likely to be found on top of the fridge or near the site of your last project or where the kids left it when they decided to play with it.   It may even be found here at the church, or in your neighbour's garage more often  than in the tool box where it really belongs.   Wouldn't you love to see the day when you could press a button on your tool box that would make all the tools that belong there automatically find their own way home?  It would be great to have some invention that guarantees that you will have exactly all the tools you need precisely where you know to find them!  How much easier life would be!

One of the things that we celebrate on Pentecost Sunday is that Jesus Christ has Himself provided for us just such a thing.  He has given us all the tools that we need, not just to become God's children, but also to worship Him as members of His Church on earth.  Not only has He given us those tools, He has even given us a way that guarantees that we will have exactly all the tools that we need, precisely when we need them!  What a great gift that is!  

Today we thank God that Jesus has sent us the Holy Spirit!  We thank God that Jesus has sent us the Holy Spirit Himself so that we can use all the tools that God has given us and use them to worship Him!

 

Have you ever heard of the “I-AM-CANADIAN” rant?  This was a beer commercial in which a man named Joe talked about what it means to him personally to be Canadian.   He listed a few points that most Canadians could relate to and then said, “My name is Joe, and I-AM-CANADIAN”!

The particular commercial ended up being a cultural phenomenon.   Even people who don’t drink beer raised their hands to their hearts and cheered along.   They showed that they knew that to be a Canadian is to be something special.   They identified with something outside of themselves and joined in the wave of national pride.   We are Canadian, and as Canadians, we have a sense of what this actor in that beer commercial  was talking about.

In our Gospel lesson this morning, Jesus used words that identified Him for who He was, too.   He said, “Before Abraham was born, I AM!”   In doing that, He was saying something that set Him apart from everyone else in a way that was so clear that the people who heard Him on the Temple grounds that day picked up stones to kill Him!   

That is what happens when you clearly identify yourself.   You put yourself at risk.  You challenge yourself to accept yourself for who you are and you challenge others to accept you for who you are, too!  This Trinity Sunday, we see in our lessons how God identifies Himself to us.  By letting you know who He is, He is inviting you to know who you are, too.   Thank God that, by His grace, you can say, “I-AM-CHRISTIAN”!