Acts 2:1-4; 10:44-48
June 27, 2010
Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at the First Chinese Baptist Church in San Francisco.
There was an energy-conservation fanatic on his deathbed surrounded by his family. He asks, “Is my wife here?”
She replies, “Yes, I’m here, Dear.”
He asks, “Are my children here?”
They reply, “Yes, we’re here. Father.”
He asks, “Are my grandchildren and neighbors here?”
They all say, “Yes, we are here!”
Then he lifts himself out of bed and points out the door. “Well, if everyone’s here, why are the lights and television on in the living room?”
The world needs power.
The U.S. government is supporting solar-power projects, Exxon Mobil is exploring algae oil, and wind farms are popping up all over the place. Turn on the news, and it seems that everyone is talking about alternative energy and reducing climate change in the process. We were able to install our solar panels with the help of the rebates we received from San Francisco and PG&E.
But what we have done on the roof of our church is not enough. There’s a race going on for more innovative technologies; more cleaner and greener ideas. Some of these ideas include:
Launching solar panels into outer space. The problem as you saw on our energy website is that putting solar panels on our rooftop only allows us to collect solar energy when the sun comes out. When the fog moves in or nightfall comes, these situations prevent the panels from working around the clock. But if you launch them into space, solar panels can soak up the sun’s energy 24 hours a day. Once they’ve absorbed all the energy they can, microwave transmitters on the satellites can beam the energy down to Earth to be converted into electricity.
Another serious idea is to find methane bricks at the bottom of the sea. You know about methane, don’t you? It’s the combustible gas that emerges from volcanoes, garbage heaps and cows. But it’s also found deep under the ocean floor and in the Arctic permafrost, just waiting to be collected. This methane is a fossil fuel, but it releases very little carbon dioxide compared to coal and oil, so burning it could actually reduce our annual carbon dioxide emissions.
And finally, pretty much the best energy source ever is nuclear fusion. Unfortunately, we currently don’t have the technology to power nuclear fusion reactors in an efficient and economical way. Nuclear fusion is not nuclear fission that produces radioactive waste that can pollute the environment. But nuclear fusion plants actually can devour the waste produced by nuclear fission plants. Now have I completely lost you in this lecture on nuclear science?
Church Power
While the world still doesn’t have enough power, the church needs more power too. We feel powerless in the face of chronic hunger and homelessness in our city, powerless to make enemies come to the peace table to stop the violence, powerless to speak the many languages of our increasingly diverse communities, powerless to stand up in the middle of our secular culture and offer a word of hope, grounded in the promise of the gospel.
The church needs power especially today.
God knows this, which is why the cleanest and greenest form of alternative energy came to a powerless church on the day of Pentecost. “Suddenly from heaven there came a sound like a rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting” (Acts 2:2). This wasn’t exactly wind power.
“Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them” (Acts 2:3). This wasn’t burning methane.
“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability” (Acts 2:4). This wasn’t some kind of nuclear fusion that is still beyond our ability to make happen.
The first followers of Jesus weren’t energized by wind or sunlight or methane or nuclear fusion. No, their power came from the Holy Spirit of God, a force that enabled them to speak in diverse languages and offer a word of gospel hope.
God turned on the power of the Holy Spirit again when Peter realized that God’s love wasn’t limited to only the Jews or those who used to be the only ones with a power connection but God’s love is now available for everyone. It’s like how California is installing electrical power recharging stations all over the state anticipating the arrival of the all-electric cars. The power of the Holy Spirit is now for both Jews and all the Gentiles.
“While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God” (Acts 10:44-46).
The power of the Holy Spirit brought people from diverse backgrounds and different languages to come together in the name of Jesus Christ. Instead of working separately, they worked together. They joined hands and their power and abilities multiplied.
Their power came from God, and it was a force that could—and did—change the world. It’s clean, and it’s green. And it’s available to us today.
We need this power if we’re going to be part of a church that brings life, joy and fulfillment to the world around us. The problem of the church today is that it focuses more on life after death than on improving the quality of life before death. Don’t get me wrong. I’m excited about being with Christ for eternity. But I am convinced that Jesus came not just to prepare us to die but to teach us how to live.
Powering Ministries
Jesus says the kingdom is “within us,” “among us,” “at hand,” and we are to pray that it comes “on earth as in heaven.” With this power of the Holy Spirit, we become “God’s Power & Light Company” in San Francisco and in the world.
We have some incredible ministries that we need to continue to power up. Our 6-week Day Camp still needs power for 4 more weeks. Our Friday Night School that has been a major Chinatown outreach program for decades needs the power of teachers, helpers, and cooks to proclaim the good news. The Search Committee needs power to discern the right person to serve as our new Pastor of Family Ministries later this year. The Lanna Coffee Project needs power to sell more coffee so that we can stop human trafficking. All that we do can’t happen unless we plug into God’s power in the Holy Spirit!
We can’t stop with what we are already doing. With the reopening of the Chinatown YMCA this fall, we have a new opportunity that we have never had before in the history of our church to expand ministries on Sunday mornings. Will we have the power to start new Sunday school classes and fellowship groups? Will we have the power to prayerfully launch another worship service in the new space of the renovated gym? Will we charge up, light up, and fuel up to power our witness of Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior in this world?
As you know, our 130th Church Anniversary is coming this October. I’ve been praying about our role in our Chinatown community. I’ve been told that other churches and non-profit organizations perceive us as a leading church, whatever that means. We have in the past ten years demonstrated leadership in areas of preparing for a disaster response, partnering with the YMCA for our mutual benefits, and now being the first church in Chinatown with solar energy. Is God enabling or empowering us for a leadership role to gather our community together for God’s kingdom to come on Earth as it is in heaven? In the coming months, I plan to work with other community leaders to explore new possibilities and welcome your prayers and energy to participate in cooperative efforts that may emerge.
Are you ready to be members of God’s Power & Light Company? Men and women have been drawn to it since the very earliest days of the church. But there’s a danger in our efforts to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, heal the sick and visit the incarcerated. There’s a danger in spending 6 long weeks at Day Camp, selling coffee for the past 4 years, starting new classes and worship services, serving as a leader in our Chinatown community with so many human needs—the danger is burning out on doing good and we fall victim to “compassion fatigue.” This is a real risk faced by anyone of us who feels driven to make the world a better place.
The antidote is to tap into a source of power that comes from beyond ourselves. The power of the Holy Spirit is an energy source that can keep us burning with love for God and for the people around us, while radiating warmth and light to a cold, dark world. This love is not found in having lots of funds or getting experts or coming up with snazzy programs but instead this power comes in the loving actions of a faithful Christian community.
When we have God’s power, it’s clean, it’s green, and it reveals itself in love. Mother Theresa said, “We can do no great things, only small things with great love. It is not how much you do but how much love you put into doing it.”
Solar Panels
I am proud and honor to be associated with our church and its commitment for a sustainable world. After the 1999 retrofit and renovation project, we received the very first energy award from the California Interfaith Power & Light for installing low-energy light fixtures, zone heating with 4 furnaces, and a linoleum floor in the Fellowship Hall. Last year, we were nominated again for an “Energy Oscar.” The San Francisco Interfaith Council recognized us for our extraordinary efforts in retrofitting our building and disaster preparedness in 2009.
Now that we are the first church in Chinatown with solar panels, we have greater responsibilities than before. Undoubtedly, we’ll be saving hundreds of dollars from our PG&E bill but with these savings, how may we use these resources for more life-changing ministries in the world? By avoiding and reducing our carbon imprint by using solar energy, what more can we do to recycle and make sure we are composting at church and at home? Now that we have 81 solar panels sitting on our rooftop, how can we become a model or a teaching church to share with others who may be ready to come on line with solar energy? We are driven to make the Kingdom of God on Earth as it is already in heaven and when we become weary, bordering on burnt out and compassion fatigue, all we need to do is be reminded that we are not the power source but God is!
Let me end with this story. There was an energy-savvy consumer who replaced all the windows in her house. She had expensive, double-insulated, energy-efficient windows installed. Twelve months later, she received a call from the contractor, complaining that the work had been done for a year but she had failed to pay for it. The consumer replied, “The salesman who sold me those windows told me that in one year they would pay for themselves.”
Now that our solar panels have been installed, how can we pay for them in what we do for God?
The power of the Holy Spirit is the power of love—the fusion of God’s love for us and our love for God and our love for one another. With God’s power, we become “God’s Power & Light Company” known as the First Chinese Baptist Church. We are the alternative, clean, green, renewable energy that can truly change the world.
Let us all tap into it!
Let us pray.
Almighty God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, you have given us life, granted us wisdom and courage and blessed us with your abiding presence. We pray that we continue to be connected with you as our power source to bring about constant love, bright hope, and warm compassion in this cold and often darkened world. Charge us with the responsibility to lead and teach others to tap into your power of the Holy Spirit to transform lives and entire communities. In the name of Christ, the light of the word, we pray. Amen.