Acts 2:1-21
Intro
Alright, we’re going to take an informal and very public poll. Here is the question. What is the most important celebration for the Christian Church? What are some possible answers? I’ll write them down and then we’ll vote. All sorts of days of celebration and remembrance are shouted out. It is decided that the top three answers are: Easter, Christmas, and then Pentecost. Now think about those results because I don’t think that they are all that strange.
If a national poll was ever taken of individuals who classify themselves as mainline Christians (Presbyterian/Reformed, Methodist, Lutheran, Episcopalian, Congregational, ect.) my guess is that if they were asked to name the most important celebration of the Christian Church they would vote right along with you. The run away choices would be Christmas, and then Easter.
But Pentecost? What’s Pentecost? Unfortunately, much of the Church has allowed Pentecost to be just another Sunday on the calendar. And in terms of our society, we’ve allowed Christmas and Easter to become these monster moneymakers where their value has been elevated because of the sales that are associated with them. We’ve all seen flyers that declare ‘X number of days until Christmas’, or ‘Big Savings on chocolate Bunnies’. We’ve all seen that. That tells us that they’re important.
But Pentecost? I’ve taken the last few days and have looked very hard, but I have not found one add that declared, "The Holy Spirit is coming down and so are our prices!" Haven’t seen it!
However, in terms of its’ importance to the Church, Pentecost should be right up there with Easter. Easter is when the bondage of sin was broken and all people of creation were given the opportunity to be forgiven and receive the gift of life eternal. Pentecost is the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise when he stated in Acts 1:8, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Pentecost is the day the Church, the vehicle through which the message of Christ is to be proclaimed, came into existence. Pentecost is the birthday of the Church. It is incredibly important. Hear the story of how the Holy Spirit breathed life into the Church, and continues to breathe in and through it today. The scripture reads this way.
Acts 2:1-21
2 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
5
Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power."12
All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" 13 But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine."14
But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15 Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. 16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17 ‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. 18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 20 The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. 21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’"A Recreation"
In seminary I took a class on the theology of the Holy Spirit where one of the textbooks started from the understanding that "the doctrine of the Holy Spirit has often been a neglected theme in Christian thought." I hopped on this premise and wanted to flesh it out a little bit more so I went to a local Reformed congregation and looked at a years worth of bulletins. I was looking at the responsive and unison prayers, the special liturgies, hymn topics, and anything else that the congregation might say during the course of a service. What I found, while slightly disheartening, fit right into line with what the author of that textbook had purported. Now these numbers are not correct (I couldn’t find that research from 8 years ago), but the percentages are in the ballpark. The name of God the Father showed up 400 times. The name of Jesus appeared 350 times. References to the Holy Spirit numbered 75. That’s 81% less then God the Father, and 79% less then the name of Jesus.
When the pastor of the church saw those numbers, you could tell that he was stunned and tried to say that the Spirit showed up in his sermons and congregational prayers, and while I’m sure that he did, in terms of what the congregation heard and said in the midst of their worship liturgy, the Holy Spirit might as well not exist.
Now you may ask, "so what? What does that difference really matter?" Well to begin with one of the tenets of our faith is that we believe in the Divine mystery of a triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As a church we do really well at grasping the understanding of God the Father (the Creator), and absolutely God the Son, Jesus Christ (the Redeemer). But when it comes to God the Holy Spirit (the Sustainer), we have the communal shrug that says, "I don’t know".
So there’s the theological issue. The practical issue is that we misunderstand how God is at work in the world. Here’s the long and short of: when you feel that internal tug, that is the Holy Spirit at work. When I talk about the call of God being placed in your life, that is the Holy Spirit at work. When you experience the presence of God in some way, in any way, you are experiencing the work of the Holy Spirit. If we are able to understand the Holy Spirit in this way, all of a sudden the Spirit is not someone who is foreign, but instead very familiar. The verbiage may be different then what you’re used to, but that doesn’t mean that you haven’t experienced the movement and the presence of the Spirit of God.
Here’s what I mean, the best practical example that I have heard to describe the Holy Spirit is when it is referred to as the wind. Can you see the wind? No, you can’t. But you can feel it. You can feel the wind or watch it as it pushes leaves hither and yon. You can see and feel what it produces, but that’s it.
Where we get this understanding is strait out of this morning’s scripture lesson. We hear there that the believers "were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting." The Spirit of God felt like a rush of wind and divided among them in such a way that they began to speak as the "Spirit gave them ability."
Many Christians hear that and think to themselves, "that sounds a little weird. Maybe even a little scary." If you’re thinking that then what we are about to do, I hope, will help quell that fear of the unknown, and instead make it something that is familiar.
Here’s what I want you to do, I want you to think about a time when you felt God in your life. Whether it’s an old story, or a newer one really doesn’t matter. Think of a time when you felt God in your life. Think about that story in your life.
Alright, I gave a you a minute to think about your story. Turn to your neighbor and share your story with them. Talk about how God was at work in your life. Take a few minutes, but be open to sharing how the Spirit is still moving today.
A few comments. You started out a little quietly. Maybe you were nervous. Whatever. However, as you started to get going, did you notice how loud it got? The Spirit was moving as you allowed your stories to be told and I hope began to realize how the Spirit is still at work in the world today. To use the language of the scripture passage, "you spoke as the Spirit gave you ability". I hope that through this recreation, you will begin to realize that the Spirit of God is alive and at work! Secondly, I hope that you are able to walk away today knowing that Pentecost is not some second rate Christian celebration. It is extremely important and I hope that by sharing your stories this morning, you were able to get a better idea of how important.
After Sermon Prayer
Holy God, we read the story of Pentecost and we’re not sure how to react. Talk of the Spirit of God can be confusing and yet, as we have been able to experience this morning, we are beginning to realize that Your Spirit is moving, not only in our world, but in our lives as well. Thank You for this opportunity to allow Your Spirit to rush into the room as it did so long ago. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.