Proclamation of the Scripture Acts 2:1-21
When the day
of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
Suddenly a
sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole
house where they were sitting.
They saw what
seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of
them.
All of them
were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other
tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Now there were
staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under
heaven.
When they
heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard
their own language being spoken.
Utterly
amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?
Then how is it
that each of us hears them in our native language?
Parthians,
Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and
Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
Phrygia and
Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from
Rome
(both Jews and
converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of
God in our own tongues!”
Amazed and
perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
Some, however,
made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
Then Peter
stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow
Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen
carefully to what I say.
These people
are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!
No, this is
what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
“‘In the last
days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the
Lord.
And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
Here ends this reading of the word of God for the people
of God. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Let us pray: God of All Power, Open our ears, our eyes,
and our hearts with a spirit of wisdom and revelation. Help us to hear your
voice, to see your ways, and to receive with joy your truth. In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Message Flow Out from Within
Like the
young adults we confirmed today, the disciples and apostles who experienced the
Pentecost events were young adults. They were new Christians – Christ had died
just 50 days earlier, and the Christian church was born on Pentecost Sunday, so
everyone involved with the first Pentecost became a Christian on that day. They
were young people with their lives ahead of them – just like the 7 young people
we confirm this morning.
The people
who were present at the first Christian Pentecost chose to follow Jesus. The
people gathered closed up in the room before the Holy Spirit arrived were
people who were close to Jesus while he was alive. They met Jesus and they knew
they wanted to follow him. They didn’t put a lot of thought into it. In our
confirmation Sunday School class this year, one of our young people was
concerned that the immediacy of the Disciples commitment to Christ – it seemed
a little “culty.” They met Jesus and immediately dropped everything to
follow him. And, after he was gone, after he ascended to heaven, they were lost
without him. So, they went to Jerusalem and locked themselves up in a
room together. They were hiding under their “figurative” turtle shell, waiting
for the next thing to happen.
Before he
ascended to Heaven, Jesus told his friends the Holy Spirit was coming. But,
what did that mean? What was the Holy Spirit? Was it a Spirit like a ghost?
Would they be aware of its presence? How would they know when it arrived?
Pentecost was a Jewish festival – The name Pentecost comes from
the Greek word Pente-coste, which means “fiftieth.” The festival comes
fifty days after Passover and is called “Shavuot” in Hebrew. It is a harvest
festival and it also celebrates the anniversary of when God gave Moses the 10
Commandments.
So, Jesus’ Disciples were locked together in a room in Jerusalem
as the city filled up with pilgrims who came to celebrate the festival of
Shavout. They probably heard the voices of the gathered pilgrims echoing through
the cracks of the closed off windows. They were waiting for the Holy Spirit,
but were also afraid that they would be arrested and imprisoned for being
followers of Jesus. They were grappling with a lot of uncertainties–would they
be punished for following Jesus? Would they be executed like he was? When would
they be safe?
And then the Holy Spirit arrived! The doors and windows were
flung open. The Spirit visibly appeared and what looked like tongues of fire
rested on each of their heads. They were filled by the Spirit and it was like
they were infused with knowledge and wisdom and light. They could speak and
understand new languages. They could preach. They had new insight and clarity
about their call to spread the message of Christ to the ends of the earth. They
were pulled out of their cautious, depressive state and were emboldened by the
new Spirit of God that entered their bodies and recharged their brains. They
had a message to share and new languages to share it in.
The Holy Spirit stayed with the Disciples for the rest of their
lives. Their brush with the Spirit was not a passing event, a moment in time.
They were never without the Holy Spirit. They went on to start churches in
Jerusalem and throughout the Roman world. Thomas traveled to faraway India and
shared the Good News and founded churches there. The disciples and apostles
still faced challenges and risks, but the presence of the Holy Spirit reassured
them and supported them to be brave in the midst of their struggles.
Like the Disciples on the first Pentecost Day, we believe the
Holy Spirit is here among us today. When we are baptized, the Holy Spirit is
invoked and is poured into us as the water is poured over our heads. This
morning, we Confirmed the Baptism of our young people. We again placed hands on
them and invoked the Holy Spirit to fill them. We know our young people are
going to face many joys and challenges in the coming years. They will face
choices about what they will study and which occupations they will
embrace. They will enter into romantic relationships and choose who they will
take as their life partners. They are swiftly on their journey to adulthood and
independence. We want them to know that as they mature, as they grow, the
people of Trinity Christian UCC are rooting for them, and praying for them, and
are here to support them. We also want them to know that no matter where they
go or what they do, God is with them. God’s Holy Spirit has been poured into
their hearts and into their heads. Nothing they can do will be alone, will be
in isolation, because God will be with them, accompanying them and supporting
them.
We know our young people will do great things. We know their
talents exceed their awareness of what those talents are – yet. We are excited
about everything they will accomplish over the next few years. And, as their
church family, we are delighted they have made the choice, for themselves, to
be followers of Jesus. We believe the presence of God in their lives will be an
essential part of their becoming the upstanding adults they are destined to
be. We pray their faith will be a comfort for them when they encounter
hardships and will help make their successes even more beautiful.
We look forward to supporting and cheering them on through the
next steps they take. And we know the Holy Spirit of God will be a part of all
that they do.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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