This morning, in honor of Pentecost Sunday, we read the Pentecost story from the Acts of the Apostles. Today, we celebrate the birth of the Christian Church – when Jesus’ disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit of God and were able to assume leadership in the forming Christian church – out of the Jewish religion a new faith was born.
Listen to the Pentecost story as we read from the book of the Acts, chapter 2, verses one through twenty-one:
The Scripture Lesson Acts 2:1-21; Philippians 4:4-7
1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.
3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.
6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.
7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?
8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?
9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome
11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”
12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
14 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.
15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!
16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 “ ‘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.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ Amen.
And, we have a second reading this morning….over the past few weeks, we have heard from St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians. This morning, we turn to chapter 4 and read verses four through seven:
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus
Here ends this reading of the Word of God for the People of God. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Let us pray…
The Message Pentecost: Rejoice in the Lord
Let’s start with an origin myth….
In the days after the world was created, all the people spoke one language. They settled around the Fertile Crescent, in the land that now is part of Iraq. The people began growing things instead of foraging for all of their food. They domesticated animals instead of hunting for their meat. They made cheese, beer and wine. They started to build buildings – not just little huts for dwelling places but strong buildings made of bricks. They started to construct Zigguart’s – spiral towers to reach the heavens.
The Bible tells us a story about how God responded to the people’s building projects – in Genesis 11, it is written that God came down from heaven to check out the grandest, tallest tower….the people were in the midst of building the Zigguart to end all Ziggurats. God was concerned that with the people speaking the same language, and building such grand buildings, that they would soon become too powerful – too proud – too dangerous.
So, God confused their language – they couldn’t understand each other anymore. And, instead of staying in one place and not being able to talk to each other, the people moved away – they scattered across the land. And, they developed different languages and cultures – a diverse tapestry of people spread across the earth.
The people of the earth were no longer one people – they had different religions, different cultures, different languages, and different laws.
In the time that we now call the First Century AD, God had had enough. God was tired of people being separated. Instead of a beautiful tapestry of unique people and places, the people endured terrible calamities. Empires fought wars against other empires. People were enslaved and forced to endure inhuman mistreatment. Most of the people were oppressed by wealthy elites who cared more about enriching themselves and enjoying themselves than they cared about their human subjects. Natural disasters struck, and instead of helping each other, the people turned on one another.
God had had enough…. God sent Jesus to earth to teach us that God loves us, God forgives us, and God welcomes all people into the fold – into the family of God. We are called by God to work together to manifest peace and work together to heal our broken world.
After Jesus ascended to Heaven, God sent the Holy Spirit of God, the breath of God, to fill each of us. We are no longer just human beings – a little bit of God is in each of us. That bit of God is the spark we have to encourage us to work on God’s behalf to do good.
On the first Pentecost day, as a sign of the change God wants us to make, God undid the Tower of Babel event. Instead of using different languages and cultures and religions to create separation among the people of the earth, God used the presence of God’s Holy Spirit to teach God’s followers new languages. The spark of God in each person, and the newfound linguistic gifts in Jesus’ followers, enabled God’s vision of a new world, the Good News of Jesus Christ to spread across the globe.
And, when the Holy Spirit came to God’s followers on that first Pentecost day, it didn’t come as a still, small voice….it didn’t subtly enter the room – the Holy Spirit knocked the doors off of their hinges, burst into the room where the Disciples were hiding out, leaped into their bodies so that it looked like a flame appeared over their heads, and shouted out of their mouths in ecstatic new languages. It was inclusive, diverse, and loud. Philippians 4 picks up this same vibe: “Rejoice the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Christian joy is contagious and communal.
This story reminds us, the people in this room (and the people watching on-line) that the story of Pentecost is the opposite of the Tower of Babel. God doesn’t wipe out cultural differences. God doesn’t wipe out language differences. God speaks through them. The Church is best when it is a tapestry of different voices singing the same song…when we work together and yet embrace our unique gifts and contributions and quirky-ness.
Today is a momentous day in Crystal’s life. Today she has decided for herself to commit to following Jesus and to live life as part of the Christian community. In becoming “officially” one of us, I want to remind you, Crystal, that we value you. We care about you and your unique gifts. The people of this church look forward to supporting you, Crystal, as you mature and grow up and do things that bring you joy. We know there will be many challenges as well, and we will walk alongside you as you face them and overcome them. God has created you as a unique, original, special person – you don’t have to look or sound or act like the people who are sitting around you in order to be a “Good Christian.” Your job, as St. Paul writes in the letter to the Philippians, is to let your “gentleness be evident to all” as you live out your faith.
Today, we remember that God’s Holy Spirit is here with us, working to break down barriers and divisions among us so that we can all contribute to a beautiful tapestry that reflects God’s love to the world. Let us use our differences and unique voices to share God’s love with each other and with the people of our world. Amen.
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