Listen to the gospel and the sermon here.
ACTS 2:1-21
1 When the day of Pentecost had come, [the apostles] 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.’ ”
John 15:26-16:15
26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. 27 You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning. “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; 11 about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
We are blessed with this weird, power-struggle of a relationship with the Spirit. It seems we’re either praising the Spirit for being active and abiding in a certain situation, or whether we’re blaming the Spirit because she nudged beyond our comfort zone or calls us into a situation that will undoubtedly result in personal change, transformation, or growth. The Spirit, as Jesus promised does not leave us alone. The Spirit abides with us through our lowest of lows, standing firm as our punching bag...graciously taking the blows of our emotions. The Spirit abides with us through the highest of highs, demonstrating humility and grace. From one extreme to the other, the Spirit abides. Faithfully. As Jesus promised. And in those moments it is easy to consult the Spirit...whether through anger and yelling or by praise and thanksgiving.
But what about every moment in between? When life is content? When everything feels settled, normal, routine, comfortable. You feel far from a crisis and close to joy. It is precisely those moments that the Spirit stirs. Ready or not, here she comes.
The story from Acts today is a familiar story. The disciples have been through some incredibly rough waters, from living with Jesus to watching him die. From mourning his death to him being alive again. From celebrating that new life to watching him ascend. Last week the disciples rolled dice to replace Judas and restore their numbers to 12. They did this to fulfill scripture.
So the disciples and the crowds around them have grieved together. They processed all of the recent events in light of all that Jesus has said and done, and they seem to be at a place of comfort or at least content. They have their mission and they understand, for the most part, what it is they are called to do. Whether they know it or not, they have become...vulnerable to the power of the Spirit.
From Acts, “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.”
I think it’s good to remember that Pentecost is not strictly a Christian celebration. Pentecost began as a Jewish festival, specifically the festival of Weeks. Or better yet, the harvest festival. Jews celebrated this festival 50 days after the festival of Passover meal. It was a festival of harvest, of first fruits, of grain. The festival also has connections to people of Israel in Exodus and God giving the Torah to the whole nation at Mount Sinai.
So the disciples, along with devout Jews from other nations were gathered in one place for the festival of weeks. They were gathered to celebrate the harvest. Per tradition and cultural norms, they were going about their lives as they would have any other year. Devout Jews from every nation aren’t gathered for Jesus’ sake. They’re not there to console the disciples or even inquire about the once-dead, now-alive-but risen Christ. And it is precisely this moment that the Spirit chooses to descend and stir up a holy chaos.
Sarah and I regularly visited a Starbucks in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. And as we sat there drinking coffee and working I paused to listen. Everyone around was speaking in a different language. Tamil, Malay, one of three Chinese dialects, even some German, and of course English. Now there was no rush of a wind or tongues of fire to help me understand my neighbor, but it was by far the closest I’ve come to appreciating this story from Acts.
Devout Jews from every nation were gathered for the Festival. And they didn’t speak the same language or dialect. As they traded their harvests and carry about daily living they couldn’t communicate with one another verbally. And as I’m sure you’ve experienced, if you can’t communicate easily with someone then chances are you don’t interact at all. So, come Holy Spirit.
The disciples, unsuspecting and vulnerable to the power of the spirit are lit up with tongues of fire. The rush of a mighty wind fills the room and divided tongues, like fire, rest on each of them. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking other languages.
This holy chaos draws the crowds in and Devout Jews from multiple nations gather with curiosity and intrigue. And beyond their wildest dreams, they heard their native tongue being spoken by strangers from another land. The Spirit was moving.
And rather than shrug it off or explain it away, Peter embraces the Spirit and proclaims the word of God. Peter speaks and all hear and all listen. The Spirit moves and the good news of God is proclaimed.
And I don’t think the point of the story is that Peter is a good, faithful proclaimer...It’s not that the Spirit is bilingual or a good translator. What is being proclaimed through this story is that Spirit is alive and moving. The Spirit is stirring. And whether we like it or not, here she comes. Just because we are unsuspecting, content, comfortable, or settled doesn’t mean the Spirit will wait on us to be ready to move. She is always swirling, always stirring, always moving, always challenging, always up to something.
And if that’s true, then people of God, watch out. Be alert. Because life in the Spirit yields growth, change, and transformation. I won’t have you raise your hand, but how many of you have had an experience in life where you just know, you can sense it and feel it, whether you like it or not that the Spirit is stirring within you. The Spirit is calling you to do or be in a way that will make you uncomfortable...push you beyond your bubble. And this calling, this gut-turning flow of the Spirit will transform you. We call those growing pains. Because a life in the Spirit means never being settled, never being content, never being comfortable. The Spirit is always up to something.
And here is the crazy part, did you know we actively and consciously pray for that swirling and stirring. We knowingly call upon God to move among us. Come, holy Spirit. In worship we call upon the Spirit to fill our hearts, bless us in worship, in bread and wine. Come, Holy Spirit. We urge God to wrap us in the mighty rushing wind. We sing it. We pray it. We chant it. We intentionally plea for the Spirit to move.
The same Spirit that will drive the disciples beyond Jerusalem to a life in service and faithful proclamation. The same Spirit that will lead the disciples to be arrested and persecuted. The same Spirit that will accompany the disciples as their flogged and stoned for proclaiming Jesus. The Spirit that leads to transformation and growth. The Spirit that draws you out, challenges you, takes you beyond comfort and into struggle.
The Spirit that waits eagerly for your to say “here I am God, send me” and the Spirits says “please stow away your tray tables and put your seats in their upright positions. Keep your arms and legs inside the vehicles at all times. Ready or not, here we go!” That’s the Spirit we pray to. We call upon. And I don’t think we’re that naive or uninformed...so Are we just crazy?!
Peyton, Naomi, Tahiana, Miora. In just a moment you will stand before this congregation and make a public declaration to continue in the promises made on your behalf in Baptism. Whether you know it or not, the Spirit is moving in that. You will kneel and the altar, and I will say “Father in heaven, for Jesus’ sake, stir up the gift of your Holy Spirit.” Now let me tell you a secret. When I say that prayer you will not instantly understand God, Jesus, or the Spirit. Your mind won’t be opened to all knowledge and understanding of Faith. Everything will not be made crystal clear. Nor are you declaring that you understand and believe everything forever.
Rather just like the disciples and devout Jews gathered that Pentecost day, you promise to be receptive to the Spirit. Open with curiosity and intrigue. You declare that you are vulnerable to the power of the Holy Spirit and you are prepared, as best as you can be at this moment in your faith, for the Spirit to stir up holy chaos. Or at least, that’s what I’ll be praying for.
People of God, Pentecost is not simply a celebration of Jesus’ promise fulfilled in the gift of the Holy Spirit. It’s not just a reminder that some 2000+ years ago the Spirit descended in a fiery chaos to change the world. Rather, Pentecost is a faithful proclamation that not only does the Spirit relentlessly abide, but also that the Spirit is forever stirring in our lives. Forever stirring in this community of faith. Stirring in the world.
Some may fight the Spirit. Sometimes we just ride the wave. Often times we just need to get out of the Spirit’s way. Regardless, as Christians, baptized in the water and claimed by God we are vulnerable to the power of the Holy Spirit. We are created and called for the Spirit’s swirling. In our individual lives. In our communities. Here at St. Mark’s. Make no mistake, the Spirit is up to something. And in the name of God, I promise she’s up to something good. So ready or not, here she comes. Amen
© Preached by Pastor Daniel Locke on May 20, 2018 @ St. Mark's Lutheran Church
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