The Day of Pentecost, May 19, 2013
Pentecost. The third of the great festival days in
the church year. Third in many ways…
There is no Pentecost Tree, no baby church lying in
the manger. We don’t have a song of the 12 days of Pentecost. Of course this
year there are exactly 200 days of Pentecost—and you thought “99 Bottles of
Beer on the Wall” was a tedious song!
Yes, Christmas has a decorated tree, a jolly elf
named Santa, eight tiny reindeer, and lots of presents.
Easter has lilies and bunnies and chocolate. Easter
egg hunts and bonnets and pretty dresses.
If it’s lucky, Pentecost has the geranium. Kinda’
scraggly, smells like moth balls.
Pentecost is definitely third. But it shouldn’t be.
So how is your knowledge of Pentecost?
Did you know that the day of Pentecost is often
noted as the birthday of the church? That on that day the Holy Spirit lit a
fire inside not just those who were seen with tongues of flame over them but so
many others present in the Judeo-Christian community that day?
You probably know the most famous line of the Pentecost
story. It still makes me giggle when I hear that line, “We’re not drunk as you
suppose.” But what a scene that must have been, to see those tongues of fire
and hear the rushing of the wind. And it’s been said that to those people that
day it was not a jumbled, cacophonous message, but rather very clear and easily
understood.
So the day of Pentecost seems to be just another
history lesson for us. But if we imagine Pentecost to take place on only that
one day 2000 years ago, we are left scratching our heads and wondering what all
the excitement is about.
Or in other words, when it comes to Pentecost,
SO
WHAT?
Good question.
Pentecost isn’t a one day, one-time only event. In
the book of Acts there are numerous Pentecosts, many times when the Holy Spirit
is poured out.
There’s the time when Philip was sent by an angel down the
wilderness road, then was sent by the Spirit to the eunuch to interpret
scripture, and finally convinced by the eunuch to baptize him, Philip then
snatched away by the Lord to another place, leaving the eunuch to proclaim the
good news.
Or there’s the story of Saul, persecutor and
murderer of many Christians, struck blind by the Lord only to have Ananias lay
hands of him for the scales to fall from his eyes. Soon he was preaching the
Christian gospel, the one he had fought against, now being known as Paul, the
great missionary and epistle writer.
But pastor, it still sounds like a history lesson.
So then there are the great monasteries of the
Middle Ages, the Reformation, the Great Awakenings!
Still history.
There’s the rebirth of the church in the form of the
ELCA, getting ready to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the great
coming together as people of God!
Well, closer, but not quite touching us personally.
It’s the taking of a chance. A small group meeting
in a community center every Sunday dreaming of a future that reached out and
touched many in Sherwood and other nearby areas.
It’s the people willing to take the risk of building
a beacon on this very site 11 years ago calling out to the community the joy of
the gospel of the Lord.
Still sounds like history?
It’s the faith of five young men named Louis,
Conner, Zach, Hunter, and Andrew renewing the promises others made on their
behalf in baptism now proclaiming the baptismal faith in their own words.
That’s so two weeks ago.
But Pentecost really isn’t just 2000 years ago. And
it’s not just points in history. In fact, Pentecost is never over!
Because Jesus
makes this amazing promise to his disciples: even if the disciples struggle
with Jesus’ words, they can believe because of the works they have seen him do.
And then he goes on to say, “Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me
will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than
these.”
Did you hear that? We who believe in Jesus will do
greater works than he! Feeding, preaching, healing, giving life to the dead.
Well, I know you all heard that, so maybe the real question is, “Do you believe
that?” Let me confess here: I don’t always believe that. Often that sounds too
far-fetched, impossible, beyond my understanding. And I’m guessing I’m not
alone—you probably struggle in the same way.
But the Spirit is active in our lives. Active in the
continuing ministry of Christ the King. And if we open our eyes we can see it
all over.
We can see it in the bright eyes of our children as
we tell them the story of Jesus, bringing the Spirit to life inside ourselves
as well.
We rediscover it in the baptism of Ivy, a fresh
reminder that the promises she heard today are promises for us as well.
We find it in the coming together to have some fun
on the golf course in the process of feeding hungry children. In the
camaraderie of a penny war with our sister church in Combined Locks (I hear
they’re gaining on us!).
We hear it in the joyous music of the Gospel
Singers, having a great deal of fun in the work of praising the Lord and
leading us in our worship.
It comes through the ministry of Rez-a-Wreck, as
another person gains access to transportation to be able to care for their
family.
It’s amazing where you might find a new Pentecost.
And it doesn’t have to be a big event! Chances are there won’t be tongues of
flame (although the meat ministry might have a few!). It’s a pretty good bet there
won’t be speaking in tongues, although one tongue (English) may help shine the
light. You don’t even need a big crowd.
Many Pentecosts are quiet, simple, one to one
activities. The sitting with someone when they’re in the midst of a horrible
time in life. The praying with someone struggling with aches and pains, mental,
emotional, and physical, bringing them just a little peace. A quiet moment in
the midst of the busyness of this world.
So go ahead this week and email me (link to email) or write it down
when you recognize the Spirit active in your lives. And really do this, keep
your eyes open. That way, this message this morning isn’t coming to its end.
Instead, it’s just at its beginning. I pray that I’m overwhelmed with your
responses, or at the very least you’re overwhelmed by what you discover.
Just keep your eyes open.
Amen.
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