June 8, 2025 Day of Pentecost The text is Acts 2:1-21.

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¹When the day of Pentecost had come, [the apostles] were all together in one place. ²And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. ⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
 ⁵Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. ⁶And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. ⁷Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? ⁹Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” ¹²All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” ¹³But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”
 ¹⁴But 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. ¹⁵Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. ¹⁶No, 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.
 ¹⁸Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
  in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
   and they shall prophesy.
 ¹⁹And I will show portents in the heaven above
  and signs on the earth below,
   blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
 ²⁰The sun shall be turned to darkness
  and the moon to blood,
   before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
 ²¹Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ ”

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May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, El Adonai, my rock and my Redeemer.

Grace, mercy, and peace are yours from God the Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

This morning we gather to celebrate the Day of Pentecost.  This is one of the most important festival days in the Church calendar, and quite frankly, one of the main reasons we even gather as the church!  True, we rejoice at the coming of Christ into the world on Christmas, and our joyous Easter celebrations commemorate Jesus’ resurrection to bring salvation to the world, and to restore us to a righteous relationship with God.  There is no denying these are the two most significant events in the life and mission of Jesus, and that they represent all that God’s will for the world and Jesus’ ministry entail.  But the events of that day of Pentecost signify the very inception of the Christian church.  Because it is on Pentecost that the Holy Spirit comes to abide within the apostles, instilling them with the power and authority Jesus promised them, to enable them to continue in the work he began.  In our Gospel reading this morning we hear Jesus say, I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.  This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.  And this Advocate, this Holy Spirit that has come upon the apostles has now provided them with all they will need to begin to proclaim the Good News of Christ to the world.   So, Happy Birthday, Church!

Although, in Luke’s telling of the events of this day of church birth, the actual process of the Holy Spirit descending on the apostles seems to have been rather dramatic.  The entire incident certainly didn’t have the feel of a joyous birthday celebration; in fact, the crowds attributed the actions of the apostles to an overindulgence of wine.  Rather than reacting to the Spirit’s presence with joy and acceptance, we read that the crowds were “bewildered, astonished, amazed, and perplexed.”

And in the original Greek in which Acts was written, it is reported that the situation was much more tumultuous than we read in our NRSV translation.  Luke originally wrote that the people were “disoriented, in an uproar, uncomprehending, and blown away!”  We can’t blame these witnesses to the coming of the Holy Spirit for feeling overwhelmed; we are told that the arrival of the Advocate was accompanied by the sound of a violent rushing wind and the appearance of tongues of fire.  All this seems a bit over the top to announce the arrival of a brand-new church.  But in this instance, God wasn’t going to take the subtle approach, for the empowerment of the apostles to begin the spread of the gospel was too important to be in any way minimized.  The appearance and the work of the Holy Spirit often needs to be dramatic and forceful if people are going to be motivated by what it is that God is calling them to do.

Yet, the Spirit’s first appearance in our gospels, which occurred as Jesus is baptized by John in the river Jordan had nothing at all in common with the Pentecost outpouring.  And at that time, the Holy Spirit alights upon Jesus in the form of a gentle, peaceful dove.  This is starkly different from the way in which the apostles receive this same Spirit on Pentecost.  It also seems that, in addition to signifying the birth of the church, that this second arrival of the Holy Spirit connects the baptism of Jesus to the enabling of the apostles to go forth to tell the world about the Good News.  The people who believe in Christ as Savior will receive salvation, and they too will be blessed with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit into their lives.

So, it would seem that as the presence of the Holy Spirit is felt, the manner in which it is manifested is related to what we need and what God desires for us.  In 1 Corinthians Paul writes, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.  For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.”  I’m sure we’ve all felt the Spirit either gently nudging us or quite forcefully compelling us to act in ways that are best for us; or as Paul writes, best for the common good.  And, there is probably a limitless variety of ways that the Holy Spirit comes to us, ranging from gently to forcefully.

We may sense God’s Holy Spirit coming to us in a still small voice, and often we may feel the presence of the Spirit in the wind that blows around us; but it is quite unlikely that any of us will experience tongues of fire announcing the Spirit’s presence.  No matter how we experience the outpouring of the Spirit, this radical message of the Gospel, the proclamation that everyone who believes is saved and that the Holy Spirit abides in each of us, this is the reminder that everyone’s gifts are needed.  With the bestowing of the Holy Spirit on the apostles they were given the power and ability to continue the works that Jesus began.  And since this same Spirit has been given to each of us, we also are compelled to act as the hands, and feet, and heart of Christ in the world.

In a moment we will call upon the Holy Spirit’s presence as Jack is baptized, as he is welcomed as the newest member of God’s family.  Water will be poured, oil will be applied, and the traditional words will be spoken.  All these actions are part of the Baptismal rite; but it is the presence of the Holy Spirit come to bless Jack’s entrance into brotherhood with Christ that will equip him for service, just as it did for the apostles.  And as Jack continues in his faith journey, whether the Spirit of God encourages him in the gentle way of the dove or through a mighty wind, it is our collective prayer that he will always maintain an open heart and mind to welcome the indwelling of the Advocate.  May he always be encouraged to act as the prophet Micah urges when he asks, “What does the Lord require of you?”  May Jack always be inspired to respond to this by answering that he will strive to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with his God.  And may the Holy Spirit always be available to him as a trusted Comforter, Helper, Encourager, and Guide; granting him faith and trust in God’s promises.
Will you pray with me?  Good, and gracious, and holy God, as your Holy Spirit empowered the apostles and gave them ability to continue the ministry and mission that Jesus began, we pray that we might also be blessed with the Advocate’s indwelling within us.  Grant us the same zeal and willingness to serve our neighbor, with the encouragement and help of the Spirit.  And we pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, the One who asked you to send the Holy Spirit to help, guide, and comfort all your children.  Amen.

God is Good, all the time.  All the time, God is Good.  Amen.