May 19, 2002
Pentecost Sunday
"Don't Be Spooked By The Holy Ghost"
(Acts 2:1-21)
Rev. Billy D. Strayhorn
[1] 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.
[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.'
[NRSV]
A little girl was explaining to her family how well she was doing as she learned to tell time: "I know all my 'o'clocks' now. But I'm still having trouble with the 'tills' and 'afters.'" (1)
That could describe the Disciples during the ten days leading up to Pentecost. They knew all about the "o'clocks". The hours were dragging on and on. What they weren't sure about was the 'till'. They had no idea how long they would have to wait until the promise of the Holy Spirit would come. And it wasn't until 'after' that they realized the importance of their waiting.
J. Danson Smith wrote a poem that describes what they had to be going through.
Waiting! Yes, patiently waiting!
Till next steps made plain shall be;
To hear, with the inner hearing,
The Voice that will call for me.
Waiting! Yes, hopefully waiting!
With hope that need not grow dim;
The Master is pledged to guide me,
And my eyes are unto Him.
Waiting! Expectantly waiting!
Perhaps it may be today
The Master will quickly open
The gate to my future way.
Waiting! Yes, waiting! still waiting!
I know, though I've waited long,
That, while He withholds His purpose,
His waiting cannot be wrong.
Waiting! Yes, waiting! still waiting!
The Master will not be late:
He knoweth that I am waiting
For Him to unlatch the gate. (2)
They waited patiently in the Upper Room. Hoping expectantly for the gift that would change everything. They waited for Christ to "unlatch the gate."
What they didn't know was that it would be a floodgate. A floodgate of God's Spirit that would wash over them like the waters of baptism;
And blow across their dry parched spirits like a cool summer breeze;
And spring up within them like the cold clear water of a spring fed well.
They waited and they found out that "waiting for an answer to prayer is sometimes part of the answer." (3) That's what they found out on Pentecost. With that in mind, let's look at THE DAY, THE GIFT AND THE POWER OF PENTECOST.
A. On THE DAY OF PENTECOST, All the faithful, all the disciples, the eleven original and Matthias, elected to replace Judas, and the other believers and followers of Jesus were gathered in one place. The place they had celebrated the Passover with Jesus. The place Jesus had changed everything around to become the Sacrament of Holy Communion. They gathered together in the Upper Room.
Last week I talked about the Mount of Olives and how moving it was. Of all the places we visited in the Holy Land, the Upper Room was probably the only one that disappointed me. I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't what we witnessed. It was just a big empty room. No church had been built there like every other place we saw. The denominations weren't arguing over who had first rights. Nothing.
The Upper Room was one of the most unremarkable places on our pilgrimage. I was totally underwhelmed. And yet this is the place where the Church was first empowered to be the Church. This is the place where the Church had its birth. This was the birthing room of the future.
And it was empty. Yet, this was the place where it all began. This is the place where the Church was first empowered to be the Church.
I've reflected on that. And I really think it's appropriate that the Upper Room has remained just a big room. Of all the places we saw, it was probably the closest to what it would have been like in the first century. And it's symbolic of what happened that day.
You see, on that day, there was an emptiness that needed to be filled in the lives of the disciples. An emptiness that was a lot like that empty Upper Room.
On that day, 120 of Jesus' followers gathered together to pray. Just like they had done every day since the Ascension. As these 120 followers gathered, the events of the blackest Friday still lingered in their hearts and minds. The shock and suddenness of Christ's betrayal and crucifixion still gripped their souls. The tears of anger and grief still stained and stung their cheeks.
That shock was replaced with the joy of the stone being rolled away and the discovery of the Risen Christ. That joy still filled their hearts.
And then there was the longing and loving they felt as they stood gazing into heaven as they watched Jesus Ascend.
As they waited, all of those memories were playing over and over again in their hearts and minds. And all of those emotions were overlaid with the excitement and expectation of what was to come. The specter of the cross, the unexpectedness of the empty tomb and the uncertainty of the Ascension had them all on a roller coaster ride of emotions. But they waited.
B. And now it was Pentecost, the Feast of Weeks, the Day of the First Fruits, the Feast of the Harvest. Pentecost took place on the 50th day after Passover. It was the feast that commemorated the giving of the Law to Moses at Mt. Sinai. It was the second most important feast of the Jewish people. And if you remember the list from the reading, people from all over the world came to this festival.
The city literally sounded like a circus. It was the hustle and bustle of Lord's Acre on a grand scale.
There was the noise of the vendors all huddled together exchanging wares and bragging about their weekend exploits.
There were the slaves and servants of the city romping, laughing, giggling, babbling with excitement over one of the few days prescribed by law that they didn't have to work.
And there was the drone of the early morning bargain hunters haggling with the delight and fervor and freshness of the day.
The Upper Room was just a big room in a First Century motel in the middle of the business section of town. With the sounds of people and animals; with the sound of music and merriment all around, the disciples and followers of Jesus gathered in the Upper Room. Many had spent the night.
Now they stood there, maybe praying, maybe not. Maybe just standing around not knowing what to do or what to expect but filled with the same excited expectation of an eight year old on Christmas eve. They waited. And suddenly, like the rush of a mighty wind, all heaven broke loose.
And there was such a commotion, such a change, such excitement that the crowds outside were touched and moved by it. They noticed it and felt it like the ricochet spray of water when you wash your car. It was cool and inviting and it drew the crowd like a magnet.
It blew through like the wind but it was the breath of God. As each disciple was kissed by the breath of God, as their hair was tousled and God's breath whispered across their face, they sucked in breath out of surprise. And when they did, their sense of surprise was deepened for it wasn't their own breath that filled their lungs; it WAS the breath of God. Just like in creation, breathing across the void and breathing out new life.
They stood there silently holding that breath, afraid to breathe out; afraid they would lose it. But with one collective sigh, they exhaled. And in that instant, the Spirit leaped to life in their lives, ignited by their love for God, their devotion to Christ and their excitement as the memory of the Counselor, Guide and Companion promised by Christ swept through their mind and their hearts.
Ignited by their joy and expectation, the Spirit leapt and danced above their heads as tongues of fire, mini representations of the light of Christ alive in their lives. And as each one of them noticed, their eyes widened, first in surprise and then in delight as a grin split their face from ear to ear. On THE DAY OF PENTECOST their faith was given wings and power and confidence.
A. There was a little boy who was going door to door selling Post Cards for a dime a piece. One of his customers asked him what he was going to do with all the money he made. The boy said, "Oh, I'm raising $100,000 for our new Church building."
The startled customer asked, "Do you expect to raise all that by yourself?"
And the boy answered with a straight and serious face, "Oh, no sir. There's another little boy helping me." (4)
On THE DAY OF PENTECOST the disciples and followers of Jesus were given THE GIFT OF PENTECOST. And that gift is the power of the Spirit.
It is nothing less than the power of the resurrection made visible and available, giving audacious confidence to Christ's followers. It's more than a feeling, more than magic, more than flame and wind and doves. It is the very presence and power of God as revealed in Jesus Christ.
It's that very presence and power of God that enabled Peter to stand and witness to those who accused them of being drunk, "We're not drunk. You've just experienced the power of God's Spirit, as promised in the scripture, and given to us through our risen Savior, Jesus Christ."
Through THE GIFT OF PENTECOST we can immediately and intimately know the presence, the power and the assurance of our Creator and Redeemer. NOW we have with us the enabling, empowering, sustaining, recreating, life-giving breath of God being breathed into the lifelessness of our lungs, pouring new life into the old and creating something new and glorious for God.
NOW we can KNOW through the witness of the Holy Spirit, that we are the children of God, forgiven and empowered to fulfill our purpose in life. The events of this day were the pivotal events for the Church in the world. It was the spark which ignited the fires of faith that swept across the world.
B. And the events of Pentecost 264 years ago - were pivotal for our own Methodist Church. You see, on Pentecost Sunday, May 21st 1738, Charles Wesley's life was changed. It was given new direction and new power by the Holy Spirit.
And like Andrew going to Peter, Charles went to his brother, John. And curiously enough, just three days later, on May 24th, 1738, John Wesley's life was changed at a meeting in a house on Aldersgate Street.
He wrote this in his diary, "While he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that he had taken away MY sins, even MINE, and saved me from the law of sin and death."
God's Holy Spirit moved and breathed new life into the hearts and souls of two men. It was the pivotal event in their lives. Not the last but a beginning; a gate and floodgate being opened by Christ. It was a second wind in the lives and ministries of two men who were already devoted to God and longing for a closer relationship.
They would both interpret and reinterpret the event for the rest of their lives. But both agreed it was a very large step in their journey of faith. It was a much needed infusion of power. It was THE GIFT OF PENTECOST.
And that GIFT OF PENTECOST empowered them. And that's really what the Holy Spirit is, God's power and the presence of Christ with us today and every day. One of the things we need to remember about power is that it can be used in two ways. It can be unleashed or it can be harnessed.
The energy of five gallons of kerosene can be unleashed explosively by igniting the whole can in a spectacular display of fire and smoke and sound.
Or it can be harnessed effectively through the use of a lantern and a wick to change darkness to light for a long period of time.
Explosions are short lived. Controlled burns have a lasting effect. The spirit came to the disciples and to the Wesleys, not as an explosion of power, but as the trimming of the wick and the turning up of the lantern so the light would spread further. And when John Wesley expressed his dream with confidence by saying, "the world is my parish."
Others asked, "You can't expect to do it all by yourself, can you?" And like the little boy with the postcards, John Wesley said, "Oh, no sir. My little brother, Charles, is helping me."
That's THE POWER OF PENTECOST, the power of the Holy Spirit. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Wesley and others have been enabled to surrender their wills to God and be used for the glory of God.
The Holy Spirit is simply the power of the resurrection. It is the Spirit of the Risen Christ, given as a gift to each of us, to enable us:
to love with Christ like love;
to forgive with Christ-like for forgiveness;
to be merciful with Christ-like mercy;
and to sacrifice through the power Christ's sacrifice for us.
It is simply the power of the resurrection in our lives.
Our sins have been forgiven and we have new life in Christ Jesus, God's son. We don' have to be Spooked by the Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit is simply the promised Guide, Counselor, and Comforter. It is the power and the presence of the Risen Savior in the world and in our lives TODAY.
An eight year old little girl was trying to teach her younger brother how to ride a bicycle. After several fruitless attempts, the little brother finally steadied himself. As he wobbled from side to side, he excitedly shouted, "I'm moving, I'm moving."
His older sister, in a cold voice that evoked disdain and a much keener wisdom, replied. "Yeah, you're moving all right, but you aren't going nowhere!" (5)
That's exactly what was happening to the disciples before Pentecost. They were moving all right. They moved aimlessly and never got anywhere.
But on the day of Pentecost, all that changed. Peter and the disciples bore witness to the Risen Christ. The Spirit said "Amen!" The Crowd heard in their own language about the love of God through Christ. And 3,000 of those gathered that day believed and the Church was born.
264 years ago, John and Charles Wesley moved aimlessly about in their search to serve Christ; then they experienced the renewing power of the Holy Spirit and the Methodist Church was born.
Today, the Holy Spirit is available, willing and wanting to reach out in love and grace to others through us. The Holy Spirit can and will fill our lives with a new and invigorating breath, the breath of God. Our faith can take wing and be empowered with confidence and the assurance of our forgiveness. And all we have to do is breathe in the breath of God.
Don't Be Spooked By The Holy Ghost. This is what you've been waiting for. So, breathe deep and breathe in new life.
Breathe Deep.
1. Parables, Etc. (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990), February 1996
2. J. Danson Smith, as recorded in Streams In The Desert for May 17, by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman, first published in 1925. Electronic edition published by Zondervan.
3. The Pastor's Story File (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990), January 2002
4. The Autoillustrator, (Greeley, CO, 1993) 970.330.1925 (Autoill@AOL.com)
5. The Autoillustrator, (Greeley, CO, 1993) 970.330.1925 (Autoill@AOL.com)
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