First Reading Numbers 11:24-30
24Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. And he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tent. 25Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it. 26Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. 27And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.” 29But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” 30And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.
Psalm Psalm 25:1-15
1To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; my God, I put my trust in you; let me not be humiliated, nor let my enemies triumph over me. 2Let none who look to you be put to shame; let the treacherous be disappointed in their schemes. 3Show me your ways, O Lord, and teach me your paths. 4Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; in you have I trusted all the day long. 5Remember, O Lord, your compassion and love, for they are from everlasting. 6Remember not the sins of my youth and my transgressions; remember me according to your love and for the sake of your goodness, O Lord. 7Gracious and upright is the Lord; therefore he teaches sinners in his way. 8He guides the humble in doing right and teaches his way to the lowly. 9All the paths of the Lord are love and faithfulness to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. 10For your name’s sake, O Lord, forgive my sin, for it is great. 11Who are they who fear the Lord? he will teach them the way that they should choose. 12They shall dwell in prosperity, and their offspring shall inherit the land. 13The Lord is a friend to those who fear him and will show them his covenant. 14My eyes are ever looking to the Lord, for he shall pluck my feet out of the net. 15Turn to me and have pity on me, for I am left alone and in misery.
Second Reading Acts 2:1-21
1When the day of Pentecost arrived, {the apostles} were all together in one place. 2And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9Parthians and Medes and 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, 11both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians — we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.” 14But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on 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 on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 19And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 21And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’”
Gospel John 7:37-39
37On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Wait for the Wind
A woman named Alice tells about her nephew’s 10-year-old son who came for a visit one hot, July weekend. “Look, Aunt Alice,” he said as he ran over to where she was sitting. “I found a Batman kite. Could we go outside and fly it?” Glancing out a nearby window, Alice noticed there wasn’t even a hint of a breeze outside. “I’m sorry, Tripper,” she said, “There isn’t any wind blowing right now. The kite won’t fly. Maybe when it cools off later this evening you can try.” Undeterred by this information, the determined 10-year-old replied, “I think it’s windy enough. I can get it to fly,” he said, as he hurried out the back door.
Alice watched through the slats in the Venetian blinds to see determination in action. Up and down the yard the boy ran, pulling the kite attached to a small length of string. The plastic kite remained about shoulder level. The young boy ran back and forth, as hard as his ten-year-old legs would carry him, looking back hopefully at the kite trailing behind. After about ten minutes of unsuccessful determination, dripping with sweat and nearly out of breath, he came back in. Alice asked, “How did it go?” “Fine,” he said, not wanting to admit defeat. “I got it to fly some.”
As he walked past her to return the kite to the closet shelf, she heard him say under his breath, “I guess I’ll have to wait till later for the wind.” At that moment, she says, she heard another Voice in her heart. “Alice,” the voice said, “sometimes you’re just like your grandnephew. You want to do it your way instead of waiting for the ‘Wind’–the “Wind of God.” Sounds like the same could be said for many of us.
In Acts chapter 1 (vs. 4-8), before His ascension into heaven, Jesus instructed His disciples to return to Jerusalem and wait until the Holy Spirit came upon them. The biblical word for Spirit, pnuema, as you know, is the same word for wind. The disciples were waiting for the wind—the wind of God. Then in our second reading for today we read, “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” (Acts 2:1-4). The disciples waited, as instructed, on the wind . . . they waited on the Spirit . . . it was a mighty wind and it blew so hard that the world has never again been the same.
Easter and Christmas aside, Pentecost ought to be the most hallowed and celebrated day in the liturgical year. There is no doubt, we wouldn’t be here today if it were not for the manger in Bethlehem. As St. John writes, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14a). Who among us will question the importance of this statement in all of literature? And of course, the cross and the empty tomb must forever remain at the center of our faith. Without the Easter event we have no salvation and no hope. But how would we know about the manger and how would we know about the cross and the empty tomb, if it were not for Pentecost when the wind of God blew, and the church was born? Who would have protected the Holy Scriptures with its very life, if not the Church of Jesus Christ? Who would have sent out evangelists and teachers and missionaries to tell the Good News if not the church? Who would have carried on Christ’s ministry of healing bodies, minds, and souls if not the church?
I’m aware that it’s been fashionable among some Christians since the 1960s to say “Jesus, yes”– “the church, no” but this is extremely self-focused and short-sighted thinking. How will future generations know about Jesus if the people, called and gathered by God’s Spirit, isn’t around to give a living witness to His resurrected presence? Certainly, we as the church, have our short comings and failures. Certainly, there’s much in the church that needs to be corrected and cleansed, but we are the body of Christ in the world. We are still His beloved bride. Pentecost is the church’s birthday. We should be celebrating it in the same way we do Christmas and Easter. And with that in mind, there are some things about that first Pentecost that we need to take note of.
First, we need to take notice of the fact that the disciples were all together in agreement and in one place. The old joke asks, what car is mentioned in the Bible? The answer is, of course, a Honda. The King James Version of this verse reads like this: “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.” The apostles were in unity of spirit among the followers of Jesus. There was an openness toward one another and a concern for each person’s well-being. The disciples, when they received the outpouring of spiritual joy and grace, weren’t divided into various contending factions, each seeking to protect his own position and power. They still recalled Jesus’ earnest supplication when He prayed, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:20-21).
There was visible unity among the followers of Christ; there was love and charity. They cared about one another and they cared about the work that Christ had given them to do. No wonder the Spirit could work with such power. Think what the Spirit could do through us if we were more loving, more harmonious, more committed to the same cause. One of the great scandals of our faith is that Christians have spent almost as much time fighting with each other as they have fighting the forces of evil and injustice.
Dr. Eugene Brice tells a disturbing but somewhat humorous story about a minister who returned to visit a church he had once served. He ran into Bill, who had been an elder and leader in the church, but who wasn’t around anymore. The pastor asked, “Bill, what happened? You used to be there every time the doors were open.” “Well, Pastor,” said Bill, “a difference of opinion arose in the church. Some of us couldn’t accept the final decision and we established a church of our own.” “Is that where you worship now?” asked the pastor.
“No,” answered Bill, “we found that there, too, the people were not faithful and a small group of us began meeting in a rented hall at night.” “Has that proven satisfactory?” asked the minister. “No, I can’t say that it has,” Bill responded. “Satan was active even in that fellowship, so my wife and I withdrew and began to worship on Sunday at home by ourselves.” “Then at last you’ve found inner peace?” asked the pastor. “No, I’m afraid we haven’t,” said Bill. “Even my wife began to develop ideas I wasn’t comfortable with, so now she worships in the northeast corner of the living room and I’m in the southwest . . .” That story will either make you laugh or make you cry.
One of the strengths of the early church was their love for one another. Stop and consider, if we who are the church—Christ’s body—the light, the leaven, the salt of the earth—Christ’s own bride—if we can’t love one another and work together for His glory, then there is no hope for the world. The disciples were gathered together “with one accord” and the love they had for each other and for the world was seen by all. So much so, these gathered outside that day initially misunderstood… “they are filled with new wine.” It was so amazing, they thought the disciples were drunk! The message of God’s saving love is so counter-cultural that it’s hard for the world to comprehend. The world must witness God’s love in us! There’s power in mutual concern. And it’s a power that we still need in the church today.
Second, there’s a celebration of diversity within Christ’s body as well as our essential unity. The sign of the Holy Spirit’s presence was a tongue of fire. When you stop and think about it, that was a very suitable emblem. The human tongue is always God’s most effective instrument when aided by the Holy Spirit. Unaided however, the tongue can be destructive: The Bible warns us of this. The human voice needs to be quickened and supported by that divine fire, that godly energy and power, which the Holy Spirit alone can bestow.
We must also take note of the fact that the Bible tells us that distinct tongues of fire appeared over each individual gathered there in that room. We are one in the Spirit. Unity must be maintained for our witness to be effective. Nevertheless, it’s critical that we note that each of us will have our own experience of God’s Spirit, and because we differ so much, your experience will not be exactly the same as my experience. We get into trouble every time we try to pour all the followers of Christ into one mold.
It’s been God’s plan from the beginning that we should have differing personalities and differing needs and differing gifts. Paul talked about this in his letters to the Roman and Corinthian Christians (Romans and 1 Corinthians). We come from diverse cultural backgrounds, from diverse age groups, from diverse occupations. Some of us are extroverts, some are introverts. Some of us have dominant personalities, some are quite submissive. The experience of a Christian in New York City will not be the same as a Christian from a rural part of the South. However, we have one Savior, one Lord, one message to share, but we do this in diverse ways.
Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever, but His followers have always been and will always be a radically diverse collection of individuals. We celebrate that diversity today. It means that Christ is the Savior of the entire world. He is not the Savior of a small homogeneous group alone. I may be cold and stiff with little ability to express my emotions, but Jesus is my Savior just as surely as He is the Savior of the warm-hearted believer who jumps three pews to express his conviction. He is the Lord of all. Third, there is a missionary nature to Pentecost.
The Christian movement was never intended to be an exclusive club directed only toward a small segment of humanity. It wasn’t just for the church that Christ died. It wasn’t just for the Jewish nation that Christ died. Jesus came and died so that whosoever would believe could be saved. Now some may say, “That’s obvious pastor. We don’t need to be reminded that we’re called to be a missionary church.” Evangelical is literally a part of our congregation’s name. However, consider this, Win Arn, a church consultant, did a study that showed that 89% of church attendees believe that the church’s primary purpose is to take care of the member’s needs. Only 11% believe that the church’s purpose is to reach out to the world. Sad and scary isn’t it?
So, let me repeat: It wasn’t for the church only that Christ died. It was for the world that He hung on the cross. No clearer message can be found in the Pentecost event. The disciples began speaking as the Spirit gave them utterance, and each person who gathered when they heard the sound—from a wide array of nationalities—heard the Gospel in their own language. We need to really take note of this fact.
Jesus gave a universal commission to twelve men, chiefly Galilean peasants, to go forth and preach the good news, to establish the Body of Christ in this world. How could they have been fitted for this work unless God had bestowed upon them some such gift of language? Think what a barrier the diversity of languages is in the world today. How else can you explain the rapid spread of the Christian faith throughout the known world including some parts considered by the Romans still barbarous? God gave them a special gift of languages, and it’s always been God’s will that all people, in all places, should receive the Gospel. That is the primary reason for the existence of the Christian church. We are still called to be a missionary church. The Gospel still overcomes barriers of race, language and culture. It was never intended that we should keep the gospel to ourselves.
One statistician reports that 90 percent of all Protestant preaching today is preached to English speaking people, who comprise just 9 percent of the world’s population. Ninety-four percent of every Christian dollar is spent to witness to this 9 percent. When 90 percent of the Protestant preachers spend 94 percent of every Christian dollar to witness to 9 percent of the world’s people, it should strike us that something is wrong.
Samuel Moffett tells of worshipping behind the bamboo curtain, that is, in China several years ago. In the congregation were a few Communist military men. The very few faithful present sang an old Isaac Watts hymn written in 1718, “Jesus shall reign wher’re the sun does his successive journey run; His kingdom stretch from shore to shore, till moon shall wax and wane no more . . .”
When these words were written there were only two missionaries for the whole Christian faith (both were Moravians). Seventy years later William Carey went forth and started a new movement based on Psalm 72, “May he have dominion from sea to sea . . .” We must not let that movement die. On this Pentecost Sunday as we celebrate our unity as the Body of Christ, as we celebrate the remarkable diversity within God’s family, may we also remember our responsibility to those outside this fellowship—whether they live next door or around the world.
On Pentecost a missionary movement was born. God’s spirit entered into the hearts of those who believed. They in turn shared what they had received with everyone who would listen. May we also have that Spirit within us and may the world know by our love and by our witness that we are His.
People magazine printed an encouraging article on Tom Monaghan sometime back, the man who established Domino’s Pizza. Tom is a multimillionaire, worth some 400 million dollars. Here’s what that People magazine article said: Each day in his briefcase Tom Monaghan keeps two spiral notebooks, the kind that school children use. One is red like the devil . . . for material things. The other is blue . . . like heaven for spiritual things. Until recently, entries that would have belonged in the red book played the larger role in Monaghan’s life. After all, he ran the second largest pizza chain in the nation next to Pizza Hut.
These days the only notation scribbled in the red cover notebook has to do with a dream house he’s building near Ann Arbor, Michigan. He spends most of his time in the Blue Book. He’s had a midlife change of heart. The article talks about how he’s now investing his whole life serving God. It’s said that he spent time this past summer overseeing construction of a church in Honduras. “We have 5000 pizza outlets,” he explains.” My goal now is 5000 churches.” He said, “I’ve always felt the most important thing for me is getting to heaven. When I die, I don’t think St. Peter is going to ask me how many pizzas I sold.”
What do you think God is going to ask you and me? Today is a very special day. Today is the day we celebrate the birth of the church. And as we do, we need to ask ourselves: do we have the kind of unity, diversity and missionary spirit to do the things God has called us to do? If not, we need to pray that a wind will blow into our lives and give us the Spirit that we need to be that kind of church.
Amen
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