Sermon: Pentecost Sunday, May 31, 2020
Acts 2.1-4
1When the day of Pentecost had come, they 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.
This text from Acts has always been one important to me for a number of reasons.
First, this marks the beginning, the genesis, of the church.
The breath of God blows into the room where the disciples are, tongues as of fire rest on them, and they begin to proclaim the good news of Jesus in the languages of peoples around them. Not only did the disciples proclaim the gospel in varied languages, but the people were given ears to hear! Many times, on this day, we celebrate just like we do with any birthday celebration; with cake and candles, and ‘happy birthday, dear church, happy birthday to you!’
That is wonderful news, something to celebrate!
Second, the imagery and drama of this scene is really something!
“Suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind. . .”
Whenever I read this, I think about the story of creation found in Genesis 1 and 2. First, we hear about the creation of the earth: “In the beginning, when God began creating the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters . . .”
And then, we hear about the creation of humankind: “Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.”
Wind and breath are the same words that are many times translated as ‘spirit.’ God’s wind sweeps over formless void, and creation begins. God’s breath fills Adam’s lungs, and there is life.
Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.
The imagery of fire brings to me images of other places in the Bible:
-God appears to Moses in a burning bush.
-God protects and guides the people of Israel as they flee from slavery in Egypt with a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night.
-Peter warms himself at a fire outside of where Jesus is kept after his arrest, and denies knowing Jesus to the others gathered with him, keeping themselves warm.
-And then Jesus, after his resurrection, cooks a breakfast of fish on a campfire for his disciples on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.
It seems that God shows up in the midst of fire.
Lastly, I love the idea that through the Spirit, people are able to understand each other; that the ability to communicate in languages is God-given.
All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
I am a student of language, of how we as created beings, as humans, communicate with each other. And I thank God for creating and gifting us in this way.
But, lately, images of breath and fire and language have become troubling for me.
Many of us have seen the image of an black man, George Floyd, arrested, and pinned to the ground with another man’s knee on his throat, choking off Floyd’s ability to breathe; not just for a few seconds, but for many minutes, even as George Floyd pleads, “I can’t breathe”; and taking this beloved child of God’s life.
And then, we have seen the images of fires set and burning as the rage and anger so overwhelm people that people, children of God, created in God’s image, respond violently. I can’t say that I understand fully, but it breaks my heart thinking that about what has been done to children of God, created in God’s image, by people who think of themselves as superior solely based on the fact that our skin is white. And it breaks my heart to know that this anger and sorrow and hurt is caused by this racism.
And now, we have credible reports that, at least in the Twin Cities, white supremists are the ones inciting more violence, more loss of property, more divisions than already exist. This is wrong, this is evil. And the fires that are visible by night, and the pillar of cloud from those fires that are visible as the daylight comes, are not God’s guidance and protection.
Lastly, I have become so despondent at our inability to not be able, or not be willing to talk, to listen, to communicate with each other. We have seemingly lost the God-given gift of language. We have turned language from the tool for us to communicate the good news of Jesus into a weapon to hurt and diminish and to kill instead of to heal and build up and birth new relationships.
But today is Pentecost, and we gather as children of God in Jesus Christ. But what does this mean for us and for the world? I would like to share something written by the Reverend Tiffany C. Chaney that can help us with this question:
We all know this Pentecost text and we also know the story of the new church that follows. We know the Holy Spirit showed up, changing the lives of the people in the room. The winds of change stirred the people in the room that day but it did not just stir them to stay where they were, among themselves. It blew them out into the world around them.
What happens when the Spirit moves and we are able to hear the language of people around us? The Holy Spirit is with us today, still burning like a hot flame and blowing like wind, opening our ears to hear and understand the people around us.
What has happened in the six years in between when we heard Eric Garner say he couldn’t breathe and when we heard George Floyd say the same this week?
What’s the use of hearing each other’s language if it does not change us?
Hear the cries of your siblings this Pentecost and let it blow you in to new ways of being church for the betterment of God’s children.
What would happen if even more we started really hearing and understanding the language spoken by our neighbor –the language of our lived experiences? The Holy Spirit is blowing among us, sparking a fire within us, sending us out, opening our ears to hear the voices that go unheard among us, inviting us to move beyond hearing and understanding to action – to be the hands and voice and feet of God in the community. To share the story of Jesus.
The Holy Spirit takes what Jesus says and brings it to life through us. The Holy Spirit comes that we might have a word to speak and life to give a broken world. The Holy Spirit comes that we might boldly proclaim the goodness of God in the hardest of times.
As you go out into the unique places God sends you, may the passion of peace ignite a fire in you. May the winds of joy lift you off your feet. May the passion of unity light you into action. May the winds of love blow through your communities. May the fire of the Holy Spirit ignite you to speak life to a broken world. May the winds of the Holy Spirit lead you to break down boundaries that divide.
And then, Reverend Chaney ends with this prayer that is a good one for us to join our hearts and voices together:
God of wind and fire, embolden us this day to receive your power through your word. Give us strength and courage to proclaim your love as a call for justice for those who are dying to receive it. Amen.
1 “I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.” Reverend Tiffany C. Chaney, revtifc.wordpress.com, May 29, 2020.