Rev. Cari Pattison
Woodstock Reformed Church
Sunday, June 5, 2022
“Earth, Wind, Fire”
Acts 2:1-21
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 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. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
Now 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. Amazed 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.
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.’”
***
One day a pastor was preaching on loving your enemies- the value of grace and forgiveness and how are called to love our neighbors and our enemies as much as we love ourselves.
The congregation was roused to action and filled with the Holy Spirit. The pastor asked them, “Will you go out into the world and love your enemies?”
Every hand went up in the congregation except for one.
The pastor sees that it was one of the long-time elders, a 98-year-old lady who was a pillar of the church. So he was surprised, and asked the woman, “Why can’t you love your enemies?”
She said, “Pastor, I can honestly say I have no enemies.”
“That’s incredible,” said the pastor. “You’re in your 90’s and you have no enemies? Would you mind sharing how you achieved this?”
The elder walked slowly to the front of the church, turned around to face the congregation, and said, “I outlived all those snakes.”
***
Certainly one mark of the Holy Spirit, is the ability to forgive. The ability to not just outlive your enemies, but to love them.
On this day of Pentecost, we know there’s red and fire and ribbons, but what does it all mean? Who is the Holy Spirit in our lives? Who is the Holy Spirit in our church and in the world?
Unless you grew up in Pentecostal or Assemblies of God, chances are you’ve heard very little over the years, in church, about the Holy Spirit.
Which is part of why I love this holiday so much!
It comes rushing in with the burning flames of surprise, and danger, and passion.
I forget sometimes what a music town Woodstock is, because yesterday I was out on the sidewalk while some visitors were staring at the sign in front of our church with the sermon title on it.
The man turned to the woman he was with and said, “Earth, Wind, and Fire are playing at the church tomorrow?!”
I didn’t even know the band “Earth, Wind, and Fire” were still together! So in case there’s any legal violation for false advertising- our sign does not have an “and” between “wind” and “fire.”
***
This text from the book of Acts is so rich, I hope you’ll read it again later and ponder yourself what God might be saying to you in it.
But today we have time only to focus on this question:
How does the Holy Spirit bring us together?
First, a little background on this passage:
We’re told that people are gathered for Pentecost. This is a Jewish holiday, a festival also known as “Shavuot,” where people bring their first fruits of the harvest. It’s called “Pentecost” because it takes place 50 days after the Passover and is celebrated by Jews in connection with Moses giving the people the ten commandments, which happened around the time of the first Passover.
Luke, the Gospel writer who wrote the book of Acts, tells us earlier in chapter 1, that there were about 150 people gathered together in one large house in Jerusalem, all of them Jewish followers of Jesus- including his mother Mary. That’s why she’s featured front and center on the artist’s rendering of Pentecost, featured on your bulletin.
Jesus promised them he’d send his Spirit, so they’d never be alone.
Notably, in both the Old and New Testaments, the article for “Spirit” is feminine- And yet, most of us haven’t grown up hearing the Holy Spirit referred to as “she.” I wonder why not…
***
Sometimes the Spirit- synonymous in the Greek and Hebrew with the words “wind” and “breath,” is also referred to as “The Holy Ghost.”
Shane Claiborne, a Christian activist and writer who grew up in a Pentecostal church in Tennessee, said they used to quote from this passage in Acts 2, as teenagers attending youth group camp:
They’d form two groups to yell out to each other: “We’re not drunk as you suppose, we’re just full of the Holy Ghost!”
And you gotta love Peter in this passage-
When observers question what’s going on with all these tongues and languages, he says, “They’re not drunk as you suppose- it’s only 9 o’ clock in the morning!”
I guess if it were 3 o’clock in the afternoon, all bets are off…
***
But back to that original question- “How does the Holy Spirit bring us together?”
I’d like to offer up a few ways this happens-
One, by praying for us and stirring our hearts
Two, by helping us understand each other’s languages
And three, by empowering us to speak the truth of God
So let’s go through each of these.
***
First, we are told elsewhere in scripture- specifically Paul’s letter to the Romans, that the Spirit is the being of God who lives in us and lifts us up in prayer.
Romans 8 says, “For we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit intercedes for us, with sighs too deep for words.” Or as one translation reads, “The Spirit prays for us, with groanings that words cannot express.”
Isn’t it incredible to think of this holy breath, this wind, that lives inside us and all around us, and to think of her praying for us by name? In a language beyond words?
Elsewhere we’re told this same Spirit moves on our conscience, stirring our hearts for what sins we should confess, what person we should speak to, and who might need a word of hope or a helping hand. It’s the Spirit who guides us into truth, helps us interpret scripture, and helps us make decisions.
In fact, one of the reasons our tradition of Christianity- the Reformed tradition- is run by committees, is because a core tenet of our denomination is the belief that the Holy Spirit moves among us when we pray together and seek to make decisions together.
This is why we don’t just have a church official pick our next pastor- we have a search committee. It’s why the minister doesn’t just decide things on her own- we have a consistory. Our tradition emphasizes the power of the Holy Spirit that guides us as a group.
As writer Lauren Winner says, “The Spirit is the reason we Christians can do anything at all, the reason we don’t have to live paralyzed in fear of messing up. The Spirit is the reason we humans can build a church and have confidence that we will get it at least a little bit right.”
So first off, the Holy Spirit prays for us personally, and moves among us.
***
Secondly, the Spirit helps us hear one another! And understand each other’s language.
Now, in Acts chapter 2- that’s a literal thing. All these Jewish pilgrims, gathering from all over the Mediterranean and Middle East-
- can suddenly hear these Jesus-followers speaking in their own native tongues!
These Jewish Christians suddenly have the ability to utter words they’ve never spoken, in order that they might tell the story of Jesus!
Before this, according to Luke’s Gospel and Acts chapter 1, the believers are huddled in fear and confusion. Where was Jesus going? Would he come back? Would they be hunted down and killed as he had been? And some of them still don’t get his message and purpose. In Acts 1 verse 6, some of the disciples in this same room ask Jesus, “So, is this when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?”
They still want a political takeover! They still want Jesus to be a totally different Messiah from the one he is!
But now they realize: this is a different language. This isn’t about Israel rising up, this is about Christ’s love going out. This isn’t a restoration of victory, this is a radical inclusivity.
And I think it speaks just as powerfully to us today.
What would it be like, if we could listen- without defending or interrupting- to those with whom we disagree- politically, theologically, and culturally?
What if liberals could lovingly understand the language of conservatives? What if those on the right could listen with the heart, to those on the left? What if the young could deeply listen to the old, and the old to the young? What if men and women could communicate in ways that build connection, instead of competition or suspicion?
And even here in the Catskills and Hudson Valley- what if we moved beyond the dividing lines of “locals,” “natives,” “weekenders,” and “tourists,” and realized that we’re all just children of God, waiting to be heard and understood?
I know this will come as a surprise to exactly no one- but I’m a better talker than listener.
And it is only a testament to the power of the Holy Spirit that occasionally, I can quiet down long enough to really see, and hear, and listen.
To seek to understand, rather than be understood, as St. Francis prayed.
***
So first, the Spirit prays for us and stirs our hearts.
Two, the Spirit helps us truly understand each other across divisions and barriers.
And three, the Spirit empowers us to speak the truth of God.
“In those days,” says the Lord,” I will pour out my Spirit. And your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions, and on your sons and daughters, slaves and free- I will pour out my Spirit and they will all prophesy.”
I don’t know about you, but I for one am encouraged that you’re never too old. Or too young. Or too female. Or too poor. Or too powerless.
God declares, “I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.”
So it begs the question: how do you know if something that people speak, is really coming from God?
Well Paul gives a helpful hint in his letter to the Galatians. These new Jesus-followers living in Galatia want to know- how do we discern what comes from the Holy Spirit, and what’s coming from some other spirit, maybe even an evil spirit?
And Paul says, “Ah. This is how you know. Anything coming from God’s Spirit, looks like this: the fruit of her is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
***
In closing, I want to address a question that I’ve been asked over the years, as a Christian and as a pastor:
“Have you ever spoken in tongues?”
There are some Christians who teach that what Pentecost means, and what this passage in Acts means, is that if you’re truly saved and truly alive with the Holy Spirit- you will speak in mysterious tongues. That is, languages that no one understands but you and God.
Now I don’t doubt that some people have experienced this, and at times in my life I have prayed to feel that gift come forth from me- which has never come.
But what I can share with you, is something that happened to me many years ago when I was living in Kenya.
The coast of East Africa is predominantly Muslim, and unlike the capital, Nairobi- where most people speak English- the coast is mostly all Swahili-speaking.
I studied abroad my junior year of college in Nairobi, but for two weeks we did a homestay in the small coastal village of Takaungu.
In Takaungu, I lived with a Muslim host family, that included two boys around 12 or 13, named Mohammed and Abdallah.
Now, in spite of our required Swahili studies, I was far from fluent in the language. And when I say “far from fluent,” I mean I knew how to say, “How are you?” “I’m full,” and “Please watch out for the scorpions.” A phrase that comes in surprisingly handy.
One afternoon the boys and I were walking to the beach, and in my extremely limited Swahili, I asked if there would be any scorpions in the sand.
They laughed, and tried to carry a conversation with me, in which I understood maybe 7% of what they were saying.
And then they asked me about God. They asked me about being a Christian. I was a little nervous, because I wanted to show respect for their Muslim faith, and not seem as if I were trying to convert them. I was also nervous, because if I hadn’t yet mastered how to ask directions in Swahili, how on earth would I talk about God?
But they asked me question after question.
And to this day I do not know what happened. But I do know that for a full hour, as we walked along the shore of the Indian Ocean, we talked- truly- about faith. They asked me about forgiveness and judgment. They asked me about Jesus. They asked me what they could do when they felt scared and didn’t know how to pray, about everything from drunken neighbors to sudden monsoons.
And I do not know how I understood them. I only know that the words came. And when they spoke of madrassa, their early-morning Islam training, I somehow grasped their words. When they spoke of the Koran, and their local mosque, and the imams they studied under, I got to hear their stories of God and hope and questions still unanswered.
Have I ever spoken in tongues?
No.
But that day, a 20-something white girl from Kansas and two adolescent black boys from Kenya, walked along the beach for an hour and shared something about God.
And to me, that is a miracle.
Let us pray.
***
God, show us how to hear each other.
Help us understand one another’s stories.
Teach us what it is to speak your truth, of love and forgiveness and grace.
And let all that we do, as people and as a church, be marked by the fruits of your Spirit.
In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen.