“When the Day of Pentecost Came”
Numbers 11:24-30 [O.T. Lesson]
Acts 2:1-21 [Pentecost Lesson]
I believe I can say with certitude this morning that everything in the world has a starting point, a beginning, and our text this morning from the Book of Acts records for us the birth of the church of Jesus Christ; so, I imagine that it would be perfectly in order for us to be having a party and singing Happy Birthday.
For the Jewish people the story of the Exodus is the most important event recorded in the Old Testament and also the beginning of a new stage of life for them. Fifty days after the Exodus Moses brought God’s people their law which many would have been gathered to celebrate on the 50th day after Easter when the Holy Spirit ascended on the gathered disciples. The Laws of Moses were to be on the minds of God’s people; the Holy Spirit, which helps us to remember and understand, resides inside of us: Jesus in you!
From our Old Testament Lesson this morning we find Moses in a bit of a jam. The people are complaining about everything from the water, or lack thereof, to not having meat to eat, and about their poor cell phone service and lack of Wi-Fi. Earlier in Numbers we read, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!” [Numbers 11:4b-6]. When they claimed to be better off when they lived in Egypt God responded by saying, “Now the Lord will give you meat, and you will eat it. You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten, or twenty days, but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and you loath it—because you have rejected the Lord” [Numbers 11:18b-20a]. Do you think God was a little miffed at them at this point? It’s pretty obvious that for God the hardest thing wasn’t getting His people out of Egypt, the hardest thing was getting Egypt out of His people! Can’t the same be said of us?
So, God is starting to see that these people were a heavy load for Moses so today he tells him to appoint seventy of their elders to assist him. And God took some of the Spirit that rested on Moses and put it on the seventy elders and in a small dispute with Joshua Moses claims, “I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit on them!”
Whether or not he knew the full significance of what he was saying, Moses was looking forward to the day when all God’s people would experience the pouring out of God’s Spirit. The prophet Joel recorded God’s promise to pour out his Spirit on all believers [Joel 2:28-32], and this was fulfilled at Pentecost. As believers, we can be sure that the Holy Spirit is present within us when we become Christians [Romans 8:9]. We can also pray to live by the Holy Spirit’s power [Galatians 5:16-26]. If you wish to have the Holy Spirit’s power, pray for him to fill your life with His presence and strengthen you to follow Christ.
We’ve been talking a lot lately about Jesus’ promise to His disciples of this Holy Spirit that we read of today. He told the disciples to go to Jerusalem and to wait for the power from on high. Luke, in his gospel, writes that following Jesus’ ascension: “Then they worshipped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the Temple, praising God” (Luke 24:52-53).
Maybe you can remember attending pep rallies when you were in High School or tailgating parties in college. The band would play, the cheerleaders would cheer, and by the time the team arrived on the scene the whole place was worked up into a frenzy, like everyone’s hair was on fire.. The purpose of these events is of course to build enthusiasm, to show support for our team, and above all, to celebrate our school spirit. Spirit, of course, was that feeling of pride that we were of something bigger than ourselves.
The disciples, as instructed, “were all together in one place” as they waited for the promised gift of the Spirit. I could imagine the growing excitement as the disciples spoke with each other, recounting the words of Jesus, “You will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:5). Very similar to a pep rally, there was a rush of excitement as the Spirit, like the rush of wind, filled the house, and what seemed to be tongues of fire came to rest on each of them.
I want us to note the inclusive language that Luke uses in our text this morning. First, he writes that “all” of the disciples were in one place; this would have included more than just those known as the Apostles; and probably would have included some women. The tongues of fire rested on “each” of them, not just on a few; and “all” of them were filled with the Holy Spirit. And Luke writes that outside of the place where they were at, probably there to celebrate the 50th day after the Exodus, were God-fearing Jews from “every” nation; and they all heard the disciples in their own language.
With the sound of a mighty wind and descending heavenly tongues of fire the Holy Spirit descends and the church is born. But sometimes the church that needs rebirth is the church that we have right now. And the promise of Pentecost is that our church—set in its ways and sometimes terribly boring—can be born again from a Spirit from on high.
Charles Schultz, the creator of the Peanuts cartoons, might also be considered a theologian. In one of his cartoon series, he has Snoopy saying of Woodstock: “Someday, Woodstock is going to be a great eagle.” Then, in the next frame he says, “He is going to soar thousands of feet above the ground.” Woodstock takes off in the air and as Snoopy looks on he sees the bird upside down whirling around crazily. In the third frame Snoopy says, “Well, maybe hundreds of feet above the ground…” But hardly had the words gotten out of his mouth when Woodstock plummets to the ground and lies there on his back looking dazed, and Snoopy has to conclude, “Maybe he will be one of those eagles who just walks around.”
Isn’t it amazing how quickly we settle for less than is promised, and for far less than is possible. Lightning could strike this church in the same way it struck on Pentecost. We could hear a sound like a mighty wind. Tongues of fire could rest on each of us. This church could become a vital and dynamic instrument of God’s power and purpose in our community. It could happen. Indeed, it is God’s will that it happens. But do we want it to?
Most people fear the Holy Spirit! You heard me right—most folks fear the Holy Spirit. Why? Because they’re afraid that if it sets them on fire, they might do things they aren’t used to! They might actually move out of their comfort zones! They might go out and serve the downtrodden! They might raise their hands in worship! They might even say something as scary as “Amen!” If we let the Holy Spirit have control of our lives, we might be accused of being—dare I say it—“Pentecostal!” Heaven forbid!
When we do church, we’re concerned about decency and order [being politically correct]
When we do Pentecost, we’re concerned about fire and glory
When we do church, we want God to leave us alone
When we do Pentecost, we want God to order us around
When we do Church, we wear out our lives maintaining an institution
When we do Pentecost, we set ourselves on fire—blow up evil—and our lives are spent setting off the gospel-dynamite of spirit and fire
[Moses and the bush on fire yet not consumed]
When we do church, we’re organizing
When we do Pentecost, we’re agonizing over a world God loved so much that Jesus came to die for it
What does all this mean? It means that the church is never alone. It means that in every age the church lives yet again by the disruptive gift of the Holy Spirit. And it means that no matter who you are, where you come from, or what your situation is—you are included! Remember what I said a couple of weeks ago? Jesus said He could only do what He saw His Father do or was instructed by His Father to do and everything He did was done in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Luke writes that Peter preached a fiery sermon that day which we have a part of in our text; which ends with: “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord; not some, not a few, not certain individuals—but everyone. “And so, it will be!”
The power of the Holy Spirit can invade the body—inflate the mind—swell the soul—lift the spirit and make us more than we ever imagined. It will make you young when you are old—and it will make you live even when you die. The power of the Spirit will disturb, delight, deliver and lift. When God sends forth the Spirit, the whole face of the earth is renewed.
When God sends forth the Spirit chaos is changed into creation and the Red Sea opens up to a highway of freedom. When God sends forth the Spirit—a young woman says “Yes.” Jesus is born and life is never the same.
When God sends forth the Spirit amazing things happen:
Barriers are broken—communities are formed—opposites are reconciled—unity is established—disease is cured—addiction is broken—cities are renewed—races are reconciled—hope is established—people are blessed—and church happens.
Today the Spirit of God is present, and we are all together in this place. So, be ready, get ready…God is up to something…Discouraged folks cheer up—dishonest folks fess up—sour folks sweeten up—closed folks open up—gossipers shut up—conflicted folks make up—sleeping folks wake up—lukewarm folks fire up—dry bones shake up—and pew potatoes stand up!
But most of all—because of us—because of Pentecost—because of the coming of the Holy Spirit—Christ the Savior of all the world is lifted up!
Amen and Amen.
Eastman First Methodist Church 