Acts 2: 1-21
Psalm 104: 24-34, 35b
Romans 8: 22-27
John 15: 26-27; 16:4b-15

Have you ever listened to a group of people when everyone is trying to talk at once? Or been in a large airport where dozens of people are trying to be heard above the din, and none of them are speaking English, or so it seems. Yet, at the same time, opera fans will tell you that you don’t need to understand the language to know what is going on! Think confusion and bedlam; think Pentecost. Think of reaching an understanding beyond words and language; think Pentecost.

Sometimes though, we deliberately want at least someone to sing something different from the rest, as in the descant part or in a round. As we know, of course, ‘rounds’ do not always work. When it works they sound quite nice, especially those pieces that are designed for that kind of singing. Occasionally though, a round turns into chaos with members of each and every group not sure what line or verse they are supposed to be singing and even with members of the same group singing something different.

Today is Pentecost, the Sunday on which we mark the occasion on which some of Jesus followers experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit in a powerful and life-changing way.

It was like Easter was yesterday. It was like a lifetime ago that come women reported that Jesus had risen and had appeared to the eleven. It’s funny how that works, isn’t it? It had been a great 50 days! 50 days that had chaged their lives and would change the history of the world. We will remember that 53 days before this Pentecost experience the disciples had been in hiding; their leader executed and them left wondering how many of them would be rounded up as well. Then Jesus was certainly and unmistakably risen and present in their midst. For 50 days they were able to experience t his presence but then he was taken from them promising to return in a powerful but different way.

On the feast of Pentecost a group of followers had gathered together. What happened next would be told to others ever since. The festival of Pentecost was a harvest festival, celebrating the end of the spring harvest, 50 days after the Passover. At Pentecost all devout Jews gave thanks to God for God’s grace and bounty. It was a time to return to God a potion of what had been received and a time to commit oneself anew to the covenant.

It was the perfect moment of the fledgling group of followers to burst forth from their cocoon and to go from being disciples, followers and learners of the word, to being leaders and proclaimers of that same word. While we may consider it the birthday of the church we should not see it as the birthday of Holy Spirit Spirit. The Spirit of God had been alive and active throughout the lives of generations of people as recorded in their scriptures, from the moment of creation to the Exodus through the exile and the calling of prophets and leaders who led and challenged and comforted the people in good times and in bad.

The Spirit active at Pentecost had a new agenda though. Just as each prophet had his or her own message so the Spirit’s message at Pentecost was one of overcoming barriers and spreading out into the world. No longer was it a message for a certain groups of people, it was for all people. We are told that the Spirit enabled them to speak in all of the languages represented in Jerusalem that day. We are told that these gifts of the Spirit came upon all who were present, not just the men, not just the adults. We are reminded that the prophet Joel envisioned such a day long before. We get the sense though that this is good news, while the tone of Joel’s original words was much less joyous.

We are not sure exactly what happened or how. We can surmise that it was powerful enough to change their lives.. We know that from this time on the followers were given courage where there had been fear and eloquence and understanding where here had been confusion.

The day of Pentecost changed the church, not because it was a one time visitation of the Spirit, but because from that day on the church knew the Spirit to be in their midst. Not all experiences were as obvious, not all seemed as powerful, but we are told time and time again that they relied on the power of the Spirit to give them the words to speak and the ability to speak them, on the Spirit’s power to direct their ministry and give them hope and commitment in the face of opposition and defeat. It was to them an irresistible force, something they could not ignore, something they could not live the life of faith without.

The presence and power of the Spirit is not something for which we have to go looling as much as it is something we have to open ourselves to.

How and where do we experience the Spirit’s calling or strength or presence: in the hospital rook of a critically ill friend, where we get the feeling that we are not the only ones there; in the home of a young mother as we marvel at the miracle of life and the rebirth of age old hopes and dreams; around the campfire at a church camp where its ok to talk about God and where its ok to just sit and think and stare at the ocean, or listen to the wind and the water and where people will listen to you; when you get the urge from somewhere to call or visit a friend you have not thought of in ages and then you realize that your call or visit was much needed that day.

I think we discount the work of the Spirit in the everyday because we are looking for the legendary, the ‘great balls of fire’. On that day that was what the disciples needed. That was what the church needed to jump start it into action and faithfulness - no more and no less. What do we need? What will it take us to be where the Spirit is calling us to be?

Let us be open to the call of God’s Spirit. Let us open ourselves to the needs of those around us. Let us open ourselves the scriptures so that we can learn what God has done and is seeking to do in our lives.

Let us be prepared to be set on fire - not necessarily so that we will speak many languages and draw crowds and perform great feats of derring do, but so that God’s word will be proclaimed through our words and actions. What else can we hope for?

Amen! And Amen!