Grace and peace be yours from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Acts 2:1-21
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. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language (Acts 2:1-6) …
Dear friends in Christ,
I’d like to share a few facts that you may or may not know about me. I was born and raised in the city of Detroit. My wife comes from Milwaukee. We met in Los Angeles. And for the past twenty-four years, we have lived in Brillion.
I’ve got to tell you, there is a big difference when you compare the sights and sounds of where I was born and raised with where I live now. In metropolitan Detroit, there are lots of lights, sirens and traffic, day or night. There are more people, big buildings and a ton of factories. Where I come from, people don’t even know who their neighbors are. Compare that with life in Brillion. When I come home from meetings at night, on my street, my home is the only one with lights on – usually every one. Rarely are sirens heard, and when they are, people follow them to find out what happened. Traffic here is virtually non-existent, unless you get behind a tractor on Highway 10. The tallest building we have is the mill. And while our population may be relatively small compared to a big city, everybody seems to know everybody.
The sights and sounds of a big city compared to a smaller one are readily noticeable and easy to explain. Our Scripture Lesson for today, however, tells us how the sights and sounds of a certain big city while noticeable needed to be explained. That’s because the amazing sights and sounds of Pentecost were the result of an incredible miracle. As we celebrate this Festival, let us consider:
The Sights & Sounds of Pentecost
1. They came from heaven
2. They came for all
The scene takes us back to the city of Jerusalem. It has been nearly two months since Jesus’ death and resurrection. It is interesting to note that at this time Jerusalem had an estimated population of 50,000 people. But during a religious festival like this one, the population easily rose to about 250,000. The Festival of Pentecost, which occurred fifty days after the Passover Sabbath, celebrated the bringing in of the spring harvest. This was a very important festival, one every pious Jew tried to attend.
You can imagine with the city full of visitors on such a festive occasion there were many different sights to see and sounds to hear. The streets of Jerusalem were undoubtedly crowded with residents and visitors alike. The marketplace was buzzing with vendors hawking their merchandise and haggling with holiday shoppers. The city was one mass of humanity, all gathered to celebrate this holiday festival.
While the city was all abuzz, Jesus' disciples were fairly quiet. Jesus had instructed the disciples to remain in the city until the Holy Spirit came. And oh, he came…in a miraculous way. He came in the sound of a mighty wind.
When we think of a mighty wind, we think of a tornado. It’s sound is often described as that of a freight train or that of a jet engine. Well, Scripture tells us that a sound like that descended on Jerusalem, right during one of the biggest religious festivals of the year. Imagine everyone running to take cover! Fear must have seized them all.
If a sound like that were to go through Brillion, what do you think we would all do? We’d all run for cover, wouldn’t we? We'd be scared to death. But what would be the first thing we'd do after everything calmed down? Wouldn't we all come outside to assess the damage? Well, the people in Jerusalem did the same. Those inside came out and began to look around. But there wasn't any damage! There had been the sound of a violent blowing wind, but that's all it was. There was sound, but no wind. How strange!
As the people of Jerusalem looked for damage, they didn't find any. But they did find something else they couldn't explain. With the sound of the violent wind came another strange phenomenon. There appeared to be tongues of fire above the disciples' heads.
The sound of the mighty wind and the sight of fire above the disciples' heads quickly served their purpose. They served as God's attention-getters. The sound of the wind got everyone running for cover and then coming outside to look for damage. The fire above the disciples' heads caused people to come closer to them. These impressive sights and sound were sent from heaven to prepare people for the most important sound they would ever hear.
As the people came closer to the disciples they heard the sound of different languages being spoken from the mouths of uneducated men. And what was so strange, this wasn't drunken babble as some would claim - this was the real thing.
Now picture this: Jews from far flung countries around the world had made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate the Festival of Pentecost. In the middle of their celebration, they hear the sound of violent wind but don't find any damage. They see men with tongues of fire above their heads now speaking to them in their native languages. The continents of Asia, Africa and Europe were all represented. Amazing! How could this be?
The sound of a violent blowing wind, the sight of fire above each of the disciples' heads, and different languages being spoken, all served God's purpose. God used these events as a means to gather together this large crowd of people to hear the greatest sound of all.
The greatest sound heard that day also came from heaven. That first Pentecost, people from around the world heard the good news of Jesus.
Can you think of a sound that is meant for everybody? One that comes to mind is the sound of a siren. The purpose of a siren is to warn everyone to be alert. The siren of a police car, fire truck or ambulance warns people they are coming, so prepare to get out of the way. There is even a siren that warns everyone to take cover because severe weather is coming. Everybody knows what these sounds mean. The problem was, the people of Jerusalem had been introduced to sights and sounds from heaven, but they didn't know what they meant. Peter would now explain.
As the crowd gathered around the disciples, Peter stood up and speaking for them all, delivered a message that was meant for everyone. This is what he said, "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I have to say…In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people" (Joel 2:28,29; Acts 2:17).
Quoting from the prophet Joel, Peter explained that the disciples’ ability to speak in other languages was proof that the Holy Spirit was at work, just as God had promised.
Peter began by explaining the work of the Holy Spirit. It is work that is often overlooked. The Holy Spirit is the one who creates and strengthens saving faith in our hearts. Peter was saying that in the last days until Jesus comes again, the Holy Spirit will continue to affect hearts and lives with the saving message of Jesus and cause all people: men and women, young and old, to confess his name to others. That's what Peter and the others were now compelled to do. They couldn't help but tell others about Jesus. And on that day, it was done in a miraculous way.
From that first Pentecost until today the Holy Spirit has continued his work of leading people to Christ, quietly and without fanfare, but with tremendous, eternally significant results. His whole work has focused on two things: bringing sinners to faith and keeping them in Christ.
Today we celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Today we celebrate the gift of faith which he brings about through the Means of Grace: God's word and the sacraments - baptism and the Lord's Supper. And we celebrate the fact that this gift of the Holy Spirit will continue, until Jesus comes again.
Peter continued to preach to the crowd. He told them the disciples were able to speak to them in their own languages by the power of the Holy Spirit. And then, Peter told the crowd about Jesus. He told them that Jesus was the Son of God. He told them that they were the ones responsible for his crucifixion. But he assured them that God the Father had raised him from the grave.
Peter's words struck home. We're told that, "When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart" (Acts 2:37). Peter then offered them this assurance, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). By the grace of God, we're told, "Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day" (Acts 2:41).
The sights and sounds of Pentecost came from heaven and they came for all. That includes you and me. What it also means, is that it is now up to us to take that message to others. Think about it. We have the same promise that Peter made to the crowd. God has given us the Holy Spirit. He has worked the miracle of faith in our hearts. The question is, what are we doing with it?
If we were to conduct a self-study of our congregation, what would we find? Obvious to all would be our strong support for Christian education. We support a Lutheran elementary school, Sunday school, Vacation Bible School, and two area Lutheran high schools. We have committed ourselves to a Bible study curriculum that offers Bible classes several times a week in various locations.
A person wouldn’t have to look very hard to find that we have a host of volunteers who give of their time and talents by serving on boards, committees, choirs and organizations. We’ve got committed called workers and a great support staff. We’ve got people who do everything from shovel snow, to cut grass, to fold bulletins. We’ve got service projects, youth activities and fellowship opportunities. There is something here for everyone.
And the reason this ministry exists is not because of what we do. Our ministry exists because of what the Holy Spirit has done in us. When you see a child baptized; when you watch fellow believers receive the sacrament of Holy Communion; and when you hear the news that you are a blood bought soul of Jesus Christ – a person can’t help themselves. We are compelled to take this message; this miracle created in us, and share it with others.
And yes, we still have work to do. There are little ones who still need to be taught. There are straying members who need to be reminded of God’s love in Christ. And there are friends and neighbors we can invite to see and to hear the precious sights and sounds of Pentecost.
Today we celebrate the Festival of Pentecost. Many years ago, that festival brought different sights and sounds. They came from heaven. They came for all. As we continue to celebrate the many different sights and sounds of Pentecost, may we keep our eyes and ears open and look and listen for more of the same.
Amen.
And now may the peace of God which surpasses all human understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.