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Prayerful Sigh, Rushing Wind

Romans 8:22-27

Acts 2:1-21

Rev. Dr. Marisa Laviola

May 31, 2009

 

Picture it:  the setting:  Jerusalem, somewhere around 30 or 40 AD.  It’s festival time.  Jewish pilgrims and proselytes from all over the known world are gathered for the Feast of First Fruits.  And non believers are gathered as well.  It is a celebration marking 7 weeks or 50 days of growing and harvesting wheat.  The Jews in Greece labeled this festival Pentecost, because it marked the 50 day growing and harvesting period--pente meaning fifty.  They have gathered from as far away as Arabia, Egypt, Rome, Greece, and areas all over Mesopotamia and Asia.

Picture it:  the setting:  a small house in the center of the activities.  The handful of disciples of the risen Christ is gathered in a small room.  They have been gathered there for several days, ever since their beloved leader ordered them to gather there, just before he ascended into heaven.  They have been gathered, waiting, for the promise of God.  They have been waiting, preparing through prayer and fellowship; listening, hoping for the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Picture it:  as it suddenly it happens:  outside, those gathered are caught in an incredibly loud and violent rush of wind. A tornado?  Not likely. The structures are still standing.  The beginnings of a sand storm?  The wind surely was fierce, but now it’s gone.  Folks are stunned and speechless. 

Inside, the disciples are overcome as violent wind and flames descend and swirl around them.  And when it’s over, the disciples are not speechless. Quite the contrary.  They speak boldly and with conviction!  They speak words from God that reach those gathered outside.  And as those on the outside hear them speak, the pilgrims who traveled from far and wide are even more stunned. 

This handful of disciples of the risen Christ on the inside are not speaking in Aramaic, their native language.  They’re speaking in Arabic.  No, in Mede.  No in Asian.  No in Latin.  No in Greek.

Can we possibly put ourselves in the shoes of one of those pilgrims? What would it be like for any of us to witness a sudden wind storm out of the blue sky, going as quickly as it came?  How would we react if we were in a foreign land and suddenly the locals were speaking our language?  And not just speaking our language, but delivering a message that we cannot help but listen to?  A message that is at once unbelievable and so very desirable.  This Jesus Christ lived for all people, died for all people, and rose again so that all people can live.  Such a message of God’s salvation is for all people who incline their ears to hear.  God’s love is great and wide and right here for everyone--for all people, not just for Jews, not just for Gentiles, but for all, from near and far, from all nationalities, faiths, languages, and cultures. 

And wouldn’t we tend to scoff and doubt?  This handful who are speaking such a bold message is rural folk who aren’t formally educated.  How can they speak with such authority, and when and where did they learn my language?  This is just too weird.  Might we also attribute their speech to drunkenness or maybe to being high on drugs? 

This story in Acts is an incredible story, perhaps one that is beyond our 21^st century sensibilities.  This story in Acts is an incredible story of faith, an incredible testament to the powerful workings of the Holy Spirit.  It is a remarkable story.  But it’s not the first story in Scripture that the Spirit has appeared remarkably in the lives of God’s people. 

God’s Spirit appeared to Moses in a burning bush.  Quite remarkable.  God’s Spirit appeared to Moses and the fledging nation of Israel and wrote down laws on a stone tablet.  Truly remarkable.  God’s Spirit bathed Jesus with transfiguring illumination on the mountain in the presence of James, John, and Peter, and spoke through a thunder cloud.  Incredibly remarkable.  And in the first appearance of the risen Christ to the disciples on the eve of resurrection, he breathed the Holy Spirit on them.  Remarkable, remarkable indeed.  However, each of these appearances is to just a handful of folks, to just a few of the chosen, to insiders. 

What is most remarkable about our story today is not so much the rushing and violent wind, although it certainly makes a point about the incredibly powerful presence of the Holy Spirit.  What is most remarkable about our story for today is that this manifestation of God’s spirit, this message from God’s Spirit, unlike the burning bush, unlike the stone tablets, unlike the voice in a thunder cloud, this message is for ALL PEOPLE—for all people in the known world at the time, for all people regardless of their nationality, religion, culture, or language.  The Holy Spirit did not just speak to the chosen few, the most holy, the most faithful believers of the resurrection. God poured out the Holy Spirit for ALL—male and female, old and young, slave and free, follower and non follower, believer and non believer, inviting all to God’s welcoming and inclusive love with a common language of extravagant welcome.

In one sweeping entrance of the Spirit, the disciples broke their huddle of the upper room where they had been waiting and preparing-- and when the Spirit came, they ventured forth with great courage, with passion and purpose, speaking God’s message of new life through Jesus Christ to the waiting crowd of pilgrims from the known world.

In one sweeping expression of the Spirit, all the people who came from far and wide to the festival in Jerusalem heard the word of the Spirit through their own language.

Yes, some in the crowd scoffed.  In the face of what is not explainable through rational means, we often scoff out of fear of the unknown, and try to make sense out of what doesn’t make sense through our common experience.  But many also listened to the passionate message of the disciples.  Their hearts were hungry for a message of salvation, new life, and God’s inclusive love for them.  The message was so clear and so powerful that many became believers that very day; the scripture tells us the numbers grew to 5,000.  That’s quite an increase in membership in one day!  Can we even imagine that?

Can we imagine what it was like for those disciples who found themselves filled with God’s Spirit, sharing a message of God’s love to all who wished to receive such a message?  Can we imagine what it was like for those pilgrims who suddenly felt both fear and longing; fear of the odd and unknown--longing for the God who was reaching out to their hearts with incredible love? 

At that moment, the Spirit of God bridged differences in language, experience, beliefs, and perspective. At that moment, the Spirit of God delivered a unifying message of welcome for all people, despite their differences.  At that moment, the Spirit of God reached out to those pilgrims with arms of saving grace, with words of “you belong in the family of God, no matter who you are or where you are on your life journey.”  At that moment, the church of Jesus Christ, our church, this church, was born. At that moment, the inclusive church, the church that welcomes all peoples from all cultures, from all walks of life, from all socio-economic groups, from all races, from all orientations, from all theologies, our church, this church was born.  At that moment, God’s spirit began to speak to all life in the known world, God’s spirit has been speaking ever since, and God’s spirit continues to speak across every boundary that human beings erect.

How is God’s Spirit speaking today to us in this church our church?  What are the fresh expressions of the Spirit that we experience in this church, our church?  What deep unity exists among the members and friends of this family of faith, unity despite differences in perspective, in theology, in history, in life experience, in this church, our church?  How do our differences enrich our life as the body of Christ in this church, our church?  How is God’s Spirit here right now among us? 

My friends, God’s spirit is with us every time we worship together, through our music, as we greet one another warmly, as we greet new people who walk through our door, as we have welcomed new members this morning, as we provide loving Christian instruction for our children, as we lovingly prepare food for memorial receptions and monthly brunches, as we provide space for vital ministries of AA, OA, Youth Rocks Café, Lamoille County Mental Health, the Hospice Choir, as we offer food for the Food Shelf, money for the local benevolence fund, and offerings for the vital ministries of the United Church of Christ--today through the Spread the Love campaign. 

 God’s spirit is at work among us.  Do we dare to wait and prepare for even more?  God’s spirit yearns to break out among us.  Do we dare to listen for prayerful sigh or rushing wind?  God’s spirit yearns to work even more among us, uniting with our spirits, to share visions and dreams for ministry in this church, our church. God’s Spirit today yearns to break out, in the church of Jesus Christ, in this church, our church. 

How is the fresh wind of the Holy Spirit calling us to act in new and fresh ways?  How might we answer the call of the Spirit even more to reach across differences to people out there to bring people in here and make the Church of Jesus Christ relevant to them?  To help them to know that God accepts and loves them, whoever they are and wherever they are on their faith journey; that inviting God into their lives can enrich and renew beyond what they can imagine?  How might we answer the call of the Spirit even more to reach across differences to people out there and to minister to them right where they live?  To offer them the unifying message of Christian love and friendship?

We have grieved the loss of folks who do not come to worship on Sunday morning, and they do not come for many reasons.  Some do not come because of other priorities such as sports events.  Is the Spirit calling us to work in our community to help change the scheduling priorities in the schools?  There are some folks who would love to come to our worship, but are very tired from working all week at difficult jobs trying to make financial ends meet.  Is the Spirit calling us to provide additional worship opportunities later on Sunday or prayer times during the week?  We welcomed four people into our membership this morning.  Can we envision welcoming four people or even more every spring and every fall?  When youth reach Middle School, the relevance of God and church wanes.  Is God’s Spirit calling us to find new ways to help church to be relevant to our youth? To provide teachers for Middle School Sunday school?  Mentors for confirmation class?  More opportunities for youth to share in worship leadership?  Is God calling us to help organize the Lamoille County Habitat for Humanity so that Senior High Youth can participate?  What is the stirring of God’s Spirit in your heart, a stirring that calls you to dream dreams and to see visions for ministry for the church of Jesus Christ, in this church, our church?

My friends, God’s Spirit is relentless and unquenchable.  God’s spirit reaches across differences, with a language that all can understand. God’s Spirit welcomes all, not just some, to the loving, saving arms of grace.  God’s Spirit yearns for us to listen to the prayerful sighs and to the rushing wind so that we are, like that handful of Galileans, bold messengers of God’s words of extravagant welcome; so that we are God’s loving and welcoming arms of grace, so that we are God’s sure feet, venturing forth, across those differences of perspective, of culture, of experience, to offer the unifying message of God that speaks to all hearts.

Last week we learned of the disciples’ preparation as they waited for the powerful coming of the Spirit.  They prayed and listened intently for the prayerful sigh of God’s Spirit that was preparing them for the rushing, impressive, astonishing experience that emboldened them to build bridges and to bring all into the loving fellowship of Jesus Christ.  How is the Spirit right now moving among us, preparing us, with prayerful sighs, whispering in our ears, saying, “We have done great things together.  Get ready.  We will continue to do great things. Stay close to me and together we will continue to build up the church of Jesus Christ, this church, our church.” 

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