Loving God, as we gather together today for worship, work within us and among us by the power of your Spirit, leading us into life in all its fulness; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

           In the book called The Shack (by Wm. Paul Young), which came out a number of years ago now, the author describes God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in some surprising and insightful ways.  God the Father appears as a large black woman named Papa, and later as a fatherly white man with a beard.  The Son, not too surprisingly, shows up as a Middle Eastern man who is a carpenter. The Holy Spirit, then, shows up as a slight, Asian woman who is kind of ethereal and shimmers with all the colours of the rainbow.

         To me, this particular depiction shows the inclusiveness of God, who encompasses male and female, young and old, and all nations and races and languages.  This is the God who shows up in today’s reading from Acts, in the person of the Holy Spirit, who is always rather difficult to pin down.  One time, when Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit showed up in the form of a dove.  This time, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit shows up with the sound of a violent wind and what looks like tongues of fire above their heads.  However, rather than focusing on what the Holy Spirit looks like, which is even harder to pin down, I’m going to invite you today to think about what the Holy Spirit does.

         Those of you who have ever watched Star Trek are probably familiar with the universal translator. It enables you to talk to somebody who speaks a totally different language, and for the two of you to understand one another.  Well, the Holy Spirit is also a universal translator.  People who have never before spoken different languages are suddenly able to do so, and are understood, for the Spirit of God speaks and understands all languages.

         Another thing that we learn today is that the Holy Spirit is the giver of dreams and visions.  These can be either waking or sleeping and are notthe same as hallucinations.  Whether you are prophesying or have been given a vision or a dream, each of these would contain a message from God when the Holy Spirit is involved.  Once again, in the words of the prophet Joel that are quoted by Peter, we see the inclusiveness of God – for young and old, men and women, and even those who had been slaves will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

         Think about that for a moment in terms of the oldest and the youngest members of this congregation. Who do you think is the oldest person here today?... And the youngest?...  What sort of visions and dreams might the Holy Spirit give to them about God’s purpose for us in this time and in this place?... What visions and dreams has the Holy Spirit been giving to you?...  For we are always well served to pay attention to the nudging and the prompting of the Spirit!

         Another thing that we discover in today’s reading from Acts is that the Holy Spirit is also the giver of sermons.  When Peter stands up and addresses the crowd that is gathered in Jerusalem, he has never preached a sermon before.  And seeing as the Holy Spirit has just been poured out, it’s not as though he had time to prepare one.  However, when Jesus was still with his disciples, he had told them that the Spirit would give them the words that they needed (cf. Lk. 21:14-15).  In Peter’s case, this is definitely true!

         When Peter stands up to address the crowd, he has seen their reactions to the coming of the Holy Spirit and the speaking of different languages that has ensued.  They are amazed and perplexed.  They are asking “What does this mean?”  And some of them are sneering and assume that the disciples must be drunk.  And so Peter stands up and tells them what is going on, and as he does so, the Scriptures that he has learned ever since he was young keep coming to mind.  He quotes the prophet Joel, and he quotes some of the Psalms, and he uses these Scriptures to tell them all about Jesus, who was crucified and is risen from the dead.

         Then, at the end of Peter’s sermon, which is later in Acts chapter 2, we discover that the Holy Spirit not only gave Peter the words, but worked through them in order to touch the hearts of about 3000 people.  Peter finishes telling them about Jesus, and they ask what they need to do to be saved. Peter tells them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, for their sins will be forgiven and they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  And after they do this, “they [devote] themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42).

         I, too, can testify that the Holy Spirit is the giver of sermons, and that whenever a sermon actually touches somebody’s heart, it is because of the Holy Spirit at work.  God continues to work through all kinds of unlikely people in order to plant seeds and to bring faith to fruition.  In fact, the Holy Spirit is also a gardener of sorts, who produces fruit.

         Some of this fruit is named in today’s reading from Philippians – things like joy and gentleness and peace.  And once again we get a picture of a community that reflects the inclusiveness of God.  The leaders of the church in Philippi are both men and women, Jews and Gentiles, and all have been touched by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Paul’s message to them is also God’s message to us, and I close with it today:

Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:6-7).  Amen.

The Day of Pentecost (NL 4)                                 Acts 2:1-21

May 20, 2018                                                           Philippians 4:4-7

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2018 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved