Spirit Without Boundaries

Focus Statement

To walk the way of Christ, we must follow the Spirit wherever it leads—

even when it crosses the boundaries we’ve been taught to keep.

Point of Relation

Bangor’s area churches once defined the heart of this region—

not because they were perfect, but because they were open.

They built community.

They fed the hungry.

They welcomed strangers.

They weren’t just places to gather.

They were places that gave.

Now, at the 150th anniversary of Bangor,

we honor that legacy—

but Pentecost won’t let us stop there.

Anniversaries can make us proud.

They can also make us passive.

“Look what we did,” we say.

But Pentecost isn’t about what was done.

It’s about what’s being done right now.

The wind still blows.

The fire still falls.

The Spirit still moves.

Are we still listening?

Things to Consider

Pentecost wasn’t comfortable. It was disruptive.

The Spirit didn’t descend to preserve their order—

it shattered it. It didn’t erase their differences.

It spoke through them.

What looked like chaos was actually comprehension.

The real miracle wasn’t just that they spoke.

It was that people heard—each in their own language.

Pentecost reminds us: unity doesn’t require sameness.

But it does require surrender. And Spirit.

What Scripture Says

They were together in one place, waiting.

And then it came—not a whisper, but a wind.

Not a glow, but a flame. And the Spirit filled everyone.

They spoke—not with one voice, but many.

And the crowd heard their own languages.

Their own stories. From Galileans.

It wasn’t confusion—it was clarity.

This was Babel reversed.

At Babel, pride scattered us.

At Pentecost, grace gathered us—

without erasing difference.

The miracle wasn’t what was said. It was what was heard.

Some were amazed.

Others scoffed. “They’re drunk,” they said.

But Peter stood and said,

“No—this is what Joel promised.

The Spirit poured out on all people.

Sons and daughters.

Young and old.

Even servants will speak.

And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

What This Means for You

Maybe you’ve felt like you had to earn your place in the Church.

Or maybe you’ve wondered if the Spirit really speaks to people like you.

Pentecost says: you don’t have to be perfect.

You don’t have to be in power. You don’t even have to understand it all.

The Spirit shows up—

and includes you anyway.

So if you’ve been waiting for a sign, this is it.

As was said in the first part of this series, God already made the first move.

Now it’s your turn to breathe deep… and follow.

What This Means for Us

Church, if Pentecost is real,

then we have to stop building walls the Spirit already tore down.

We can’t cling to comfort while praying for revival.

We can’t celebrate the flame and ignore the fire.

If the Spirit speaks through every language, every body, every boundary,

then we must become a people who listen. Who welcome. Who go.

Because the Spirit still moves.

And the Church must move with it. Amen? Amen.

Written by Rev. Todd R. Lattig with the assistance of ChatGPT (OpenAI).