Sermon Tone Analysis
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Pentecost
Are you waiting?
Are you wondering?
What is the plan?
After Jesus ascended they were waiting...
They elected a replacement for Judas… and then waited some more.
Waiting and Wondering… what is the plan?
Weaving the Threads
Previous Holy Spirit encounters
Over the many centuries, the Holy Spirit had come on prophets and kings, on judges.
Jesus had promised that “they would be filled with the Holy Spirit”… and so I imagine one of the things they are wondering is “which one of us is it going to be?”
Maybe the boldest among them thought “Maybe all twelve of the official apostles?”
How rare and singular the Holy Spirit has been up to now… they are waiting and wondering: what’s next?
Feast of Weeks
While they are waiting and wondering, the rest of Israel is preparing.
There are three major Feasts in Israel: Passover, Pentecost (Feast of Weeks) and Tabernacles (or Feast of Booths).
What is “Pentecost”?
It means fifty.
Because it comes fifty days after the first ripening of the barley.
Fifty is a week of weeks +1 (7x7=49… add the 1… 50).
Where it is commanded in Scripture it is tied to the actual ripening of the barley, but in practice they counted from the Sabbath of Passover.
It is called the Feast of Weeks but it is also called the Feast of firstfruits.
Bring the fruit of the harvest fifty days after the barley first ripens.
Now the full wheat (the good stuff) is ripe too.
Bake it into two loaves and bring a wave offering before God.
But also the farmers would mark the first ripening fruits of many kinds, setting them aside to bring them to the temple on this day.
Giving to God the firstfruits of the harvest.
But like harvest festivals throughout cultures, it is a moment of celebration and plenty.
The offerings are “given” to God… and then the great feast begins… the party.
And faithful believers travel from the entire Diaspora to the temple for this day.
From across Judea, but wider than that… from Asia to the East, from Europe to the West and from Africa to the South West.
Jerusalem sits in the crossroads… and the crossroads are full of people traveling to be a part of this holy (and awesome) harvest festival.
Sinai
It is never said in Scripture, but there is a long Jewish tradition certainly in play by the time of Jesus that the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) also commemorates a very special day.
As Passover celebrates the Exodus and the freedom from Pharoah… about 7ish weeks, (maybe + 1 day) they people come to Mount Sinai… and Moses ascends the mountain.
And God gives this incredible revelation of himself and the world and how life works and how to live successfully in his world.
He gives the law.
The Ten Commandments written with his own finger in stone… and the civil law to govern the nation of Israel… and the ceremonial law to teach them to worship.
Pentecost becomes a celebration, not only of the plenty and the firstfruits of what God has given.
Fulfillment
In the upper room, they are waiting and wondering.
When is this going to happen?
Jesus was with them teaching for forty days.
He was crucified at Passover, in beautiful fulfillment of Passover, the ultimate lamb to rescue us from slavery and death.
They are waiting and wondering… and I imagine this priest coming out each day and yelling.
They wonder “when is the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised coming?” and the priest comes out and yells “10...”
“I wonder if he’ll come today” “9...”
It’s been a few days, no idea when the day is coming.
“8…, 7…, 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…)
Suddenly Pentecost
They were waiting and wondering… and then… suddenly
A sound like wind… but there was no wind.
And the word wind, associated with breath, the breath of God… which is the very same word as that for Spirit.
The breath God breathed into man in Creation.
The sound of it fills the room, I hear a jet engine, or the Santa Ana winds outside...
Tongues of fire.
Not a tongue like in your mouth, exactly, like the fire as it flickers upwards.
Visible fire that rested on each of them.
Where have we seen fire that blazed but did not burn them up?
The very presence of God appearing to Moses on the mountain.
The manifest presence of God, resting on each of them.
Terrifying and thrilling.
What are they saying?
We don’t know.
Maybe “AHHHH!
You’re on fire!” Or “What, I can’t hear you over the sound of rushing wind!”
More likely “Hallelujah… it’s finally happening.”
“This is the Holy Spirit Jesus promised” “Praise God!”
Telling the mighty works of God.
And they spill out of the upper room.
Pouring out into the crowds and likely making their way out to the steps in front of the temple.
And the crowd sees these 120 crazy people.
Reversing the curse of Babel… but not by recreating one universal human language but by bridging the gap of diversity in language and culture by His Holy Spirit.
Miraculously, bringing unity in the midst of diversity.
People from all over...
But even in the most remarkable situations, there are always doubters:
I love it when a plan comes together.
In Fullfilment
In perfect fulfillment of Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit comes upon those 120 believers in power.
In perfect fulfillment of every previous visitation of the Holy Spirit.
Those were rare and to one at a time, usually, every one a shadow of this unleashing of the Holy Spirit upon the church.
In fulfillment of Pentecost
In perfect fulfillment of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit comes.
Fulfilling both the giving of the law, for now the Spirit will be the law written on our hearts, the guide within.
But also, the ultimate harvest festival, the first fruits of the Kingdom now fully ripened and ready and delicious.
The first fruits of the church.
As Jesus was the fulfillment of Passover, so the coming of the Holy Spirit fulfills Pentecost.
Not as “grabbing a convenient metaphor” but likely that God commanded and taught the Feasts in the first place as a shadow and a preparation for this moment.
He crafted and shaped their understanding.
Those are only some of the threads coming together here.
There are more.
In fulfillment of Babel
Reversing the curse of Babel, revealing that to be a shadow of what’s to come.
Reversing the confusion of languages among humanity.
But this is not through bringing back uniformity (one language) but by bridging the diversity of all language, that every tribe, every language, every dialect even hears it in their own tongue.
Wind and Fire
Reaching all the way back to the burning bush and even further to the breath of Creation.
In Fulfillment of Temple Cleansing
And one final fulfillment.
My very favorite piece.
In that law given on Pentecost was requirements for ritual washing before entering the temple.
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