Psalm 104:24–34 NRSV

O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great. There go the ships, and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it. These all look to you to give them their food in due season; when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground. May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works— who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke. I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord.

Song - Video - Grand Design

He has made it all - but the grandest design of all was making humans from the dust.

Holy Spirit, Come

I am beyond thrilled that we are able to once again gather together, at least with some of our people for in person worship. It has been a long time since we have been able to be in this building together, and I am grateful that you have remained supportive and concerned about one another and us as we have gone through these weeks together while being physically separated. Welcome back! I want to say “thank you” to those who have been here every week over the last 9 weeks in order to bring a livestream worship experience to you and to others watching on Facebook Live and on our website.

We will continue to offer our services via livestream, and I am thankful for the technology that allows us to do this. I am thankful that you continued to engage with us in these services, and that you continued to support the work of the church through your tithes and offerings during these weeks. I want to just say a word about offerings. We will not be passing an offering plate for at least a little while - instead, the offering plate is on a pedestal by the back door up here in the sanctuary - there is also one downstairs on a pedestal as well. Just drop your offering in there as you enter or exit each week. That being said, I am sure that you understand that online worship is not really the same as being together for worship.

We welcome you today to the annual birthday party for the church. This is Pentecost Sunday, a celebration of the birth of the church as the Holy Spirit descended upon the followers of Jesus that were gathered in the Upper room following Jesus’ ascending into heaven.

Let me read for you, this morning, from the book of Acts, in chapter 2, verses 1-21 we read this description of what took place on that initial day of outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the people.

Acts 2:1–21 NRSV

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.” But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

Pentecost Sunday

I was excited when we determined that we would be back in the building for Pentecost Sunday. It is one of my favorite days of the year for preaching. But life is not the same as it was last year for Pentecost, it is not the same as it was just a few months ago. The outbreak of the Coronavirus was just the start.

While we have been away from each other, we have also learned about the murder of Ahmad Arbery, an innocent man who went for a run in his neighborhood and was shot down by overly zealous racists in his community. Now, this week we were all subjected to seeing another black man, George Floyd, murdered by the very people who were trusted to protect the community. The anger over this horrendous atrocity has resulted in lawlessness and riots all over the country.

Even in Pittsburgh yesterday, a peaceful protest turned violent and destructive. Hundreds of businesses have been destroyed across the nation and many others looted.

I was hoping to come this morning and just give an encouraging message and celebrate that we were back together, but the Lord would not let me do that. I cannot think of another week in 30 years of ministry that has been harder to prepare to preach. I have a very analytical mind - according to the Strengthsfinders test results - analytical is one of my strengths.

In this time, though, I think it may be a weakness. My analytical mind tries to make sense out of chaotic situations. It is probably why I enjoy puzzles so much. But I cannot begin to wrap my mind around what is going on in our world this week.

Our world is very broken - and we need to accept our responsibility in that brokenness. The racism that we have seen manifested in our world in recent days did not rise from nowhere. The actor, Will Smith, tweeted this week that it is not that racism has gotten worse, it is that it is now being filmed. Racism cannot be defended, and the church needs to rise up in opposition to those that would continue this kind of behavior.

On the Day of Pentecost, we are told that the believers were all together in one place. Last week we looked at the promise that Jesus had given His disciples that they were to go to Jerusalem and await the coming of the Holy Spirit.

L. Michaels, on aplainaccount.org says: Following the words of Jesus, in Acts, roughly paraphrased, “Do not leave, but wait for the gift,”

the disciples experienced a self-quarantine of sorts as they waited for the Holy Spirit to come upon them.” We have become familiar with the idea of self-quarantining over the last couple of months, and many of you have done that to some degree over the last few months. We have been awaiting instructions that we could get back to some sort of normal life.

Chris Nafis, also on aplainaccount.org says: “..after Jesus ascends, the disciples find themselves gazing into the heavens as if expecting Jesus to come back and complete the work. 

What is supposed to happen next?  What are they supposed to do now?  First, he died without establishing the kingdom of God, and now after coming back from the dead, he has floated away, and he still hasn’t established the kingdom of God!  Who could have expected what was to come?

They weren’t in the locked room together planning how they were going to build a great church. They weren’t even planning a great revival that would win over the multitudes, they just were told to wait, so waiting is what they did. As they waited in place, on the Day of Pentecost something amazing began to happen. There was a sound like a freight train - of course, they wouldn’t describe it that way - they would have no point of reference for such things. But a sound like a great wind filled the entire place where thy had gathered, tongues of fire rested on each of them and they received the promised Holy Spirit.

Jesus had promised them that He would be coming, and the result was completely miraculous. The timid, fearful followers of Jesus spilled out of the room where they were hiding out and began to speak to the great crowds of people that had gathered in Jerusalem that day.

On the Day of Pentecost, Jews from all over the known world had descended upon Jerusalem in order to celebrate.

Initially, Pentecost was a celebration of the harvest, but it later became a celebration of the giving of the law to Moses on Mt. Sinai. On this celebration day, Jews would come from all over the world to worship together. The message was spoken to everybody, and they all heard them speaking in their own language. Whether the miracle was in the speaking or in the hearing doesn’t really matter to me.

The good news that they were speaking was not just for people that looked and acted like them.

The good news was and is for people of every nation, language, and race. It is for every person of every time period. The Spirit of God made it possible for every person to hear God speaking through the disciples of Jesus. It is heard in the language with which they were familiar. The good news was not and is not only for the connected and powerful - it is for every person, no matter where from or how unconnected.

The Day of Pentecost was the beginning, but the Spirit continues to move throughout the early church in the book of Acts. We see people of all sorts changed by the power of the Holy Spirit speaking in to their lives. By the time Acts is finished, the Spirit will have fallen upon devout Jews, Samaritans, and even Gentiles, all of whom seem like unlikely recipients for different reasons. But the first unexpected people to receive the Holy Spirit are these disciples in Acts 2. This is a group of mostly uneducated Galileans who have become disciples of Jesus. 

In the past, there had been a scattering of people - in the Old Testament, we read the story of the tower of babel, where people were first scattered due to language differences. The Day of Pentecost is in some ways an opposite reaction. People of all different languages are brought together through the power of the Holy Spirit. Later, as they returned to their own homes they scattered with the good news that they discovered on the Day of Pentecost.

God will now use that scattering to sow seeds of the gospel all over the earth. 

Jewish communities established in exile now become outposts for the gospel.  Later, when the Jerusalem followers are scattered by aggressive persecution, the gospel is scattered with them and the Spirit moves with them, spreading the message of the gospel everywhere they went. What had appeared to be dangerous and evil, God used to spread His good news around the world.

He continues to move and spread the good news through His people today who are filled with His Spirit. The people of God are from every nation, tribe, tongue, and race. We must speak the message of good news into a world that so desperately needs it today. Our message is a message of love for all - especially the least of these.

Not too long ago, I read about an embarrassing incident that took place during Jimmy Carter’s presidency.

President Carter made a state visit to Poland which attracted a lot of attention because the Cold War was still going on.

The eyes of the world were on the American President, and his efforts at international reconciliation.

President Carter started his major speech in Warsaw by saying in Polish: “I have a lustful desire in my heart for the Polish people.” - President Carter being misinterpreted in Polish

What he meant to say was, “I have a great love for the Polish people.”

The problem was he was relying on a translator who didn’t know Polish very well and whose real specialty was 19th Century Russian.

We all know about language barriers. They can cause a lot of problems and conflicts.If only we could learn to understand one another, and thus, be more understanding.

As I have watched the events of the last few days take place, I have been struck again that even when we speak the same English language, we often are unable to understand people who have a very different experience of America than we have ourselves. Those who are black and brown among us in America have been trying to have a conversation with us for years about racism and the injustices that surround being a person of color in our society.

What I am finally coming to realize, and I am probably late to this party, but what I am finally coming to realize is that we have refused to listen. It is time for us to listen - it is time for us to step up and fight racism for the vile sin that it is. It is not enough to stand idly by like 3 police officers did while George Floyd’s life was taken from him. We must stand up and name racism for what it is.

In the manual of the Church of the Nazarene, we have a statement concerning racism and discrimination. This is a portion of that statement.

We renounce any form of racial and ethnic indifference, exclusion, subjugation, or oppression as a grave sin against God and our fellow human beings.

We lament the legacy of every form of racism throughout the world, and we seek to confront that legacy through repentance, reconciliation, and biblical justice.

We seek to repent of every behavior in which we have been overtly or covertly complicit with the sin of racism, both past and present; and in confession and lament we seek forgiveness and reconciliation.

That is what love demands us to do in such a time as this. Manual - Church of the Nazarene.

Love is the language of God, and it needs to be the language of the church. Martin Luther King Jr. is quoted to have said,

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”

It wasn’t until the Holy Spirit came down at Pentecost and touched them and lived inside of them that they were able to speak, act and articulate the language of Love in such a way that the Church was born and 3,000 people joined the first day!!! If we are to be known for anything - if we are going to be the church of Jesus, is love!

John 13:34–35 NRSV

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Pentecost has come - the Holy Spirit has come - The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is now among us. The Spirit of God has been poured out not only on the early church, but upon us today. The day of the Lord is here. The kingdom of God is at hand. We must rise up in love to a world that is desperate for not only a loving voice, but love that listens and love that makes a difference to those that are hurting.

As the world is burning around us, the church of Jesus - the church that was birthed on Pentecost must start walking in the Spirit and speak the language of love to our world.

But, when the Church sues the government, gets caught up in politics, demands their rights and becomes more concerned about how their building looks than about loving people into the Kingdom—we are not speaking the language of God—the language of love—the language of Pentecost—we are speaking, instead, the language of the world, the devil, the lost and the angry.

But when we love-- unconditionally, exhibit mercy rather than judgment, humility rather than superiority, compassion rather than the strict letter of the Law we are speaking the language of God.

That is the kind of church that I believe will speak to a world that is hurting.

People will want to be a part of something like that.

And we will be doing what Christ has called us to do.

And Pentecost won’t be just a memory, an event we celebrate once a year—it will be a daily occurrence.

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

A Psalm of lament - Psalm 13

Song - Do it Again

John 20:19–23 NRSV

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Song - Forever Reign

Prayer