Introduction to Pentecost Sunday
This is the third week in our Comfort Food series looking at passages of scripture that bring us comfort. This is also Pentecost Sunday, which on the liturgical calendar, is the day we remember and celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Let our worship begin.
Call to Worship
The coming of the Spirit transforms the Christian community.
Locked doors are opened.
Fear is replaced by courage.
Peace is proclaimed.
The power to forgive sins is present.
Those who were afraid now speak up boldly.
Thousands hear the message in their own language.
The coming of the Spirit is reflected in our social values.
In a world of racism and xenophobia and fear of immigrants,
the Spirit speaks to people of every nation under heaven.
In a world of fear and doubt and confusion,
the Spirit inspires people to speak out
especially about issues of justice and peace.
In a world of selfishness, competition, and control,
the Spirit gives out gifts that are shared for the benefit of all
especially those who are poor or in need.
In a world with war, violence and terrorism,
the Spirit proclaims a message of peace and reconciliation to all.
In a world of economic problems,
the Spirit reminds us that the things of the world are meant to be shared by all
and are to be used for the common good.
In a world where the environment is abused and overused,
the Spirit calls to reform how we live and to use the earth with care and love.
In a world of ideology and prejudice,
The Spirit calls us to think about things in a new way.
Spirit, bring us unity, a prophetic word and intercede for our groaning hearts. Amen
Scripture – Romans 8:24-27 (NRSV)
24 For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. 27 And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
Prayer
In a moment I will ask you to pray. But we have just read that we can sit with confidence before our God, because even when our words fail, God’s own Spirit is right here with us, praying in us and for us. The word Emmanuel means God with us, God in us, and God through us. The Holy Spirit is Emmanuel yet again. The Spirit gives shape to our wordless hopes and longings. The Spirit pleads for us. In our prayer today, let us sit in silence and allow God’s Spirit to intercede on our behalf. Know that nothing is unsaid, nor is any loved one, nor is any enemy left un-prayed for in the silence of this prayer.
Video on Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is one of our least understood characteristics of God but also of Christianity in general. This short video provides and excellent thread that traces the Spirit from Old Testament to New Testament. Enjoy!
Scripture – Acts 2:1-13
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 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. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” 12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”
Meditation
This has been a difficult week to focus on Pentecost. I know this sermon/meditation will ruffle feathers, and frankly, it better.
In early May, a large group of Americans protested the closure in their state by wielding firearms at the governor’s office.
Notice the officers calmly standing there as that man screams in their face. Have you ever been screamed at while someone had a gun or two or three on them? I am not here to argue for or against the second amendment. I am here to make a comparison of actual events that occurred just recently. I want to highlight an evil that persists and continually perverts justice and the Kingdom of God.
In the span of only a couple of weeks, news stories about the lynching of Ahmaud Arbery and the death of George Floyd became widespread conversation. Two African American men killed. Upon George Floyd’s death, protestors flooded the streets of Minnesota. Rubber bullets and tear gas were shot into the crowds. Don’t get me wrong, some of the protestors were throwing rocks at police officers and looting, but there were children in the protests. Notice the difference between how white men with machine guns were treated over these unarmed protestors.
What would have happened if these unarmed protestors carried guns? I doubt they would have been treated the same way the white men were.
Why do I bring this up on Pentecost Sunday? First off, it is happening, and silence is wrong. Second, Pentecost is all about celebrating races coming together unified in God’s gospel message of salvation. People are dying. People are being tormented, killed, and targeted. The Church cannot be silent on these issues. I believe the prophets of old would scold the Church with a ruthless indignation. And you know what? We would probably write them off or scold them. “Keep politics out of the church” we might say. This isn’t about politics; this is about injustice, racism, and people created in the image of God being treated in inhumane ways. Jesus would be turning over tables. I know whom he aligned with, and it was never the powerful. It was the lowly. He let go of his power, what was rightfully his, to align with the marginalized.
I am so grateful that the Spirit groans on our behalf. But we need to groan alongside the Spirit. We need to shout from the rooftops that we won’t stand for racism any longer. From stereotypical jokes to lynching, it is all wrong. All of it. Pentecost Sunday reminds us that all humanity has dignity. All are worthy of hearing the good news of Jesus Christ. That cannot happen if we remain silent.
Sure we can all agree that lynching, using the N-word, hate crimes and the KKK are wrong. But what about discriminatory lending, denial of white privilege, racial profiling, claiming reverse-racism, mass incarceration, Eurocentric curriculum, and white silence? We don’t like overt white supremacy, but many of us justify covert white supremacy. Pentecost speaks against the supremacy of any race and elevates all people to the image of God.
Clifton Stringer writes,
Pentecost is the manifestation in the church of the promise that God will turn the human cacophony into a symphony, that God will replace the darkness of our sin and our aggressive divisiveness with unity: a union in dignified difference in which God’s light refracts and reflects brilliantly through and in all. In the light of Pentecost, our many voices sing as one, across divides and down through the centuries.
My God I long for the day when that is true. My heart groans for it. May the Spirit that ushers in new creation break down our racial barriers. May the Spirit that counsels us transform our minds, our hearts, and our society so that we live in peace.
At Pentecost, every person heard of God’s great deeds in their own language. May we continue to find ways to be intentional about empathizing with others. May we be intentional about understanding the experiences of others, those on the margins, rather than demand they conform to our comforts and experiences. Might we listen. Might we let down our defensive guard and learn instead of react in anxiety. Might we defend the vulnerable, seeks God’s justice, and intercede for the least of these, just as the Spirit does for us. Amen.
Communion
On the night Jesus was betrayed, he offered himself to his friends. After the meal was shared, while everyone reclined at the table, a physical gesture of being at ease, Jesus uttered disturbing words. This is my body, broken for you. Take, eat it. Do this in remembrance of me. This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Take, drink it, do this in remembrance of me. The early church was accused of cannibalism. There were rumors that early Christians ate one another, and even their God. Christianity has been counter-cultural since the get to. Christ called his disciples to radical love, radical forgiveness, and radical enemy love. He demonstrated it at the table. Might we do the same as we learn to love, advocate, and act on behalf of the marginalized in our society. It will cost us. We might be accused of certain things. We might lose relationships over it. We will certainly have to let go of some of the power we have inherited or accumulated. Sounds a lot like Jesus to me.
As you find bread and juice in your home, participate in communion with God. Know that he loves you, cares for you, and he feels the same way about your neighbor, those that are least powerful, those that are most powerful, and he wants all of us to work towards reconciliation. Consider communion this week to be your comfort food recipe; is there a more comforting meal to be had?
Benediction
This is beautifully done. I was so going to miss Pentecost Sunday and when I went through this worship service, I felt very blessed. I hope to go through it
again tomorrow with a few others that I told about it. What the world needs now is the Holy Spirit come down amongst us. He can comfort the grieving and
calm the violence and correct the injustices without creating further chaos. I think repentance is what God is looking for and Irpray we can all do that for our nation, too.
Thanks again, David.
As a “ watchman” I have failed. I must ,prayerfully, do more.
David,
The video and your comments were passionate and informative. It’s hard to be able to look at important questions from all sides. You did a great job of it.
Before I became a Christian, I was trying to connect with God. However, being Jewish, I had a hard time connecting with God. He seemed so distant that I questioned whether he existed at all. After becoming a Christian, I realized that I needed a “bridge” to God. Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit were the “bridge”. The Trinity is what made my relationship with God personal and intimate. God, ALIVE in little me! It’s humbling and sometimes embarrassing (depending on what I just said and my actions in the moment).
Thanks so much for the whole thing! The meditation comparisons were thoughtfully on point and necessary. Keep it up!
O God give us Your compassion, charity, courage, and comfort AS WE ENGAGE EACH OTHER AND THIS WORLD IN YOUR NAME! Help us to see where You are going and leading us, and let us follow in Your strength and love! Prepare and keep showing us Your way, and grant that we may, in faith, follow You in it!
Thank your for this meditation, David. I totally agree that the church must not be silent about the sins of racism and white privilege. I pray that we as a church may be equipped to bring reconciliation and justice into the world. Lord, open our eyes to see where we need to grow and how best to serve You.
Thank you for the Pentecost Sunday sermon. May we all feel the presence of the Holy Spirit.
The scriptures were comforting, especially in light of the riots and looting over the weekend..
In the words of Clifton Stringer, “My God I long for the day when that is true. My heart groans for it. May the Spirit that ushers in new creation break down our racial barriers. May the Spirit that counsels us transform our minds, our hearts, and our society so that we live in peace”.
Three of us had a worship service in our home following your format, ending with communion. We
sincerely repent for injustices we have ignored or neglected to follow up on. I must say that one of the greatest injustices we all tolerate every day is abortion. Would that we would have such an outcry for the murder of babies, then God might look down and heal our land. The unborn are certainly one of the weak and marginalized and they cross all races. I did a march in Washington DC when I was younger but now I can only pray. But pray I must for ALL kinds of injustices.
This was my conviction today.
Betty I hear your conviction about praying for all injustices. We often get tunnel vision for one injustice or one issue at the expense of related issues. For example, I’m often shocked when a pro-life Christian doesn’t fight against the death penalty, or the drastic economic realties that we could work against that lead to decisions that end lives (whether abortion, defense budgets, suicide, drug use, domestic violence, and hate crime, just to name a few). So many injustices and issues are actually related and if we worked towards equality, the dignity of all humanity, and protecting the most vulnerable in our world where would that lead us? I hope to a better and just society. The alternative isn’t pleasant and often results in humanity writing one another off over one issue even though we agree on 50 others.
I grew up in Inglewood during the Watts riots and watched marchers, protesters, and horrible conflict in cities throughout the U.S. on TV. I went to integrated schools, had African American and white friends. I did volunteer work with my church in Watts. I thought I understood the racism and issues that African Americans experienced, but I was wrong. My understanding fell far short.
Then I moved to T.O. and African Americans practically disappeared from my life on a personal basis. I thought that civil rights for African Americans had finally began to take root. I became aware of the racism that had impacted the lives of all non-white immigrants to this country at the hands of our government and individual citizens, and continue to learn. I have become familiar with the crushed spirits and extreme poverty of the Southwest Indian tribes and am amazed that no one seems to even think of Native Americans as if they had become extinct. It is a hard pill to swallow when you realize that the common denominator in all of these outrages are the white members of our society,
I think we all realize that is important that we try to walk in the shoes of our fellow Americans. It is hard to imagine what we have not experienced ourselves. For those of us who are more audio/visual oriented than book oriented, I really recommend watching programming on Public Television. If you want to get into the nitty gritty of the issues and pain many African Americans struggle with, I recommend watching Iyanla Vanzant on the OWN Channel. It is very revealing and healing.
Thank you David for speaking out.