Pentecost, 7:00 pm

Acts 2:1-21

John 20:19-23

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ grace and peace to you from Jesus Christ who loves us and frees us from our sin, Amen.  It takes a certain kind of person to be able to relate to fifth grade boys on a daily basis.  Teachers with that gift are a rare breed, few and far between.  I was fortunate to have such an individual as my teacher in 5^th grade.  Mr. Horan was an energetic, creative person.  He was goofy, he read books with dramatic flair and he loved old, old movies.  I’m talking about talkies or silent films old.  I think Abbott and Costello’s classic bit, “Who’s on first?” was about as current as we ever got.  Nothing we watched was in color, it was all black and white, but Mr. Horan got us to love it.  I would come home from school wanting to rent Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin movies; I can only imagine how this baffled my mother.

Mr. Horan was able to connect with his students, was able to draw us in, relate to us in creative, meaningful and inspiring ways.  We live in a world that longs for this kind of connection, we long for this sort of dynamic relationship, where we are able to connect with one another in real and authentic ways.  We long to understand one another and not just talk past or around each other.  We long to speak words that have depth and meaning for one another.  But more often than not our words ring empty in one another’s ears, our conversations become confused and twisted and often end up sounding like something out of stand up routine, rather than the meaningful exchange we intend. 

Unfortunately miscommunication in our conversations and relationships are seldom this humorous.  Like the clip I just played, our miscommunication can lead to frustration and anger.  And, eventually it leads to silence.  We cease to have conversations with one another because it is too difficult.  It is too hard.  It is hard to say what we mean.  And it is even more difficult to say what we mean and for those words to mean the same thing for someone else.  It is little wonder we have such a difficult time talking about matters of faith with one another.

How am I supposed to speak about something as personal as what I believe when I am not confident in my own ability to convey my meaning to someone else?  How can we engage in conversations about faith when we don’t understand the words we use in the same way?  It is little wonder that so many conversations about faith and religion end up with people yelling at one another confused as to how they got there in the first place.

It is to these challenges that the tonight’s bible readings speak helpful words.  In our first reading from the book of Acts, we encounter a bizarre but intriguing scene where tongues of fire appear to be resting of the heads of Jesus’ disciples, giving them the ability to speak other languages. 

It is a striking scene, and it underscores the universality of God’s message for all people.  But take notice of the way in which God’s message is made known to the people gathered in that place.  By the work of God’s Holy Spirit, people hear God’s word, God’s story, for them in their own language, in words that are familiar and meaningful to them.  Tonight we heard this story read in a variety of languages, it is a reminder for us that God’s Holy Spirit is always working in new and creative ways to reach people with the story of Jesus.  The cacophony of languages that was heard that day was surely impressive, but what is really incredible is that each person heard a word from God spoken to them, for them. 

Tonight we once again celebrate the day of Pentecost, the day of God’s creative Spirit, a Spirit that invites all people to be a part of God’s story of love, to hear a word from God for them.  It is a story that we too, like the disciples before us, are sent to share.  In our gospel reading for tonight, the risen Jesus appears to a group of gathered disciples and says, “Peace be with you.  As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”  Jesus sends us to continue in the work that he had been given by God, to make God’s love known in the world.  To make God’s love real for people, a love so strong that nothing can stop it, a love that never falters even in the face of death.  This is the work that we are invited to continue, making God’s big love known in the entire world. 

We are not left to this work alone, without any help.  For as both our texts remind us, it is God’s Holy Spirit that guides and directs us in this enterprise.  It is God’s Holy and creative spirit that imagines and dreams of new ways for us to be God’s love in the world each and every day.  God’s Holy Spirit enlightens us to be creative in how we tell of God’s love.  Just think, if God’s creative spirit is able to speak God’s love in many different languages, then how could it not breathe inspiration into us.  How could it not create in us new, creative ways of speaking that love to one another?

Mr. Horan, my fifth grade teacher, captured our imagination and attention by telling stories.  They were simple stories of growing up, of life, of love, but they invited us into relationship, into learning with him and one another.  His love of stories showed me just how powerful our stories are.  We each have a story to tell, and we long to see how that story is a part of something much larger.

Yesterday I was listening to Weekend America on NPR and I heard a fascinating story about an Idaho transplant that found himself living in Los Angeles.  Longing for the impromptu conversation and storytelling that he had grown accustom to in small town life he has started putting up a tent, some chairs and a sign inviting people into a free conversation booth.  The booth has no agenda, no political or religious leanings.  It is not a social experiment.  It is simply a place to come and be with people face to face, and engage in conversations, it is space for people to tell their stories and to have their stories heard. 

God too has a story.  It is a story that God invites us to be a part of.  It is a story of relationship, a story that transforms our lives, and a story that sends us out to share it with the world.  For it is a story for you and for me.  This day and every day may we be open to the Spirit’s movement.  May we be open to the spirit that creates newness.  May we be open to the Spirit, so that through us people may hear that God’s love is for them, always.  This week take time; create space, so that God’s spirit can speak new words of life through you.  For you are God’s conversation booth, invite people in.  Listen to people’s stories, share yours and by the power of the Holy Spirit tell God’s story in new and meaningful ways. Amen.