Finding Faith ... in the Holy Spirit being poured out on each of us

EDITOR'S NOTE: On Oct. 23, 2021, I was ordained as a minister of word and sacrament in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and installed as pastor at Faith Lutheran Church in Wolverton, Minn. I also served the same church for four years from October 2017 to October 2021 a synodical authorized minister. The journey together these past seven years has been an amazing one, full of learning, growing and a deepening of my theological mind. This sermon took place on Pentecost, May 19, 2024.

This week's text: Acts 2:1-21

The Coming of the Holy Spirit

2 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 people 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.”

Peter Addresses the Crowd

14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Fellow Jews[a] and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15 Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. 16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

17 ‘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.

18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women,

in those days I will pour out my Spirit,

and they shall prophesy.

19 And I will show portents in the heaven above

and signs on the earth below,

blood, and fire, and smoky mist.

20 The sun shall be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood,

before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.

21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

The message:

I have a secret to share with you this morning, Faith Family … and if you promise not to share it with anyone outside of these walls … I’ll tell you. 

Do we have a deal? … Ok, great! 

Here it is: It’s on mornings like this … that I don’t think I’m a very good Lutheran. … No, it’s true.

Because it’s on mornings like this … when I see that the Holy Spirit is on FIRE … and that is when I know that I am closest to God … when we all are closest to God.

It’s mornings like this … when I sit at my pastor’s desk and am privileged enough to get to watch a glorious sunrise set the eastern skies all aflame … as I breathe in slowly and then take a sip of my hot coffee. 

Yeah, that’s when I know the Holy Spirit is a real, palpable presence.

It’s mornings like this when we gather together … to witness the baptism of young Eddie into the Body of Christ. 

Yeah, that’s when I know that God is present in the form of the living, pulsing presence of the Holy Spirit.

It’s on mornings like this … just a day after witnessing our church gather together as a synod to conduct the business of being church … and to just get to hang out with other members of the bigger family of God.

Yeah, that’s when I know that we don’t have a standoffish God who isn’t interested in our daily affairs … but rather, we have a fully present God who comes among us to help us do greater things as the entire church together.

Faith Family … This is Pentecost, and for my money, it’s among the most important days of our Christian calendar. … Likely top three. 

And if I had a magic clerical wand … I’d decree just that. … Christmas, Easter and Pentecost. … The three expressions of God!

The birth of Christ, when God comes to live among us incarnate. … The resurrection of Christ when Jesus conquers death forever, and washes away our sins.

And Pentecost … the day that the Holy Spirit crosses the threshold between the divine and the earthly and pours into each and every believer … past, present and future.

Faith Family … Did you catch that little nugget in the Acts text earlier? … Because it’s surely too important not to revisit.

“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.”

Faith Family … you … and you … and you … and little Eddie … and every other … single … believer in the here and now and forever … is filled with the Holy Spirit.

Now some of you might be thinking right now … “Whoa, hey there, Pastor, slow down. … When did we become Pentecostal? … What do you mean I’m filled with the Holy Spirit? … There isn’t no way I’m worthy enough to carry the Holy Spirit!”

But guess what? … You do!

In my favorite faith email newsletter I receive, the receiving of the Holy Spirit was described this way: “God doesn’t give God’s Spirit to those of us who are worthy, because none of us are worthy. God gives God’s Spirit in this awakened way to those who want it.”

Faith Family … you carry within you the Holy Spirit, which was poured out on our ancestral believers some 2,000-plus years ago today on Pentecost … if you want it!

And today that is what we celebrate! … We are filled with the divine Faith Family! … Every single one of us. … And what that means is that we are closer to God every moment of our lives than we ever could have imagined!

THE … Holy Spirit … the third expression of God … who is intertwined and cannot be separated from the Triune God … is in you … and me … and every single other believer. … Every day … from the moment we take our first breath.

And … Faith Family … if that doesn’t … blow … your … mind … I don’t know what will! 

You are filled with the divine! … Faith Family … you are filled with the divine! 

And so … I think the most important question of the day is … What are you going to do with that gift? … What are WE … as a church … going to do with that special gift?

Because if each of us is worthy of being bestowed with the Holy Spirit, then surely we must do something with the fact that the presence of God inhabits the very cells in our body … in the very genetic makeup of our being.

That’s Pentecost, Faith Family. … The day we recognize that the Spirit descended upon us as a collective gathering of people … and thus created the church as we know it.

So happy birthday church!

And because we know that a church is nothing more than the makeup of the people who … today we celebrate us. … The very people upon whom the Spirit descended. 

So now, Faith Family, I ask again … What are we going to do with this knowledge? … What are we going to do with the fact that the Holy Spirit inhabits US … and equips US to be a holy presence in this world?

Hwoooooff! … Right? … That’s a big question for 10:30 on a Sunday morning, isn’t it!

What are we going to do with the knowledge … that we are filled with the divine?

Well, I would say that first of all … we’re closer to recognizing the presence of the Holy Spirit than we have been in a while. … Thanks to the renewed vigor that has been produced by our participation in the Rural Revival initiative, I feel and sense a new energy here at Faith Lutheran that is electric.

I mean … who would have ever thought that the act of hosting a food truck once a week here in town would create such a buzz. … Such a vitality! 

But there it is … And if you haven’t partaken in a food truck night yet, you have to come see what all the buzz is about.

Community members … neighbors from miles away … and our Faith members … all standing as one … talking, smiling, the kids playing lawn games. … And if you look closely there is a little lick of flame … a divided tongue of fire … flickering above the head of every single person who is standing there. 

The Holy Spirit is present there, Faith Family. … And who woulda thunk it! 

So, you see … we are closer to God every single day than we know. … Because each of us possesses the divine. … Right … in … here.

So, where do we go from here? … I don’t know, but a group of us is meeting here again today after church to talk about what’s next, and you are welcome to join us. … Please, come discuss where next the Spirit might lead us. We’d be happy to have you! 

Faith Family … I hope that today you go forth from here with new vitality in your faith!

Because I don’t know how else to walk out of here today, if we actually know that we each possess the divine … right here … inside each of us.

And that is the Good News for this Sunday, May 19, 2024 … Pentecost Sunday. … Amen.