Acts 2:1-21; Psalm 104:24-34, 35b; Romans 8:14-17; John 14:8-17, 25-27
There is a prophet in this room!
There is a prophet in this room.That prophet is you.Yes, in Baptism you received the gift of the Holy Spirit.In baptism you became an agent of God in this world.This is what being a prophet is.Prophecy is truth-telling; making sense of our lives through the lens of the Holy Spirit.It is naming the places and ways where God intervenes or initiates in the world. It is a component of proclaiming the word of God and identifying God's salvation at work.
It is interesting as we read the eye-witness account of the coming of the Holy Spirit on that day of Pentecost.The day of Pentecost, or Savuot as known by the Jewish people, was the day they celebrated as the initiation of Judaism, the beginning of their religion.It marks the day that God gave the Law to Moses.It is also on the anniversary of the day we have the beginning of the Christian church.
It is the day the Holy Spirit came upon 120 of Jesus’ disciples who were gathered in fear in an upper room awaiting the promised Holy Spirit.It is the beginning of the church because the Holy Spirit not only fell upon the disciples, but also upon the 3,000 people who spoke different languages also came to believe and were baptized.
To be noted is that the disciples received the Holy Spirit as people cowering in fear. We understand fear.The Holy Spirit called the disciples out of fear; so too, the Holy Spirit calls us out of fear; fear that limits and shackles. Fear is a motivator for national defense; fear also prevents us from loving one another and engaging one another in conversation. People avoid talking with others because of fear.Living in fear causes us to behave in protective ways that turn us inward and turns our backs on others. This is not who we are called to be.
When the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit they came out from the shelter of that room and stepped with the boldness of the Holy Spirit into the Jerusalem streets to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.They did not receive the Holy Spirit for themselves only, but for the world that God loves.
Peter prophesied that God will pour out God’s Spirit upon all flesh, both men and women will prophesy!This is you and I.We are the prophets of today.We also receive the Holy Spirit with boldness to step out of the fear that causes us to turn inward to protect ourselves and open us up to hear one another’s stories so we, like the disciples at Pentecost, are able to understand one another in our differences that make each one of us unique, one from another.
The infilling of the Holy Spirit gave the disciples the power to transcend differences of language.With the Holy Spirit those quite different than them were able to comprehend the message of the Good News of Jesus Christ.
We talked last week about how people know we are Christians by our love.Yes, they see the joy that we have among us that radiates from the deep love we carry as brothers and sisters in Christ.The real love they know us by is the deep love that grows through loving brothers and sisters in Christ; during times of rejoicing and when we disagree with one another.They will know we are Christians by how we work through our conflict and difficulties.
The Holy Spirit that visits us through prayer and discernment gives insight into understanding one another as both saints and sinners.People see how we love one another in how we deal with differences that happen among us.The Holy Spirit works among us and through us opening up our hearts to hear the truth that is in each other’s heart.
In both Luke and Mark we are told that Jesus will baptize us with the Holy Spirit and Fire.The Holy Spirit sears us with the truth of our sinfulness, the reality that even in our best of intentions, we harm one another.The Holy Spirit sears us by pointing out to us the sin that keeps our lives out of alignment with God’s will for our lives.This is the fire of the Holy Spirit calling us to repentance.This is the Holy Spirit calling us into community.
The evil of our sinful nature would have us draw away from one another, put us out of community, breaking apart the body of Christ.But, as the fearful disciples, huddled in the upper room, the Holy Spirit visits us as we sit in sin, worry and fear.
The Holy Spirit prevailed upon the disciples and sent them out into the world to be prophets among the people, proclaiming the Good News of Jesus.
The Holy Spirit prevails upon us as we pray for the Holy Spirit to fill us with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the gifts of LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS AND SELF CONTROL.
You are a prophet of Jesus Christ as you look for how God is working in situations, how God is intervening, how God is taking difficult, even horrible situations and walking with people through them.
We are all prophets, baptized with the Holy Spirit.
If you would like, after worship this morning a prayer team will be up front to pray with you for an infilling of the Holy Spirit.I think of John the Baptist saying that Jesus will send a baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire.Let us pray with you for the Holy Spirit to call you to repentance to realign your life with Christ, to pray with you for the gifts of the Holy Spirit, to pray with you for courage to go through what might be upcoming in your life, to pray with you to dedicate your life to the calling God has for you.
Let us pray:
Dear Father, send forth your Holy Spirit that we may be recreated and enkindle in us the fire of your love.Amen, Come Lord Jesus, Come
