Today
we celebrate the coming of God’s Spirit upon the apostles gathered in the Upper
Room. Jesus had given them instructions to remain there until they were…
“equipped with the power from on high.” And so they waited…
Have
you ever waited for someone or some thing? The insurance agent called and said
he’d be there at 10. Ten o’clock comes and goes and he hasn’t arrived yet. And
you wonder, “Should I continue to wait?” After a while you just give up and go
on to what you would’ve done if you hadn’t been waiting.
The
disciples of Jesus were waiting…because he’d told them to. But on the first day
of the Feast of the Pentecost it had been 50 days since he’d told them to wait.
And still they waited. I wonder if we’d have been as patient.
So,
on this day God’s Holy Spirit comes into the room where they’re all gathered. I
wonder if any of them had thought that this might be the day Jesus had told
them about. Do you suppose any of them
had a premonition that today was the day they’d been waiting for?
What
do you suppose they occupied themselves with while they were waiting? Did they
go to the Bible, the Hebrew Bible, and read again what Jesus had taught them
about before he was carried up to heaven? Were they cramming for the test they
knew was coming? Don’t you wonder?
Haven’t
you ever wondered what was going through their minds as they waited? We’ve had
the advantage of the whole written word and still we can’t get our heads around
what happened. And did some get tired of
waiting and go home, back to their old lives? Don’t you wonder sometimes what
they did?
Surely
they had questions. Maybe that’s what they did. Someone would ask the question
for the day then the discussions started.
Were they thinking about how they were going to make disciples and
baptize people from every nation in the world?
That’s almost too much for us to grasp so can you imagine what they were
thinking?
And
then came the sound of the rushing wind.
Have you wondered what the sound was like? Was it like the wind
Wednesday that whipped the flags and brought down leaves from the trees? Did it
have the roar of a tornado as it came into the room? What did it sound like,
and could everyone hear it? Could they
feel the power of the wind as it entered the room?
I
wonder if some of the disciples had dozed off like I do when I’m waiting. Imagine
their surprise when the sound filled the room and disturbed their catnap. I’m
sure they looked at each other with wonderment and maybe a little bit of
fear. Then they saw the tongues like
fire atop the heads of those across from them. And then, each of them began to
speak in different languages. The Spirit was creating chaos and it may have
taken them a while to figure out what was happening.
But
then Peter got it! Everything came together for him and he knew what was going
on. All that studying and listening to Jesus teach paid off. He remembered what
was prophesied by Joel. God had promised that his Spirit would be poured on
everyone. Some would spout prophetic statements, some would preach, some would
see things they’d never seen before, and some would have weird dreams. Joel
said it would happen to men and women. God’s Spirit would be poured on
everyone. Peter understood and then he began to talk to the multitude gathered
outside the room.
That’s
what happened then. Have you ever thought, “What’s God’s Spirit doing today?” Instead
of us waiting for the Spirit is the Spirit waiting and wondering and asking
questions of those of us who still don’t get it? Could that be?
May
God’s Spirit fill this room and all who are here with his breath and fire. Lord,
let it be so. Amen.
