A Rich History

 Rev. Debbie Cato
Fairfield Community Church
Acts 2:1-21
June 5, 2022

A Rich History

 

I love this passage in Acts.  The awesome power of God is revealed seven weeks after the death and resurrection of Jesus.  The eleven remaining disciples are gathered together.  They had lived intimately with Jesus for three years.  They finally understood that he had a supernatural connection with the God of their ancestors Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, as well as Isaac and Rebecca.  They believed that he was Emmanuel – the living Christ, God with us. 

 

They gathered early that morning to worship and pray and support one another.  They were a religious minority and lived a faith that few in Galilee did.  There were other believers with them.  Men and women.  About 120 in all. 

 

But it was no ordinary morning of worship and prayer.  As they worshiped, there was a noise so loud that it could not be ignored.  They were so startled that their sensory systems were flooded with adrenaline and their whole minds and whole bodies intensely processed the sound, the energy, and the feeling of the coming of the Holy Spirit.  She had come just as Jesus had promised, and it was an all-body experience.[1] All the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit.  None was excluded. 

 

Luke wrote Acts and he tells us that a “sound like the rush of a violent wind filled the entire house where they were sitting.”  And then,  and then as if that were not enough, “divided tongue, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.”  All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

 

In Jerusalem that day were Jews who came from distance places to celebrate Shavuot, a joyful festival in which the first fruits of the harvest were given to God.  More importantly, Shavuot is the celebration of the giving of the Torah, in particular the Ten Commandments from Sinai. I don’t think it was a coincidence that God chose to send His Spirit that day. 

 

Those who watched could not explain rationally what was taking place.  It was absurd to hear eleven people from Galilee speaking the local languages of Asia Minor, Egypt, Libya, Rome, and other places.  Visitors to Jerusalem who heard their languages spoken were hearing about the mighty miracles of the God of Jesus Christ.[2]

 

This passage tells the story of what we consider the birth of the church. Weary and mournful, the disciples gathered early in the morning for worship. A religious minority at the time, they were easily persecuted for their strange beliefs. They gathered for support, comfort and accountability. They would remain faithful, they promised each other during worship. They would not let the good news go unproclaimed.[3] And unproclaimed it wasn’t!

 

Pentecost Sunday is our chance to pause and celebrate the faithful who still gather, week after week, month after month, in this church here in Fairfield to meet the Spirit of Christ. Ronald Byars, in his book The Future of Protestant Worship: Beyond the Worship Wars, tells a story about a couple who have a son with developmental disabilities. “The family is active in the church,” Byars writes. “They seldom miss worship. One winter Sunday morning they awakened late, and breakfast took longer than usual, and everything seemed a little off-balance. The parents decided, for this one Sunday, to stay home from church. They told their son, who seemed to accept their decision. But after pondering this news, he asked his father, ‘Won’t Jesus miss us?’”[4]

 

Jesus meets us when we gather in Christian community. We experience the risen Christ through our gatherings and through our spiritual rituals – baptisms, communion, communal prayer, singing of hymns – these hold the bulk of a tradition passed on from generation to generation. As the pandemic forced us into isolation, we have recognized now, more than ever, how good it is to gather as Christian community.

 

People have been gathering in this space right here for a long time.  The Holy Spirit has been present here for many, many years as well as present in the people who have gathered – including all of you.  I visited with Eleanor Thromahlen at Touchmark on Tuesday.  She said she can’t wait for her 100^th birthday in January!  Eleanor is sharper than I am.  We had a wonderful visit.  Her daughter Diane was there. and she brought me Eleanor’s wedding picture.  There was Eleanor, absolutely beautiful in her flowing wedding gown and veil, her handsome husband in his army uniform next to her. There were beautiful flowers all around them and Eleanor was holding a large flowing bouquet.  They looked so happy.  They were standing in front of the altar of this church. Right there. That was July 31, 1944. 

 The Holy Spirit has been in this church for many, many years.  Through years of struggle and years of growth.  Many children and youth, and I’m sure adults have met Jesus here and grown up in the faith.  Families have worshiped together and there were decades when the sanctuary was filled, and voices resounded off the walls when hymns were sung.  There have been many baptisms, weddings, and funerals here.  And always, God was present.  This church has a rich history.

 The Holy Spirit continues to be present even though our sanctuary is not packed anymore.  Even though our voices are not quite as loud when we sing, the Spirit is here when we worship.  I feel the Spirit whenever I come into the building – when I’m here alone and when I am with all of  you on Sunday’s.  Though the congregation is smaller, God’s Spirit has never left.  She is with us.  We don’t hear the roaring winds or see the tongues of fire like those first disciples did, but the Spirit is here.  The Spirit is present in each of you, because after all, you are the church.  Not this building.  You.  You are the church.

Today, we are going to identify the values of our church.  Who are we?  When we think about Fairfield Community Church, what comes to mind?  What is important to us?  It will be a Holy Spirit exercise for us as individuals, and for us as a church.  It will help us move forward.  We will always have a faithful few who worship here on Sunday mornings.  Gathering together and worshiping God is so important. We will lean on the traditions of our faith. But much of what we do as a church may be outside these walls.  It may look different.  The Spirit will lead us. Just like Jesus sent the disciples, the Spirit may send us.   It will depend on the values you identify.  This is the beginning of our Spirit-led journey.

 

In today’s text, after the disciples had gathered, and after they had been moved by the Holy Spirit at work among them, Peter stood up to preach. For his text he chose the prophet Joel:

 

“Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. Your young men shall see visions. Your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit … and everyone who calls on the

name of the Lord shall be saved” (Joel 2:28-32).

 

I imagine Peter standing there, preaching these words, sharing this vision of people of all classes and positions brought together by the Spirit, with the disciples and the gathered Parthians, Medes, Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia. I imagine Peter full of energy, passion and adrenalin. I imagine Peter reminding his people of God’s promise to meet us whenever we gather.

 

I know how he felt. Maybe you do, too. This is why we keep going back to church.  This is why we keep gathering as a community. Our rich history will always be behind us, we have a new beginning in front of us.   Let us pray:

 

A Prayer for Pentecost (2006)
From the Reformed Church in America: http://www.rca.org/worship/material/lent/litanies.html

Holy Spirit, Lord and Giver of Life:
At the beginning of time you moved over the face of the waters;
you breathe into every living being, the breath of life.
Come, Creator Spirit, and renew the whole creation.

Holy Spirit, voice of the prophets:
You enflame men and women with a passion for your truth,
and through them call your people to the ways of justice and compassion.
Come, Spirit of Righteousness, and burn in our hearts.

Holy Spirit, Spirit of Jesus:

By your power Jesus came to bring good news to the poor
and release to those held captive.
Come, Liberating Spirit, and free us from the powers of sin and death.

Holy Spirit, Advocate, Teacher:
You speak to us of our Lord,
and show us the depth of his love.
Come, Spirit of Truth, abide in us and lead us in the way of Jesus Christ.

Holy Spirit, wind and flame:
You filled disciples with joy and courage,
empowering them to preach your word and to share your good news.
Come, Spirit of Power, make us bold witnesses of your redeeming love.

Holy Spirit, Spirit of Peace:
You break down barriers of language, race, and culture,
and heal the divisions that separate us.
Come, Reconciling Spirit, and unite us all in the love of Christ.

Holy Spirit, Lord and Giver of Life:
At the close of the age
all creation will be renewed to sing your praises.
Come, Creator Spirit, and make us new creations in Jesus Christ.  Amen.

.

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[1] Feasting on the Word.  Year C, Vol. 3.Pentecost and Season After.  Acts 2:1-21.  Theological Perspective.  Linda E. Thomas.  P. 18. 
[2] Feasting on the Word.  Year C, Vol. 3.Pentecost and Season After.  Acts 2:1-21.  Theological Perspective.  Linda E. Thomas.  P. 18 and Exegetical Perspective.  Margaret P. Aymer.  15 & 17. 
[3] Presbyterian Outlook.  Terry McDowell Ott.
[4] Presbyterian Outlook.  Terry McDowell Ott.