Acts 2 The Spirit in Me Acknowledges the Spirit in you

SCRIPTURE: Acts 2 (waving involved Holy Spirit Sticks)

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind (WAVE), and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. (WAVE) All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. (WAVE)

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, (WAVE) they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs - in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." (WAVE) All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine."

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: (WAVE) "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
   'In the last days it will be, God declares,
      that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, (WAVE)
         and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, (WAVE)
         and your young shall see visions, (WAVE)
         and your old shall dream dreams. (WAVE)
   Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
      in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
         and they shall prophesy. (WAVE)
   And I will show portents in the heaven above
      and signs on the earth below,
         blood, and fire, and smoky mist. (WAVE)
   The sun shall be turned to darkness
      and the moon to blood,
      before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day.
   Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' (WAVE)

Spirit energy breathed life into the early disciples- connecting them across space and time and language and nationality. (WAVE) Spirit energy that has persisted across generations and millennium to meet us here today. (WAVE) Spirit energy at work within all gathered bodies witnessing to Christ’s presence in the world. (WAVE) Spirit energy that brings us hope and lifts us to new visions of what church can be. (WAVE)

We know how significant connection really is, maybe more poignantly than ever. And we know the early disciples did not live spiritual lives alone. Their faith formed in communities of belonging through the gift of story; they got to haggle over Jesus’ teachings, pray for direction in their lives, and share their visions and dreams. All evidence that the Holy Spirit had indeed been poured out for all and for the sake of saving the world.

I’d like to share with you today an experience where the Spirit moved me to a new understanding of how much work is ahead of us if we’re to reach that great and glorious day of the Lord’s coming together.

I spent a year after seminary living and doing a bit of social work in Newark, NJ. I lived in a neighborhood that was predominantly home to people of color. And so this week, with the news of George Floyd’s death, my heart was drawn back to Newark. See, this public murder of yet another black man by white officers representing power, reveals how far we are from what Jesus intends for our world. Racial acts of violence are not isolated to this incident. How do I know this? Beyond statistics, one of the profound gifts I received from my brief season of work in Newark was learning the stories of young men and women of color. Let me say, their stories do not mirror my own privilege as a white woman. My privilege allows me to trust that officers are here to help me. I say this, because we know SO many dedicated officers of the law, so it’s really hard to believe that police would be capable of racial profiling, until, that is, you hear the many, many stories. Xavier, one of the young adults I was assisting in our program, was a black man dating a white woman from a different part of town. And he tells of the day he was walking from her place back to the bus stop- when he got pulled over by the cops- for walking in a white neighborhood, in 21^st Century America. That story burns, and when I expressed to Xavier how awful that must be, he looked at me (almost puzzled by my response) and says- “Oh, that happens almost every time I walk back to the bus station.” Racial profiling has become for him (and countless people of color) almost normal.

Friends, it’s not okay that that happens in America. And it’s also not okay that I didn’t realize this was a 21^st Century problem until I saw it up-close. My time in Newark taught me to listen to the stories people of color are telling, because they’re true- and they’re terrible. Here’s why it needs to change: because my liberation as a human is woven together with the liberation of all humans. That’s the story of Jesus, crucified and risen. Here’s how we can begin that change: Using power of the Pentecost story, we can practice this simple and profound phrase: “The Spirit in me acknowledges the Spirit in you.” (let’s do that, together). This practice is especially important with people who don’t share our culture or skin color. Because if we do that, then the stories of people who are different from us will matter to us. Our Spirits and our destinies will be tied together. And what is revealed in those stories will move us to new ways of creating justice, which always precedes peace. So if you feel grief about the state of the world, there’s power for you yet in the Pentecost story.

Hear it again. (Spirit sticks) Spirit is here among us even now, and Spirit will prevail:

   'In the last days it will be, God declares,
      that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, (WAVE)
         and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, (WAVE)
         and your young shall see visions, (WAVE)
         and your old shall dream dreams. (WAVE)
   Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
      in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
         and they shall prophesy. (WAVE)

You know what this means? It means in the exchange of life stories, we begin to see new visions of what is possible. Xavier taught me to never ignore how vast the difference is between his safety and mine. And because of it, I have a new vision of what using my voice to speak up for him (and countless others like him) can do.

And if you feel powerless when you hear news of racial violence, don’t believe it- because you’re not. If you’re in the Pierre area, you know we still have work to do with racial misunderstandings and sometimes violence based in ignorance. That’s why the work starts here & here (point to heart & ears), You and I, we can all start by listening to the stories of others that point us to new and life-giving visions for every single person, no matter their skin color.

“I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,” God says. That’s the life-giving promise of Pentecost- we couldn’t be at a more important moment to receive it in human history.

Howard Thurman, 20th century
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

Let’s recommit- or maybe commit for the first time- to doing the hard and good work of acknowledging the Spirit in someone whose story we don’t yet know. If we do that, we will come alive- and so will Christ’s church.  That is the spark that will set our hearts on fire.

Holy Spirit, Come Quickly, and set our hearts on fire.