Do you mean it? Wilshire do you mean what you just sang? Do you really want the Spirit of the living God to fall fresh on you this morning?

You may have noticed some different elements in worship this morning. The paraments have changed color. They are now a stunning red to represent the arrival of the Holy Spirit. You have heard and see the tintinnabulum. It has brushed past you this morning. And these elements aid in our observance of Pentecost. Pentecost is the time in the church year when we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit; we celebrate the birth of the church. The church did not start on Easter Sunday. It began when the promised Spirit arrived and it was this event that distinguished the followers of Christ from their Jewish brothers and sisters. Pentecost is when the promised Spirit finally showed up, and when the Spirit showed up, it made some noise.

Gone is the quiet whisper of Elijah’s encounter with God. According to the author of Acts, the Holy Spirit comes upon them with a violent rush of wind from heaven. Tongues of fire appeared among them and rested on them. They began to speak in foreign languages. The arrival of the Holy Spirit was true spectacle. It turned heads then and it would certainly turn heads today. Imagine yourself driving down Central Expressway during rush hour or walking by White Rock Lake on a Saturday and feeling a stunning blast of wind, not a simple gust, but a violent rush of wind. And then you look around only to discover a group of people with flaming tongues resting upon them, speaking in foreign languages. I think most of us would stop and take notice of such an event. That event, the Pentecost event, is the birth of the church. And that event, which happened almost 2,000 years ago, is a part of our everyday lives.

What’s that you say, Sean? Pentecost is part of my everyday life? How so? When was the last time anyone felt a violent rush of wind and knew it was from God? Or how many of us have received the flaming tongue of fire and the ability to speak in tongues? I know of one time in my life when I would have loved the helping of a flaming translator.

During our first year of marriage, Jamie and I were given the chance to work at an English speaking Baptist church in St. Petersburg, Russia. We were excited about the opportunity and nervous. Neither of us had traveled overseas, but we looked forward to sharing in this ministerial opportunity together. Those two months were an incredible time of growth but they were also very challenging. And the main reason for our difficulties was the language barrier. Almost every day we had to walk to little grocery stores to pick up our necessities. There were only so many recognizable types of food we felt safe eating. After a few weeks of frozen pizzas and macaroni and cheese, we felt the need to branch out. So I grabbed my Russian-English dictionary and set out to get us some different food.

I practiced the word ham over and over. Or I practiced what I thought was the pronunciation of the word for ham. I thought it was “Bachuga” and it was actually “Vetchina.” Tomato, tomato. All I knew was we wanted ham sandwiches and I was going to get them for my new bride. My plan was clear and well thought out. I would walk in to a store I thought had ham, say my word “Bachuga” and they would hand me the ham. I walked in to a store, said “Bachuga” and the woman responded back in Russian with a stern look. This was not part of my plan. I nodded and said my word again with a little less confidence, “Bachuga.” The woman behind the counter responded again but this time with a little grin. We can all imagine what she said. It was not my first time in this store. Up to this point, our communication consisted of pointing and smiling. If only I had a flaming translator on my shoulder! We smiled at each other. I pointed at the frozen pizzas, held up the number two and left still trying to say the word Bachuga.

Our everyday lives are not exactly like the Pentecost event. We do not have flaming tongues at our convenience nor violent rushing winds to grab our attention. But what happened at Pentecost, what took place on that day, the gift and the presence of the Holy Spirit, that is our everyday experience. Jamie and I enjoyed beautiful fellowship and sacred times of worship in Russia that transcended any language barrier. This was because of the Holy Spirit.

As followers of Christ, the Holy Spirit is a part of our everyday lives. We don’t have to wonder if the Spirit will be present when we gather for worship. There may not be a violent rush of wind, but when we come with open hearts we know God’s Spirit will meet us and breathe life into our worship. We need not fear if our prayers are heard by God. Sometimes we may struggle for words, but the Spirit intercedes on our behalf and we find comfort in the belief that our prayers are heard. The presence of the Holy Spirit is a part of our everyday lives as followers of Christ.

The sad truth is that the Spirit’s presence is so pervasive, so much a part of our lives that over time we become numb to its role in our lives. We forget about its power in our community. The presence of the Holy Spirit is dynamic. It changes lives. Some of us have forgotten this fact and would benefit from some violent rushes of wind and flaming tongues to remind us of the Spirit’s powerful presence. We have become too comfortable with the Holy Spirit.

So Wilshire, I must ask you again, do you mean what you just sang? Do you really want the Spirit of the living God to fall fresh on you today?

The Holy Spirit changes lives. The apostle Peter is a prime example of the Spirit’s life-changing power. Prior to Pentecost, Peter was primarily a bumbling disciple. We know his story. While Peter did confess Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus later called him Satan and Peter consistently spoke up with misguided and misinformed passion. He eventually denied that he ever knew Jesus.

But something changed at Pentecost. The same Peter who regularly misunderstood the mission of Jesus was transformed into a silver-tongued preacher. The Holy Spirit fell upon him and he stood up in front of a crowd and boldly proclaims Jesus Christ. His sermons, like the one in Acts 2, led to the conversion of thousands, and after years of faithful Spirit-filled service, he died a martyr’s death. The Holy Spirit changed Peter’s life.

Peter’s change helps us better understand the implications of our worship on this Pentecost Sunday. We celebrate the gift of Holy Spirit and this gift is life changing.

Now life changing is different for every life. Not everyone will experience radical change, a complete change of direction on the path of their life. But some of you will. Not everyone will be called like Peter to preach. But some of you will. For many of you, the change will be subtle. You’re already faithful followers of Christ. Calling for the Spirit of God to fall fresh on you serves as an encouraging reminder that there is in truly a powerful presence that guides and directs your life. It sustains you. It refreshes you. It connects you to a community. It reminds you, you are not alone.

This is perhaps the most encouraging and at the same time frightening word in the message of Pentecost. We are not alone. For as much change as the Holy Spirit brings in the lives of individuals, it is not an individual gift. The gift of the Holy Spirit is a communal gift. It is given to the people of God, each and all of those who are Christ’s church. This is good news. God’s Spirit binds us to one another and we are never alone. Even when we feel isolated, the Holy Spirit connects us to believers in other parts of the world and to the saints of Christian history. You are never alone.

This truth also contains an implied responsibility and this can be frightening and even paralyzing. The Spirit is given to the community and to everyone in the community. All are impacted by its power and thus all are called to respond. If anyone ignores the direction and guidance of the Spirit, the community suffers. We all have a communal responsibility to be aware and alive to the Spirit’s transforming presence in our lives and in the life of our community. It is easy to want to stay in the safe place. To be comfortable with where we are and not live into our communal responsibility because everything feels good.

The believers in Acts were frightened, but they were transformed from a frightened people unsure of their future to a people emboldened to take the message of Jesus Christ into their world. Each one of them did it in different ways, but they did it together. Some responded by preaching, others by serving in other ways, some by praying, some by giving everything they had to the community. Everyone different, but they did it together. Never did they get too comfortable. What held them together was the Holy Spirit.

There is a sacred dance of sorts that exists in the life of faith. It is a dance involving the individual and the communal. Our faith is our own, but it does not happen in isolation. We dance with others. What keeps us connected to each other is the music. The music holds everything together. Some of us always dance a little faster than the others. Some slower. Others listen intently with their eyes closed, their bodies may not be moving but they are definitely connected to what is going on. There is room for the individual in the dance, but really it is about the music being played and how we connect to it to as a community. How it moves us, all of us. The music of the Holy Spirit is what makes who we are as a community meaningful. It gives our dance life. It is what makes us the church.

So I must ask you once again. Wilshire, do you really want the Spirit of the living God to fall fresh on you today? Are your ears ready to hear the music of the Spirit and are you ready to dance how it leads you? It could be a familiar dance, or it might be something new. But if we call for the Spirit to fall fresh on us, we cannot be afraid of the song that starts playing. We cannot shrink to the wall and simply watch as others respond in obedience to the movement of the Spirit.

This church has danced many a dance in its history. Historically, the Spirit has moved and, Wilshire, you have responded. When you felt it was necessary to cut ties with the Southern Baptist convention, it meant a new dance, and you responded. You did not shrink in fear. Instead you danced the dance of new partnerships and new possibilities. From it have grown missions opportunities that connect with our sense of who we are as God’s people and the message of hope we believe God has for all creation.

You also responded to the call to ordain women as ministers and deacons. This was a new dance for some and welcomed tune for others. Your obedience provided a chance for the full expression of gifts and callings for women. This fall three women who grew up in this congregation will begin seminary. Wilshire, you chose to ordain women and as a result these three young women were nurtured in their faith and their calls. They felt a freedom to dance the way the Spirit led them, and you danced alongside of them as they claimed and lived into their gifts.

Wilshire, today we celebrate how you have obediently responded to God’s Spirit. Yet, we also must wonder how the Spirit is leading and calling us to dance today.

On this Pentecost Sunday, do you really want the Spirit of the living God to fall fresh on you today? If so, prove it. Prove it. Dance the way the Spirit leads. Prove it by actually loving your enemies. Prove it by giving forgiveness that is not sought. Prove it by speaking for those who have no voice.

Prove it by finally teaching Sunday School. Prove it by joining a ministry of the church that connects with your passions and gifts. Prove it by giving a tithe. Prove it by organizing your time around what truly matters most. Prove it by finally responding to the call to vocational ministry even though there are too many obstacles and logical reasons not to.

Wilshire, prove it by seeking out ways to lead in our city and our denomination. Prove it by not shying away from the hard issues. By entering into Spirit-led discussion. By not being afraid to change even though the status quo feels comfortable. Prove it. Prove it. Prove it.

Wilshire, on this Pentecost Sunday, do you really want the Spirit of the living God to fall fresh on you? If your answer is yes, it is time to prove it. Amen.