Waiting on the = Edge of a Miracle

Waiting on the Edge of a = Miracle[1] (Acts 2:1-21)

Rev. = Jennifer E.=20 Barrett Siegal

May 31, = 2009

Old = South Union=20 Church

Lord Jesus = Christ, on this=20 Pentecost Sunday, we pray that you would come to us in the power of your = Holy=20 Spirit. Baptize us afresh = with your=20 life-giving breath. Give = us the=20 words you would have us speak. =20 Embolden us to testify in your name, to tell the whole world = about your=20 mighty deeds, to be your courageous prophets, your tellers of the = truth. And now may the words of my mouth and the = meditations=20 of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O God, our Rock and our=20 Redeemer. = Amen.

It had = been ten=20 days, and still they waited. = When=20 we meet the disciples at the beginning of today=92s scripture reading in = the Book=20 of Acts, we discover that it=92s been ten days since Jesus ascended to=20 heaven. Jesus=92 = ascension was the=20 concluding act of a forty-day journey that began when he emerged from = the=20 tomb. After Jesus=92 = resurrection,=20 the main focus of his ministry was to convince the disciples that he = really had=20 been raised from the dead, that God really did have the power to = overcome hate=20 with love, that the promises of the kingdom were really true. The Book of Acts tells us that = =93he=20 presented himself alive to [the disciples] by many convincing proofs=94=20 (1:4). And right before = he left=20 them again, right before he was lifted up to heaven on a cloud, Jesus = instructed=20 his followers to return to Jerusalem and wait there for the = power of the=20 Holy Spirit to come upon them. = So=20 they did, and so the waiting began. =20 There they were, gathered in the upper room=97the original = disciples minus=20 Judas who, we=92re told, met his death when he fell down in a field and = burst=20 open, his bowels gushing out. = But=20 the 11 other disciples still had their bowels where they belonged, so = they=20 waited along with some of the women and a small crowd of about 120=20 believers. =

They = waited, and=20 one day turned into two and then three and four and . . . I wonder when the doubts = started to creep=20 in, when they started asking themselves whether they=92d missed it, = whether the=20 Holy Spirit had arrived and they just hadn=92t noticed. I wonder if every little creak = made them=20 stop short, if every gentle breeze made their hearts skip a beat. I wonder if someone at the = edge of the=20 crowd ever started to mutter that maybe they should just give up, that = maybe=20 they should just leave and fade back into their lives as if they=92d = never met=20 Jesus in the first place. = I wonder=20 if they ever got tired of waiting on the edge of a=20 miracle.

But = then=20 suddenly everything changed. = There=20 came a sound like the rush of a mighty wind, filling the entire house = where they=20 were sitting. And tongues = of fire=20 appeared, one resting on each of them. =20 And they were filled with the Holy Spirit. The wait was over=97the = miracles=20 began. =

The first miracle the = believers=20 experienced=97aside from the wind and the flames, that is=97was a = miracle of=20 languages. When the = Spirit came=20 upon the disciples, they began to speak, but not in their own = languages. They began to speak in = languages they=20 didn=92t even know. It = was this=20 miraculous display that attracted the attention of some of the Jews who = were=20 gathered in Jerusalem for the Festival of = Weeks. The Festival of Weeks was one = of three=20 pilgrimage festivals that brought Jews from every corner of the known = world to=20 the Holy=20 City. It was the miracle of = Pentecost, the=20 work of the Holy Spirit, that enabled this diverse crowd to hear the = disciples=20 preaching about Jesus, each in their own language. The worldly crew was astounded = that a=20 rag-tag group of Galileans could speak right to them, but not everyone = was=20 convinced it was a miracle. = Some=20 thought that they were just seeing a spectacle, that they were just = hearing the=20 senseless sputterings of drunken disciples.

So Peter got up and = boldly=20 addressed the crowd, telling them that the disciples weren=92t = drunk=97it was only=20 nine o=92clock in the morning after all. =20 Their language abilities weren=92t the result of a rowdy night = downing=20 spirits, but rather of receiving the Spirit. Peter proclaimed that the = scene they=20 were witnessing was indeed the fulfillment of a prophecy. He reminded them of what the = prophet=20 Joel had written=97that one day God would pour out God=92s Spirit upon = all=20 flesh. It was Peter who = helped them=20 make sense of Pentecost. = Now=20 remember, just fifty days earlier, on the night that Jesus was betrayed, = it was=20 Peter who skulked around outside the high priest=92s house, denying = three times=20 that he even knew the Lord. = But the=20 Spirit =93breathed life into a once cowardly disciple and created a new = man who=20 [was given] the gift of bold speech.=94[2] God took Peter=92s weakness = and made him=20 strong, took his denial and made him daring, all by the power of the=20 Spirit.

Let us remember, = though, that=20 Peter wasn=92t the only disciple emboldened to speak. The rest of the Book of Acts = will unfold=20 the story of how the disciples became evangelists and spread the good = news of=20 Jesus Christ throughout Jerusalem, = Judea,=20 Samaria, and to=20 the very ends of the earth, just as Jesus had told them they would. So the true miracle of that = Pentecost=20 Day was that each person present in the upper room received the = Spirit=97each and=20 every one of them. On = Pentecost,=20 prophecy became the gift of the whole Christian community, not just an = exclusive=20 gift given to select individuals. =20 When the waiting was over, those first believers were given = direct access=20 to God=92s visions and dreams.

It is the same Spirit = that came=20 upon the disciples on Pentecost that still works in and through us = today. The same Spirit that molded = the first=20 disciples into the early church, that same Spirit calls us to be the church here in = South Weymouth. =20 The Spirit has been poured out upon us so that our sons and daughters might = prophesy,=20 our young men might see = visions, our old men might dream = dreams. The Spirit has been poured out = upon men=20 and women alike=97upon each one = of=20 us. We don=92t have = to shut=20 ourselves in an upper room and wait on the edge of a miracle because the = Spirit=20 is already here. Instead = of us=20 waiting on God, I think God=92s now waiting on us.

Terry and I often talk = about the=20 ways in which the Spirit is at work here at Old South=97and we really = believe that=20 it is. How else would you = explain=20 all that=92s happening here these days? =20 The Spirit has opened our hearts to new experiences in = worship. The Spirit led us to take a = leap of=20 faith and try a new model of Sunday School, and this year we=92ve had = over 175=20 children learning the stories of our faith. We have a youth program that = continues=20 to touch hundreds of young people each year. Just about a week ago we held = a=20 roundtable discussion to share new ideas about stewardship, and 20 = people who=20 came with just the promise of pizza. =20 During the winter months, 50 people committed themselves to = deepening=20 their experience of prayer over the course of a ten-week Bible = study. Early this year, our Deacons = and Church=20 Council members enthusiastically embraced the idea of becoming a field = education=20 site, and so we will welcome Nanette to begin her ministry with us in = the=20 fall. The donations that = you=92ve=20 brought for the Missions collection to benefit local women=92s shelters, = they=92re=20 piling up in the conference room. =20 Friends, the Spirit is at work here among us!

As we look to our = church=92s future,=20 we need to remember the miracle that we celebrate this day lives among = us=20 still. God sent God=92s = Spirit to be=20 with the disciples on that first Pentecost, and each one of them became = a=20 prophet. The miracle = lives among us=20 because God has sent the Spirit upon us so that each of us might be = a=20 prophet, too. You know, = Terry and I=20 aren=92t the only ones who will determine the vision of our church=92s = future. The Spirit will speak through = all of us=20 as we seek to discover the vision of our future together. God has poured the Spirit upon = us and=20 given us all visions and = dreams=97now=20 God needs us to open our mouths and declare what we have seen and = heard. The miracle of Pentecost lives = on=20 today=97the Spirit is here! = Now God=92s=20 just waiting for us. So = what are we=20 waiting for? = Amen.