The Coming of the Holy Spirit
Acts 2:1-18 (NRSVUE)
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, 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. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
Now there were devout Jews from every people 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, 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.” All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”
Peter Addresses the Crowd
But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Fellow Jews 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,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit,
and they shall prophesy.
Over the past few weeks, we have been giving historical tours here at the church to all of the third-graders in town as part of the “Tour of the Town” here in North Attleboro, and it got me thinking about some of the stories we tell.
This year, besides getting to ring the bell and ride the rope, the children are enjoying getting to see how an oil lamp is lit. If you look at the lights in our sanctuary, you can see that there is a bowl at the bottom. Because before electricity, they were oil lamps. So, we tell the story about how someone would have to walk around the sanctuary not only trimming and lighting each wick, but also cleaning the globes and making sure that there was enough whale oil in the bowl to last the day. And we explain that it was a lot more work than simply flicking on a light switch and having all the lights come on.
Now we always say that the bowls were filled with whale oil, but I decided to do a little research to see if that would be true. What I learned is that the whaling industry in New England began in the 1600s when the pilgrim arrived. Now for many generations, Native Americans had used whales for food, but the pilgrims hunted coastal right whales, using their blubber for oil and their baleen (which is a filter system that they have in their mouths instead of teeth) to make corsets, umbrella ribs, and buggy whips. The pilgrims would sit on the beach and watch for a group of whales to swim by, then they would row out in their row boats with harpoons to get them, bringing them back to the shore to process.
By the 1700s, there was a vast decline in right whales because they had been overfished, and in 1712, the year our church was organized, the first sperm whale was caught off the coast of New Bedford. Just an FYI for those of you that don’t know (don’t worry because I didn’t either!), sperm whales do not have baleen because they have teeth. Sperm whales also live much further from land, they are much bigger than right whales, and their blubber made superior oil.
Well, the height of American whaling took place from 1820–about the time that our present sanctuary was built–until 1850. The good news for whales is that by 1925, half of the homes in the United States had electric lights. And in 1927, whaling was outlawed in Massachusetts.
Now I’m sure that you are probably wondering why I am giving you all this history on whales, but stick with me for just a minute. Let’s imagine that we are a group of whalers out on the sea in a big wooden boat. We’ve been out at sea for several weeks, possibly months, or even years! We have our daily chores on board, swabbing the deck, repairing gear, tying knots, and keeping the sails trimmed. Some of you spend your time writing letters to be mailed at the next port we stop at for supplies or carving scrimshaw, which is carving pictures on whale bones or teeth. Now I know that this would never happen here in Oldtown, but remember we’re on a whaling ship. As time goes on, fights break out among the crew because of the uncomfortable conditions we are all living in and because everyone is frustrated with everyone else. Can’t you imagine that happening if we were all living, eating, working, and surviving together for months in a space about the size of this sanctuary? Suddenly, we hear a voice from the crow’s nest, like an angel from heaven, shouting, “THERE SHE BLOWS!!!” And suddenly, everything changes. It’s as though the winds of change have blown across the boat’s bow, over the deck, and through each of our hearts. Suddenly we are a team again, we work together to do what we need to do. Our boredom turns to excitement. Our sense of hopelessness is gone, and we are beaming with possibility! It feels as though the world is fresh and new and exciting again!
I wonder, have you ever experienced the winds of change? When everything around you transforms, and you suddenly see the world around you through a new and more beautiful lens? Well, that’s kind of what happened on that first Pentecost, too! Ten days before Pentecost, just before Jesus ascended into heaven, Jesus had told his disciples to wait, to be patient, and to pray for the Holy Spirit to come and help them. So. for ten days, they sat, they prayed and they waited, then as scripture says, “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, 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. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.”
Again, there were winds of change. I imagine that one of the disciples could have even yelled, “There she blows!” as the Holy Spirit blew through the room. Because not only did the wind and the fire transform the place where the disciples were, but it changed their hearts and opened their eyes and ears to a new way of living, breathing, and understanding their faith and the world around them.
Friends, if we think back to that whaling ship for just a moment, though the winds of change had blown through, I am sure that there were a few nay-sayers who, when they heard “There she blows!” doubted that a whale was there or figured that this one would get away just like all the others. Just like on Pentecost, when everyone could suddenly speak and understand other languages, we hear someone say, “They must be filled with new wine!” But as scripture tells us, “Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, ‘Fellow Jews 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, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.’ Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.'” What a time to celebrate! What a Holy Spirit Moment!
Friends, throughout history, human beings have experienced moments of elation when the winds of change blow through. Sometimes there are explanations for the change, whether they be scientific, sociological, or because of technology or environmental changes, but more often, it is the mystery and the surprise that brings about the sudden rush of excitement.
Friends, can you imagine being there in that room with the disciples when the Holy Spirit blew through, and tongues of fire rested on each person, giving them the ability to see and to speak and to understand things that they couldn’t before? It must have been amazing and exciting and life-changing.
As a person of faith, I believe that the Holy Spirit blows through our lives all the time. We are blessed to experience Holy Spirit moments every day when we allow our hearts and minds to receive them. Some people see them in signs from loved ones that have passed away or sudden ideas or inspiration to create something, to follow someone or something, or to pay attention to something that is happening in our midst. And sometimes, when we experience a Holy Spirit moment, we don’t know why, but we are stopped in our tracks. We simply take a moment to breathe and appreciate the moment that we are in, letting the sun shine on our face, or a gentle breeze blow through our hair as we acknowledge that we are standing on holy ground or in the presence of God.
Now I know that there may be some of you out there thinking, “You’re looking for signs or experiences or events, and so you see them. And then you go and call them Holy Spirit moments.” And my response to that would be, “Maybe I am, and maybe I do,” but I know that those Holy Spirit moments make a difference in my life, in my faith, and my understanding of the world around me. Folks, there are always going to be people who believe in things that they can’t explain and who live to see the good in the world around them. And there are always going to be people who question and doubt and search for problems. So, it’s your choice as a human being and as a person of faith to experience what you will. Because living lives of hope and joy and peace is a choice. Sure, it can be tempered by our situations and our surroundings, but true hope, joy, and peace come from within.
So brothers and sisters in Christ, as you go out into your busy week ahead, keep your heart, ears, and eyes open to Holy Spirit moments along your way. Search for the sacred and allow yourselves to stand on hallowed ground. Choose hope, joy, and peace, and when you feel the Holy Spirit moving in your life or sense the winds of change, don’t be afraid to shout out loud, or as I usually do, just smile, and whisper to yourself, “THERE SHE BLOWS!!”
My friends, may it be so. Thanks be to God. Amen!
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