Acts 2: 1-4 “Winner, Winner” June 2, 2019 Rev. Jerry W. Krueger Boardman United Methodist Church
Greg and I had been classmates at Northwood Elementary for over 4 years in San Antonio. Greg often claimed he couldn’t see the blackboard and frequently requested to sit up front. Our 5th grade class received eye tests from the school nurse, which proved why Greg was the strike out king on the ball field. The kid who couldn’t read the blackboard from the back of the class needed glasses.
The day Greg got his glasses he rode his bike to my house to show me fat, black eyeglasses framing his grinning expression.
We threw the ball in the field next to my house, and Greg caught every ball. He marveled he could see individual leaves on the trees. He saw a bird singing on the lower branch of a hackberry tree and said, “look at that bird!”
For Greg, what had been formerly unseen, was now seen.
Anyone have an experience like that with glasses? Or with a hearing aid? Not seeing, not hearing? Until we receive assistance.
Our focus today is not on the birth of the Church, or the tongues of fire dancing over the disciples’ heads, or their speaking in known tongues or language of the Italians, the Egyptians, Asians, Arabians, Medes, and Elamites. These people in Jerusalem were surprised to hear their own languages being spoken by the Galileans.
Our focus today is that often we don’t see things as clearly as we should, and we need a guidance with our vision. And that emanates from the Holy Spirit who comes to inspire, comfort, guide us, and to clear up our vision.
The disciples were waiting in Jerusalem for what came next, and with their cloudy vision for the future, they desired guidance and direction, they needed the Holy Spirit to open their eyes, and He did.
This is 50 days after the crucifixion and the disciples are in limbo, as some of us may feel at times. We are just waiting for what’s next.
Remember Christ’s crucifixion was witnessed by many, he’s ascended to heaven and told the disciples, “I will leave, but not leave you. I will leave a Guide, a Comforter, a Counselor who will give you vision, hearing, power and courage to witness to all throughout the world.”
My friend Bruce intones this phrase when something good and unexpected happens: “Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner.” A funny turn of a phrase that points to the unexpected and good. Of course, there is a cynic in the gathered Pentecost crowd, there always is. In this text “people claimed the disciples were drunk.”
But Peter pushes back, “Nope! Your wrong! Not drunk, just Spirit-filled. You crucified God’s Son, so now repent.” And 3,000 people did. The disciples weren’t drunk or filled with new wine, they were full of God’s Spirit and that same Holy Spirit that filled the disciples will fill us with new possibilities if we listen, look, and ask Him. Three things we realize.
1. Pentecost gives us a new way of looking at the world.
The coming of the Holy Spirit to the disciples, proves Jesus is more than JUST a Jewish Messiah. The list of those hearing God’s word and witnessing his Spirit is evidence.
It used to be runners carried messages or sailing ships carried news from place to place, which was slowly disseminated. In our own history, there was parcels by horseback, then Pony Express, barge traffic, then telegraph, then phones, newspapers, radio, television, computers, and cell phones. Now cameras in our phones allow us to go to ZOOM meetings, live streaming, and 24-hour news keeps us in contact with places throughout the world. Pentecost gives us a new way of looking at the world, not as some foreign, unknown place, but as a place we have heard of, learned about, and know that the people who live there have dreams, wants, desires, joys and disappointments, like us.
So, any who follow Jesus are linked to you. The Holy Spirit reminds us that: Jesus loves ALL people who come to him and repent and profess their faith in Christ. Pentecost through the Holy Spirit, enables us to see brothers and sisters in the faith as human beings.
2. Pentecost Gives us a new Way of Seeing Ourselves.
Peter exposed people’s sin and cut the listeners to the heart. They were ashamed and penitent, but then Peter follows with words of grace: you CAN repent and be forgiven.
Even though we sin and fail, God claims us in his love. That’s is what the Holy Spirit teaches us.
The young woman, with a recently earned MBA, was the supervisor of company work group of 40 persons. She was heavy handed, demanding, and unforgiving of any error or mistake. One day the new supervisor publicly argued with a long-time employee who’d made a clerical error on a report. No real harm done, but the supervisor verbally chastised the employee for their mistake and accused him of ineptitude, incompetence, and stupidity.
Now the man had brought his daughter to work on “take your daughter to work day,” a few months before, and the same day, the supervisor received a letter in a childlike scrawl. The hand written crayon note said, “Dear Miss Amanda, thank you for the fun day at daddy’s office. I love you once, I love you twice, I love you more than beans and rice.” Then a big smiling face, signed, Stephanie.
That was all the young supervisor needed. She apologized privately and publicly to the man she had berated, and rethought her priorities. She realized how she’d needed a messenger from God. The Holy Spirit is like that. Even though we sin or fail, God loves us, claims and redeems us. The Holy Spirit teaches us that the Lord of grace and forgiveness, allows us to see ourselves in a new away.
Lastly, Pentecost give us a new way of seeing Christ. Pete, “Pistol Pete” Maravich was an LSU star and NBA star known for his accurate shooting of the basketball anywhere on the court. He lived for basketball. He wanted fame, fortune, and accolades and received them, until his career ended. So, Pistol Pete filled his empty life with alcohol, trying to live in a past that was gone.
In 1982, Pete accepted Christ and saw his world seismically shift. Money and fame were unimportant, and he publicly stated that “I would not trade my life in Christ for 1,000 NBA championships, 1,000 Hall of fame rings, or one hundred billion dollars.”
That is what the Holy Spirit teaches us, a new way to see the world. A new way to see ourselves. And a new way to see the Christ. Life in Christ makes us winners. Winner, Winner.
Christ is the most valuable and most important aspect of our lives, in all the world, forever.
And God’s Spirit filled people proclaimed, Amen.
