Sermon 05/11/08 - Pentecost (Acts 2:1-21)

“Alive in the Spirit”
Acts 2:1-21
Rev. Désirée H. Gold
St. Mark’s United Church of Christ, Baltimore, MD
Sunday, 11 May, 2008
Pentecost Sunday
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 No one would ever mistake St. Mark’s for a Pentecostal church. When we read the account in Acts of that initial Pentecost, we probably do not see St. Mark’s United Church of Christ reflected there: “Violent winds,” fiery tongues, a plethora of languages being spoken but understood by all. People from many nations gathered in one place. And, of course, the accusation of drunkenness.... countered by Peter’s hilarious response, “these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning!”

With our relatively quiet worship services and our distinction as a “dry church,” it is unlikely that any outsider would accuse our congregation of being drunk. If a violent wind were to blow through the sanctuary on a Sunday morning, it would likely make us uncomfortable rather than spirited, and if “tongues as of fire” were to rest on each one of us, we would really wonder what was going on...and we’d probably call the fire department! To my knowledge, there are no Parthians, Elamites, Cappadocians, or Arabs in this congregation, although a couple of nations are represented by our membership. We do not often see the signs of “blood, fire, and smoky mist” here, and I think we would be frightened if we did.

So, perhaps we are not exactly like that first Pentecost crowd. As always, our scriptures need to be read in their own historical context, and the Pentecost story was written in a time and place very different from our own. That said, our Bible can also have plenty to say to our modern era, and I believe that the Pentecost story remains relevant not only to the general population of modern Christians, but to this very congregation -- as small and as tired as we might sometimes feel.

The fact that we are not so wildly on fire that we have the fire department on speed dial does not mean that we are not without Spirit. In the past year and a half, I have come to see the Holy Spirit alive and well in this church. It may manifest itself more quietly than it did among those first Pentecost revelers. No tongues of fire, no violent winds. But the Spirit that descended upon the Church over two thousand years ago is still alive here! I have seen it.

We struggle. I confess that, even as I assure you that every congregation has its struggles. But as a congregation, we are not without hope. Christian author Wendy Wright comments that “Pentecost celebrates the indwelling of God’s hope in us, incarnate in our world through our lives.”1 Despite the difficulties we face, that spirit of hope has not died here. I see this congregation plugging along, keeping up our lovely sanctuary, holding weekly Bible studies, signing up each month to be “Readers, Greeters, and Treaters.” I see the Church Council continuing its monthly meetings and talking about the business of our little church. I see this congregation beginning a visioning process to discern our future. I see us starting up a class for new members, and this morning I see us baptizing a new person into the Body of Christ. I see the members of the church holding one another up in times of personal difficulty. Don’t tell me we don’t have spirit.

Like every congregation, we have our own needs and troubles, and I see much grace in the way this congregation responds to the personal needs of the congregation. But our spirit does not end there. Wendy Wright continues, “However one defines the gifts of the Spirit, one truth remains: the gifts are not given for individual enrichment or enhancement; they are given to be shared. They are meant to give life to the whole community.”2 Our congregation does not hoard its spiritual gifts -- and yes, we have spiritual gifts! I see our little church reaching out to the community through involvement in Earl’s Place, and through individual contributions to local and worldwide organizations. I see our small congregation participating in all five of our UCC-sponsored special offerings -- something that many larger congregations do not do. We might not be able to give much, but we give!

We give what we can out of our pocketbooks, but we also give of our time and our space. We house several 12-step groups and community organizations here. Several weeks ago we hosted the first meeting of a new partnership between the small UCC churches in Baltimore City. As an Open and Affirming congregation, we hold wide the doors of our sanctuary to all God’s children and offer our hospitality.

Don’t tell me the Holy Spirit isn’t here! I see the Spirit continuing to flow within this congregation, continuing to inspire the members of this church, continuing to breathe within us. I see it on a daily basis.

We do not know what the future of our little church will hold. Biblical scholar Paul Walaskay writes about the Pentecost community that “there can be no doubt...that the creation of the church is God’s creation.”3 There may come a time when this church will feel called by the same God who joined us together as one people, to change, to move in other directions, or even to scatter. But the fact remains that, at this moment, the Holy Spirit is still calling us, moving us, breathing within us, and empowering us to do the work of God, in whatever small or large ways we can. We may not feel very inflamed, or very intoxicated by the raucous Holy Spirit that stirred the souls of those Pentecost revelers. But the Spirit lives within us nonetheless. Every time we feel a determination to work together as the people of God, that is the Spirit’s call. Every time we reach out to God’s children, whether within our congregation or in the wider world, that is the Spirit’s call. Every time we feel inspired to study the word of God, that is the Spirit’s call. In the paraphrased words of a glorious old hymn, “Every time we feel the Spirit, let us pray!”



1. Wendy M. Wright, The Rising: Living the Mysteries of Lent, Easter, and Pentecost (Nashville: Upper Room Books, 1994), p. 178.
2. Ibid., p. 179.
3. Paul W. Walaskay, Acts (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1998), p. 34.