Sermon on Acts 2:1-21 (Pentecost)

You’re Speaking My Language

Acts 2:1-21

This past Monday and Tuesday I traveled down to College Station on a road trip with John, Ruth, Mark and a member here at Shepherd of Life, Chad Chipman, to retrieve some furniture for Jody and Jo’Ann Smith. Chad was donating a lot of different items that were left to him from his mother, we just had to go down and get it out of storage. We picked up Chad from his home in North Richland Hills because of some car troubles he was having and then we were on our way. It was decided that Chad and I would ride down together because we both knew the area well and knew where we were going. Chad had lived in College Station while he had gone to Texas A&M and I was born in raised in Bryan which is right next to College Station. Beyond this fact, I think I had only met Chad once before and to my knowledge this was all we had in common. Boy, was I in for a surprise.

            As we drove the 3 hours to Bryan we talked about this and that. Sharing our interests and hobbies, stories and different memories. The more we talked the more we found we had things in common. You see, Chad grew up in Marlin, which is close to Bryan, so we essentially grew up in the same area. Talking with Chad was refreshing because he was speaking my language. He knew of many of the places I grew up around. He could relate to the different places I would talk about because he had memories and experiences there too. I did the same for him. We didn’t have to explain or go into great detail describing things. Somehow we both just knew and understood. We had never had any long conversations before this, but by the time we hit Waco it was like I was back home and had rediscovered an old friend.

            I think this was the main reason for the amazement and bewilderment of the crowds that gathered in our reading from Acts. On that first Pentecost all of them were travelers from all over those places with the funny names, but they all heard something in Jerusalem that sounded familiar…their own language. You would think they would be bewildered by the fire that was resting on everyone, but the story tells us that “at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each” It’s interesting that the fire and the loud wind, the things you would think would baffle them make only a small mention. What takes larger place are the people hearing these Galileans speaking their language.

            Language isn’t always the easiest form of communication. There’s some irony, considering we use language to communicate every day. There are about 6,000 spoken languages in the world though about 2,000 of those languages have less than 1,000 people speaking them. And that’s just a language you might use for everyday conversation! As you look at people’s interests and jobs the language gets even more muddled. Ask a technology guru about a computer’s video card and they’ll give you all sorts of information. Ask a business person about the market and they’ll tell you all about it. Ask an electrician about how a building is wired and you would learn more than you ever wanted to.

            I had an experience with this recently. Last weekend Lauren and I went to visit her cousin Alan and his family to celebrate their son’s birthday. Kevin just turned 8 and he loves playing a computer game called Minecraft. This game literally has its own language and different names for the different parts of the game like monstersin the game that come out during the night, the special types of minerals to mine and the special things to craft. For someone who didn’t really play the game it was a little hard to follow sometimes when Kevin would talk to me about it. He always talked so excitedly about it and described it so well that I had to check it out and play it with him. It was then that I understood how much fun Minecraft was and could understand the language better so that now I’m more in sync when Kevin talks to me about it.

            The same thing tends to happen when we try and share our faith with others. We use some really interesting language that people are often unfamiliar with. We may talk really excitedly with tons of passion, but that doesn’t erase the fact that there is a distinct language barrier. It could be that a lot of the words we use have baggage attached to them. Words such as church, Christian, ministry, grace, and even love, words we use all the time, mean different things to different people. When these words come out the barriers come up. We’re not speaking the same language. So then the answer is to change our language entirely. Throw out a little of this and a little of that to make way for some language that does make sense. Well, that might help a little bit. The beauty of the gospel is that each generation will read it and understand it in the context of their language, so some of the language used to share it will change naturally. But the beauty of the gospel is it is also timeless, some of the language doesn’t change.

            What is important to remember in all of this and it is easily overlooked is: that it is through God’s spirit within us that we are able to do any of this. Without the Holy Spirit coming to settle on the disciples at Pentecost there would have been no way that the entire crowd would have heard in their own language the message of “God’s deeds of power.” It would have just been a rabble of Galileans talking about things few could understand. With God’s spirit, they were able to speak to people in a language they could relate to. For some it was amazing, for others it just seemed like the disciples had found the good wine and had taken a bit too much of it. This story gives us a really interesting insight. We are the same way today. With God’s spirit we are able to do some amazing things. When we’re able to talk to people in their own language about faith it is guaranteed to look a little crazy to some folks.

            Even though you’ve heard quite a bit about this already, I see our “ Backyard” ministry as being a place where all of this culminates. I had the chance Wednesday to go out and play basketball with John, Mark and the youth from the apartments. While we were waiting to get some teams together it was interesting to see the facial expressions of some of the preschool parents as they picked up their children. From the outside looking in I bet it looks pretty strange to see three grown men hanging out and trying to keep up and play ball with these youth. What was also interesting about this week was the difference that I noticed in language. The guys seem to have their own unique way of describing and talking about things in a really comical way. They encourage each other and rag on each other in multiple ways, but never in a way that excludes anyone. They even gave Mark a cool compliment. They kept referring to him as Jason Kidd. Obviously they thought he was a pretty good ball player. Though we aren’t always on the same page with them and we’ll occasionally make a reference to something they won’t understand when we play basketball out there with them we are speaking the same language.

            That language is the language of love. It’s a universal language through which we can do some amazing and crazy looking things. With the help of the Holy Spirit and the faith to follow its guidance, we can speak the language of love into all of the dark places here in our communities, our relationships and in our world. Love is a language everyone understands. It can be expressed through spoken word, but it can also be expressed through action. Like the first disciples we can tell of God’s deeds of power: most importantly the power to overcome death and the grave so that we all might be drawn close to God. We can also show this through our actions. We are redeemed and given the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s not something that we’re meant to keep to ourselves, but to share freely with others. The language that we use might differ, but the message is still the same: God has come near and is working to establish a new kingdom. In you, in me, in our families, in our community and in our world. And under it all is the language that makes all things possible, love. May you go out this week and do something that amazes and bewilders people. May you remember the power of the spirit to do amazing things through each of you. And may you feel empowered to speak love into every dark place that you encounter. Amen.

Sermon on Luke 24:36b-48 (Easter 3)

Where have you seen Jesus?

Happy Easter! He is risen indeed Alleluia! Don’t look at me like I’m crazy…all the Sunday School kids took care of that last week. So maybe all the lilies are gone and we’re back in our normal routines, but it is the 3^rd Sunday in Easter and we heard another resurrection story today. Why not continue to celebrate!

Okay, okay. Perhaps it’s a bit much, but I’m not so sure of that. We can’t always keep the same Easter intensity going throughout the year. It would be crazy! What we can do is carry the resurrection farther than just outside the empty tomb on Easter morning.

Growing up the associate pastor at my home church, Pastor Grant, would always have us answer one question during our reflection time: Where have you seen Jesus this week? What she meant was where during your life, since we last met, have you seen someone or something that reminded you of Christ’s love, teaching or sacrifice. Talk about a tough question! As a junior high kid I probably rolled my eyes more times than not and struggled with how to answer. The beauty of this question is: there is no right or wrong answer, so many of our answers included a teacher, our parents or sometimes --- if we felt like we did something especially Christ-like --- ourselves. At the time, I didn’t understand the importance of this question. As I grew older I started to realize and be on the lookout more and more for the ways that Christ was truly present among my day to day life. And the eye-rolling continues! I now make it a priority to ask our Junior High and High School kids where they have seen God during their week. The answers vary, are never right or wrong and are always interesting to hear.

I always thought the disciples were really lucky to experience the risen Christ in flesh and blood, but even they had their doubts. They thought they were seeing a ghost the first time Jesus showed up! Even in their joy of seeing Jesus there was still disbelief and wonder. Often when we think about encountering Jesus it has to be on our own terms. When we go out to serve others, that’s where we are supposed to encounter Jesus. When we go out and enjoy nature, that’s where we are supposed to encounter Jesus. When we come here to worship, that’s where we are supposed to encounter Jesus. We would like to schedule out the encounter for Thursday at 4:30pm so we’re sure to be prepared.  If we see him anywhere else it’s like we’re experiencing a ghost! We’re terrified. It startles us. The encounter totally throws us off our game. Sometimes it’s like seeing someone you know from a certain place in a completely new place. It can be awkward and uncomfortable, but it doesn’t have to be.

It was like the time that I went to New Orleans with a travel team while working my first year at summer camp. It was the year after hurricane Katrina had devastated the city. Our travel teams were teams of staff members sent out to different places to lead Day Camp, just like we had come here last year. I was just learning guitar and for some odd reason I was selected to go on this really big adventure as, you guessed it, the guitarist. I was shocked and a little confused. I was really nervous about how my skills would work out. Little did I know that the kids at the two churches we worked with could care less. They were just as excited as we were to be there following the disaster. We had such a good time worshipping, learning and playing together that it didn’t matter whether I was any good. I was confused why I was being sent there, especially since I was still lacking, but after encountering Jesus in that place I knew the answer. It didn’t matter if I wasn’t the greatest guitar player ever. It didn’t even matter that I was a rookie staff member. What mattered was being with and loving others.

Jesus comes and stands among us saying “Peace be with you.” He shows us his hands and his feet so that we might know it is him in the flesh and blood. He also eats with us and opens our mind and shares with us the scripture so that we might understand. This often doesn’t happen when we choose it to. It happens again and again in the mundane and the everyday. Not with paranormal expression, but in flesh and blood. In the messiness of our world, our relationships and our lives the risen flesh and blood Christ is present speaking words of peace and love. Jesus is also calling us to be a witness to these things. What does that mean though?

I believe it simply means answering the question: where have you seen Jesus? By asking ourselves that question we continue to look for the risen Christ way beyond Easter morning. We open ourselves to the possibility that Jesus is right here among us in flesh and blood the whole time. When we look and point out where we see Jesus we lay claim to the promise that he is not dead, but is risen indeed. We point to a kingdom that is happening here and now, but also the kingdom that is still to come. We point out that love is stronger than death and fear and that resurrection can happen. What a beautiful thing to share with each other and the world! It doesn’t have to be about the biggest things, but it can have the biggest impact.

In February I traveled to New Orleans to attend my annual conference that I go to called Extravaganza. Part of the reason Extravaganza was held in New Orleans this year was to give the youth workers from around the ELCA the chance to see the city and plan before the National Gathering. While I was there I was witnessed to a lot. The witnessing came in the form of the many different restaurant owners, hotel staff and other people who were very excited that we were coming back in the summer. That’s not the response you would expect when talking about a massive group of teenagers. The work and witness that we had provided back in 2009 had left such an impact that the people of New Orleans were still witnessing about it three years later. There were a ton of things done, both big and small, while we were there last time that pointed to resurrection. Not as some far-off idea, but present in and through the flesh and blood of teenagers and the people of New Orleans. We got to experience both being Christ and seeing Christ.

Which is what we are called to do as witnesses. We are called to see Christ and be Christ. We are called to answer the question where have you seen Jesus and show the answer to others. We are called to be the answer to that question. We are called to go, but we are not alone for the risen Christ goes with us in many of the faces and interactions we will have this week. Where will you see Jesus this week? Amen