WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.419 I want to start with just a personal note of thanks. I think it was three weeks ago. I sort of lose track of time. 00:00:06.600 --> 00:00:12.620 Time just is a strange thing now with our third baby, but three weeks ago I was ordained as a priest, 00:00:12.880 --> 00:00:15.960 and it was an amazing day for me and for our family. 00:00:16.080 --> 00:00:23.640 I just want to thank the church for welcoming us into the church family and for encouraging us and supporting us along this process. 00:00:24.460 --> 00:00:29.820 I'm really grateful to be here. I wouldn't have wanted to be ordained in any other context, so I just want to say thank you. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:39.079 Before I start my sermon. And before we dive in, I know if your life is anything like mine, life is hectic and it's full of noise. 00:00:39.780 --> 00:00:46.320 And so what I want to do is give us an opportunity to just quiet the noise, quiet our hearts, quiet our minds, 00:00:46.420 --> 00:00:49.439 so that we can actually hear from the Lord this morning as I'm preaching. 00:00:49.579 --> 00:00:55.100 So let's just take a brief moment of silence to center our hearts and mind to attend to the Lord. 00:00:55.500 --> 00:00:56.980 Let's be quiet together. 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:29.980 Let's pray together. 00:01:29.980 --> 00:01:32.240 All truth this morning through the preaching of your word. 00:01:33.560 --> 00:01:35.719 And that, Jesus, that you would be glorified. 00:01:37.040 --> 00:01:39.159 We ask that you would speak, for your servants are listening. 00:01:40.140 --> 00:01:41.939 We pray these things in Christ's name. Amen. 00:01:41.939 --> 00:01:46.819 So this morning we're taking a break from the book of Revelation. 00:01:46.819 --> 00:01:51.700 We've been in that book, the last book of the Bible, for the past several weeks. 00:01:52.019 --> 00:01:53.900 And we're going to focus on the day of Pentecost. 00:01:54.000 --> 00:01:55.079 Today is Pentecost Sunday. 00:01:55.259 --> 00:01:57.900 If you haven't picked up on that already, that's what it is. 00:01:58.239 --> 00:02:00.039 And Pentecost just means 50 days. 00:02:00.280 --> 00:02:02.379 It's 50 days after Easter. 00:02:02.379 --> 00:02:04.619 And so it marks the end of the Easter season. 00:02:05.339 --> 00:02:10.359 And on this day we celebrate the descent, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon the church. 00:02:10.840 --> 00:02:14.240 This day is one of the most important days in the church calendar. 00:02:14.599 --> 00:02:17.719 And it's also one of the most important days in all of church history. 00:02:17.719 --> 00:02:23.280 So think about Christmas, think about Good Friday, think about Easter. 00:02:24.099 --> 00:02:31.340 Pentecost Sunday ranks up there in the same category with those major events in human history. 00:02:32.319 --> 00:02:39.879 The pouring out of the Holy Spirit is as important as the incarnation and the crucifixion and the resurrection and the ascension. 00:02:40.419 --> 00:02:44.060 And it's as important because it marks the culmination of Jesus' ministry. 00:02:44.479 --> 00:02:46.259 In John 16, Jesus says, 00:02:46.259 --> 00:03:03.899 You see, without the Holy Spirit, the life of Christ and the death of Christ and the resurrection of Christ and the ascension of Christ 00:03:03.899 --> 00:03:09.079 simply cannot have their intended effect on us in our lives and on the world. 00:03:10.719 --> 00:03:13.879 It also marks the continuation of Jesus' ministry. 00:03:13.879 --> 00:03:17.500 This is also why the day of Pentecost is incredibly important. 00:03:18.759 --> 00:03:22.979 Through the Spirit-filled and Spirit-empowered church, Jesus continues his mission. 00:03:23.560 --> 00:03:27.759 So a few days ago we celebrated the ascension of Jesus Christ. 00:03:27.900 --> 00:03:31.659 So Jesus ascended into heaven, but that doesn't mean he's done acting in the world. 00:03:31.740 --> 00:03:34.939 He just acts in the world through his Spirit-filled church. 00:03:35.139 --> 00:03:39.419 That's how he continues to expand his mission and his kingdom in the world. 00:03:39.419 --> 00:03:42.539 So we're going to talk about Pentecost and what it means. 00:03:42.639 --> 00:03:45.219 And we're going to do that in looking at three different things this morning. 00:03:45.319 --> 00:03:49.199 First, I want to juxtapose Babel and Pentecost. 00:03:49.319 --> 00:03:53.879 I want to talk about how Pentecost is the reversal of Babel. 00:03:54.500 --> 00:03:56.439 Secondly, I want to talk about why that matters. 00:03:56.939 --> 00:04:01.639 And third and finally, I want to explore what that means for us today living in this city. 00:04:01.639 --> 00:04:07.159 So first, I want to look at how Pentecost is the reversal of Babel. 00:04:07.759 --> 00:04:12.559 And I want us to see this morning how the Bible is telling one overarching story. 00:04:12.739 --> 00:04:13.759 Everything is interconnected. 00:04:14.139 --> 00:04:15.479 Everything flows together. 00:04:16.259 --> 00:04:20.000 You really cannot understand the New Testament unless you understand the Old Testament. 00:04:20.259 --> 00:04:25.120 And Tommy's been showing us that in really profound ways as we've gone through Revelation, right? 00:04:25.479 --> 00:04:28.599 One of the things he talked about, I got a chuckle every time he said it in Revelation, 00:04:28.699 --> 00:04:30.240 was the demonic locust hordes. 00:04:30.240 --> 00:04:35.360 Like, there's no way you can understand what is going on in Revelation unless you understand the Old Testament. 00:04:36.120 --> 00:04:40.540 And at the same time, the New Testament is the key to unlocking the Old Testament. 00:04:40.840 --> 00:04:44.759 You can't understand the fullness of the meaning of the Old Testament without the key, 00:04:44.939 --> 00:04:46.620 without the New Testament that unlocks it. 00:04:47.160 --> 00:04:52.259 Because ultimately, everything in the Old Testament points to and culminates in Jesus Christ. 00:04:52.340 --> 00:04:56.939 And so I want to illustrate that idea, the connection between the Old and the New Testaments, 00:04:56.939 --> 00:05:00.480 by showing how Babel and Pentecost are connected. 00:05:00.620 --> 00:05:02.699 And so I want to do a little compare and contrast, 00:05:03.079 --> 00:05:05.779 and show five parallels between these stories. 00:05:06.360 --> 00:05:09.319 And Luke will have them on the screen so you can track with me, 00:05:09.439 --> 00:05:11.199 because we're going to get in the weeds a little bit. 00:05:11.620 --> 00:05:14.240 But the first thing I want to talk about, sort of starting big picture, 00:05:14.420 --> 00:05:18.519 is that what happens at the Tower of Babel 00:05:18.519 --> 00:05:23.259 is the start of a really dark chapter in the Bible and human history. 00:05:24.019 --> 00:05:28.560 The curse of Babel, in many ways, accounts for the state of affairs that follow 00:05:28.560 --> 00:05:32.139 in human history from Babel leading all the way up into the cross. 00:05:33.000 --> 00:05:37.060 All of human history is marked by division and discord and disunity 00:05:37.060 --> 00:05:40.500 because of the curse and the confusion at Babel. 00:05:40.859 --> 00:05:44.199 And so one way of thinking about it is that Babel, that curse, 00:05:44.199 --> 00:05:47.680 and that confusion is determinative for all of human history. 00:05:48.399 --> 00:05:51.039 And so then Babel becomes, one way of thinking about it, 00:05:51.060 --> 00:05:53.180 is ground zero for the fallen world. 00:05:53.300 --> 00:05:56.519 It's the epicenter from which war and strife and division 00:05:56.519 --> 00:05:58.759 flows into the rest of the world. 00:05:59.259 --> 00:06:05.219 There's this detail in Genesis 11 that talks about how they settled in the valley of Shinar. 00:06:05.399 --> 00:06:06.980 Shinar is the land of Mesopotamia. 00:06:07.539 --> 00:06:11.300 That happens to be the place where Assyria and Babylon, 00:06:11.300 --> 00:06:14.660 two civilizations, the two key civilizations in the Old Testament 00:06:14.660 --> 00:06:18.600 that were against God and God's people were in that same region. 00:06:18.780 --> 00:06:22.439 So it shouldn't be surprising because that's the epicenter of the fallen world. 00:06:23.180 --> 00:06:26.220 And we see in Pentecost that the day of Pentecost 00:06:26.220 --> 00:06:29.840 is actually the start of the brightest chapter that we've known in human history. 00:06:30.560 --> 00:06:33.720 Pentecost accounts for the state of affairs that follow in the book of Acts 00:06:33.720 --> 00:06:36.560 and the rest of church history and our history. 00:06:37.680 --> 00:06:40.860 It marks a new possibility for humanity. 00:06:41.300 --> 00:06:44.819 The possibility of reconciliation between God and one another. 00:06:45.220 --> 00:06:49.259 And it marks the beginning of a new age for human beings in Christ. 00:06:49.259 --> 00:06:54.939 And so Jerusalem, the city of Jerusalem, is ground zero for the kingdom of God. 00:06:55.040 --> 00:06:56.720 It's the ground zero for the new creation. 00:06:56.860 --> 00:06:58.680 It's the epicenter of the kingdom of God. 00:06:58.879 --> 00:07:00.540 We see this in the book of Acts, 00:07:00.580 --> 00:07:04.500 that the gospel is going to spread from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria, 00:07:04.620 --> 00:07:05.819 even to the ends of the earth. 00:07:05.860 --> 00:07:06.939 That's where it happens. 00:07:06.939 --> 00:07:14.360 The second parallel I want to highlight is the difference between disobedience in Babel 00:07:14.360 --> 00:07:16.860 and obedience in Pentecost. 00:07:16.860 --> 00:07:23.500 So the people in the city of Babel were gathered together in disobedience. 00:07:24.159 --> 00:07:28.159 God gave human beings the commission to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth 00:07:28.159 --> 00:07:30.819 in Genesis, in the creation account. 00:07:30.819 --> 00:07:36.659 And he reiterates that to Noah and to his family in Genesis after the flood. 00:07:37.439 --> 00:07:42.139 And what we see here in Babel is rather than being fruitful and multiplying and filling the earth, 00:07:42.680 --> 00:07:44.920 these people actually consolidate their power. 00:07:45.339 --> 00:07:52.240 They consolidate their resources for their own security and for their own glory over and against the other people. 00:07:52.860 --> 00:07:57.180 They desired a tower and a name at the expense of others. 00:07:57.180 --> 00:07:58.800 They were disobedient to God. 00:07:58.900 --> 00:08:04.680 But in Pentecost, we see that the people in Jerusalem were gathered together in obedience. 00:08:05.259 --> 00:08:10.199 So the Jews were gathered together in Jerusalem because it was 50 days after the Passover. 00:08:10.699 --> 00:08:15.120 And just like Christians who celebrate Pentecost, Jews celebrate the Feast of Pentecost. 00:08:15.240 --> 00:08:16.259 It's the Feast of Weeks. 00:08:16.720 --> 00:08:19.879 50 days after Passover, it's celebrating the wheat harvest. 00:08:20.079 --> 00:08:22.220 So they're there because they were commanded to be in Jerusalem. 00:08:22.220 --> 00:08:27.900 It's one of the pilgrimage festivals when Jews were called and commanded to go to Jerusalem. 00:08:28.620 --> 00:08:31.420 But they were also there in obedience to Jesus. 00:08:31.620 --> 00:08:33.840 In the beginning of Acts, Jesus tells his followers, 00:08:34.220 --> 00:08:36.420 hey, stay in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit comes. 00:08:36.779 --> 00:08:39.519 And then when the Holy Spirit comes, I'll send you out on mission. 00:08:40.399 --> 00:08:42.759 So disobedience and obedience. 00:08:43.220 --> 00:08:50.340 The third thing, the third parallel, is that in Babel, the people were actively trying to displace God. 00:08:50.340 --> 00:08:53.519 They were trying to displace God by building a tower. 00:08:54.200 --> 00:09:00.440 And so the people were applying their sort of human genius that God gave to human beings. 00:09:00.440 --> 00:09:02.860 They were applying their innovation and their industry. 00:09:03.639 --> 00:09:05.780 And they were applying it towards the wrong ends. 00:09:05.899 --> 00:09:09.580 They were trying to set up a throne in heaven to usurp God. 00:09:09.800 --> 00:09:11.940 And so what the people were doing is they were building a tower. 00:09:12.220 --> 00:09:14.100 And the tower is not just a benign thing. 00:09:14.160 --> 00:09:19.560 I want us to think less like the Leaning Tower of Pizza and more like Egyptian pyramids. 00:09:19.559 --> 00:09:21.739 What they were doing was creating a ziggurat. 00:09:22.159 --> 00:09:24.779 And in the ancient Near East, ziggurats were step temples. 00:09:25.039 --> 00:09:26.299 So they looked like pyramids. 00:09:26.719 --> 00:09:27.859 And they had these steps. 00:09:28.159 --> 00:09:32.339 And they were understood to be portals between heaven and earth. 00:09:32.419 --> 00:09:33.979 It was where the gods would come down. 00:09:34.500 --> 00:09:38.039 And at Babel, it was where the people would go up and take God's place. 00:09:38.859 --> 00:09:41.500 So they were trying to displace God by building a tower. 00:09:42.059 --> 00:09:45.119 They were being very active and ambitious in doing this. 00:09:45.120 --> 00:09:48.899 But in Pentecost, we see something very different in Jerusalem. 00:09:49.700 --> 00:09:52.299 The people are not being particularly ambitious. 00:09:52.519 --> 00:09:53.120 They're confused. 00:09:53.440 --> 00:09:54.700 They're pretty disorganized. 00:09:55.159 --> 00:09:58.039 And they're patiently waiting on God because they don't know what else to do. 00:09:58.480 --> 00:10:01.799 And as they're patiently waiting on God, they're not building a temple. 00:10:01.919 --> 00:10:07.000 But God actually comes down to Jerusalem and fills his people and creates a temple for himself. 00:10:07.340 --> 00:10:09.980 So you have the juxtaposition between temples. 00:10:10.159 --> 00:10:12.480 God makes his people into a temple. 00:10:12.480 --> 00:10:14.620 This is what Paul says in Ephesians 2. 00:10:15.259 --> 00:10:18.039 The church is being built together into a holy temple. 00:10:18.139 --> 00:10:21.039 That's one of the metaphors used to describe the church. 00:10:21.779 --> 00:10:25.639 We are a holy temple because we're a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. 00:10:26.580 --> 00:10:29.639 The fourth parallel is that God descends. 00:10:29.759 --> 00:10:30.680 It's ironic, right? 00:10:30.759 --> 00:10:35.960 The people at Babel were trying to displace God by building a really high, basically a skyscraper, 00:10:36.480 --> 00:10:39.180 to manifest their glory and to usurp God. 00:10:39.240 --> 00:10:41.500 But God still has to come down to them. 00:10:41.500 --> 00:10:42.779 He still has to descend. 00:10:43.639 --> 00:10:47.720 And God descends in judgment and in order to confuse the people. 00:10:47.940 --> 00:10:49.279 And he confuses their language. 00:10:49.379 --> 00:10:51.580 So they can't work in coordination and cooperation. 00:10:51.919 --> 00:10:53.580 So they end up dispersing. 00:10:54.340 --> 00:11:01.320 And what we see in Pentecost is that God descends, but he doesn't condescend in judgment and to confuse. 00:11:01.960 --> 00:11:06.399 But God descends to be with his people to bless them and to unite them. 00:11:06.399 --> 00:11:10.840 And this is a really surprising thing, what God does or maybe what he doesn't do. 00:11:10.919 --> 00:11:14.340 We might expect him to abolish the multiplicity of languages. 00:11:14.340 --> 00:11:17.199 Because what we see in Babel is that was part of the curse. 00:11:17.279 --> 00:11:19.019 That's what God used to divide people. 00:11:19.600 --> 00:11:21.559 And so you think, okay, God's going to unite people. 00:11:21.659 --> 00:11:23.579 He's going to get rid of all the different languages. 00:11:23.740 --> 00:11:24.840 They'll just have one language. 00:11:25.100 --> 00:11:26.379 But God doesn't do that. 00:11:26.779 --> 00:11:30.460 He actually unites people through their diverse languages. 00:11:30.460 --> 00:11:36.720 He uses the diverse expressions of culture and language to create one people. 00:11:37.580 --> 00:11:39.320 And so we see that that's how the kingdom is. 00:11:39.920 --> 00:11:42.680 The kingdom of God is a kingdom of unity without uniformity. 00:11:43.500 --> 00:11:51.000 And the fifth and final parallel is that in Babel, God scatters his people in order to thwart them. 00:11:51.540 --> 00:11:54.160 Because he knows that if they continue doing what they're doing, 00:11:54.540 --> 00:11:58.220 they'll essentially inoculate themselves from their need for God. 00:11:58.220 --> 00:12:03.279 And so God comes down and he scatters them as a judgment to thwart their plans. 00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:07.840 And what we see in Pentecost is God scatters his people. 00:12:08.540 --> 00:12:11.120 But he scatters them to accomplish his own plans. 00:12:12.379 --> 00:12:15.460 Part of his plan is to proclaim the gospel across the whole world. 00:12:15.540 --> 00:12:17.040 And so people have to leave Jerusalem. 00:12:17.399 --> 00:12:21.740 And they have to be spread out to Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the earth. 00:12:23.060 --> 00:12:25.060 So I think it's pretty interesting. 00:12:25.059 --> 00:12:30.479 I think it's pretty clear God wants us to see that there are these pretty obvious, 00:12:30.619 --> 00:12:34.859 once you see it, connections and links and parallels between these two mighty acts of God. 00:12:35.419 --> 00:12:40.119 But I do think we have to ask, what does this mean and why does it matter? 00:12:40.959 --> 00:12:45.779 I don't think these are just a bunch of interesting connections and fun Bible facts to impress your friends. 00:12:46.399 --> 00:12:48.739 I actually think that seeing these connections really matters. 00:12:48.740 --> 00:12:54.019 That's why in the lectionary, I didn't choose this Old Testament passage. 00:12:54.120 --> 00:12:55.039 It was chosen for us. 00:12:55.100 --> 00:12:56.419 We're supposed to see these connections. 00:12:56.919 --> 00:12:58.159 The church has seen it before. 00:12:59.100 --> 00:13:01.740 It matters because God's trying to communicate something important. 00:13:02.100 --> 00:13:04.180 Only when we understand the day of Pentecost, 00:13:04.779 --> 00:13:08.019 in light of Babel and as a response to Babel, 00:13:08.120 --> 00:13:10.379 can we see what God is trying to show us. 00:13:11.120 --> 00:13:12.620 So we have to ask the question, 00:13:13.279 --> 00:13:15.220 what does God want us to see? 00:13:16.100 --> 00:13:20.460 Well, I think God wants us to see that at this pivotal moment in the history of the church, 00:13:20.860 --> 00:13:23.759 the day of Pentecost is very much the founding of the church. 00:13:24.300 --> 00:13:27.800 God wants to make very clear that the establishment of the church 00:13:27.800 --> 00:13:31.460 is a reversal of his judgment on the Tower of Babel. 00:13:31.600 --> 00:13:33.680 And in reversing Babel, 00:13:33.940 --> 00:13:36.259 God is essentially ushering in a new era, 00:13:36.720 --> 00:13:37.639 a new epic, 00:13:37.639 --> 00:13:42.600 a new possibility for human beings in Jesus Christ. 00:13:42.759 --> 00:13:44.040 One way to summarize it is this. 00:13:44.039 --> 00:13:48.059 At Babel, God stymied the capacity of human beings. 00:13:48.179 --> 00:13:49.279 He limited, in a way, 00:13:49.339 --> 00:13:53.399 the damage we could do to ourselves and to one another and to creation. 00:13:54.259 --> 00:13:55.219 And at Pentecost, 00:13:55.379 --> 00:13:58.319 God is unleashing the capacity of human beings, 00:13:58.500 --> 00:14:00.919 spirit-filled, truly human beings, 00:14:01.019 --> 00:14:03.219 for their good and for the good of the world. 00:14:03.959 --> 00:14:06.000 At Pentecost, when we're filled with the spirit, 00:14:06.240 --> 00:14:08.679 humans can finally be fully human. 00:14:08.679 --> 00:14:14.039 We can finally fulfill the vocation that God commissioned us into. 00:14:14.559 --> 00:14:16.859 We can finally be God's image bearers, 00:14:16.939 --> 00:14:20.759 representing God as we're filled with the spirit in the world. 00:14:21.519 --> 00:14:22.919 Another way to look at it is this, 00:14:23.459 --> 00:14:27.279 that Pentecost means God is finally fulfilling all of his promises. 00:14:27.479 --> 00:14:28.379 All of the promises, 00:14:28.379 --> 00:14:33.759 all of the prophecies of the Old Testament are finally coming true in Pentecost. 00:14:34.259 --> 00:14:35.659 And this is the central promise. 00:14:35.759 --> 00:14:39.240 We read it right after the Tower of Babel, 00:14:39.340 --> 00:14:40.299 Genesis 12, 00:14:40.620 --> 00:14:42.580 when God calls Abraham. 00:14:42.779 --> 00:14:44.720 He calls Abraham and he says this to him. 00:14:44.779 --> 00:14:45.000 He says, 00:14:45.000 --> 00:14:48.679 I'm going to bless you in order that you might be a blessing. 00:14:48.919 --> 00:14:51.879 God calls Abraham and he says, 00:14:52.059 --> 00:14:53.379 I'm going to make your name great, 00:14:53.820 --> 00:14:56.620 and I'm going to bless you so that in you and in your descendants, 00:14:56.919 --> 00:14:59.580 all of the families of the earth will be blessed. 00:14:59.700 --> 00:15:00.700 And so at Pentecost, 00:15:01.200 --> 00:15:02.799 God's plan to bless the world, 00:15:02.899 --> 00:15:04.519 to bless all of the families of the world, 00:15:04.600 --> 00:15:07.639 to bless the nations through Abraham and his descendants, 00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:09.299 is coming true. 00:15:09.820 --> 00:15:11.820 It's actually becoming a reality. 00:15:11.820 --> 00:15:16.480 And I think this is why Peter cites the prophet Joel in his first sermon. 00:15:17.420 --> 00:15:17.640 You know, 00:15:17.760 --> 00:15:22.480 crazy things were happening and Peter had to step up and explain what was going on. 00:15:23.100 --> 00:15:23.940 And it's interesting. 00:15:24.060 --> 00:15:27.420 I think this is the first joke in the church when Peter says, 00:15:27.540 --> 00:15:27.640 Hey, 00:15:27.720 --> 00:15:28.740 actually the people aren't church. 00:15:28.820 --> 00:15:29.500 It's only nine o'clock. 00:15:29.780 --> 00:15:30.780 The people aren't drunk. 00:15:31.160 --> 00:15:31.920 It's only nine o'clock. 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:32.740 They can't be drunk. 00:15:33.340 --> 00:15:36.020 I think it's interesting that Peter, 00:15:36.200 --> 00:15:36.340 you know, 00:15:36.360 --> 00:15:37.700 the spirit changes people. 00:15:38.060 --> 00:15:39.320 He was very serious, 00:15:39.460 --> 00:15:40.160 I think before, 00:15:40.159 --> 00:15:42.179 but now he sort of doesn't take himself so seriously. 00:15:42.259 --> 00:15:43.719 It was a very strange thing that was happening, 00:15:43.879 --> 00:15:45.480 but Peter makes a little joke, 00:15:45.579 --> 00:15:49.719 but he has to explain what in the world is going on because it is pretty bizarre, 00:15:49.879 --> 00:15:50.019 right? 00:15:50.059 --> 00:15:52.639 There are tongues of fire and people are speaking in different languages. 00:15:53.579 --> 00:15:56.799 And the spirit has been poured out on the church. 00:15:57.379 --> 00:16:02.459 And Peter could have appealed to a passage like Ezekiel 36 and 37. 00:16:02.639 --> 00:16:04.439 That's probably the one that would have been most familiar, 00:16:04.440 --> 00:16:10.340 where God promises that he's going to send his spirit and give the people of Israel a new spirit 00:16:10.340 --> 00:16:11.500 and give them a new heart, 00:16:11.620 --> 00:16:14.340 replace their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. 00:16:15.060 --> 00:16:16.560 But he doesn't choose that passage. 00:16:16.740 --> 00:16:19.820 He chooses this passage from Joel. 00:16:20.280 --> 00:16:25.180 And I think he does that because the emphasis in Joel is that the spirit is going to be on all nations. 00:16:25.580 --> 00:16:28.880 Whereas in other passages that talk about the Holy Spirit being poured out, 00:16:28.879 --> 00:16:34.200 the emphasis is more on Israel and not Israel at the expense of other nations, 00:16:34.200 --> 00:16:35.419 but it's just not as clear. 00:16:36.080 --> 00:16:39.480 And so Peter says this in Acts 2 16, 00:16:39.580 --> 00:16:42.059 but this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel. 00:16:42.860 --> 00:16:43.820 And in the last days, 00:16:43.899 --> 00:16:48.299 it shall be God declares that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh, 00:16:48.299 --> 00:16:49.500 not just Israel, 00:16:49.679 --> 00:16:51.720 but through Israel on all flesh. 00:16:52.460 --> 00:16:54.179 And so we see we are in the last days. 00:16:54.279 --> 00:16:54.820 We are in, 00:16:55.159 --> 00:16:58.860 we are presently living in this new era where the promise, 00:16:58.879 --> 00:17:00.600 promises of God are coming true. 00:17:01.299 --> 00:17:05.559 Because Christ died and was raised and was ascended, 00:17:06.059 --> 00:17:10.339 the spirit is now poured out on God's people and people of all nations. 00:17:10.940 --> 00:17:14.579 And that includes every single one of us that is sitting in this room this morning, 00:17:14.940 --> 00:17:15.960 Gentiles like us. 00:17:16.519 --> 00:17:16.940 And we, 00:17:17.099 --> 00:17:18.660 as the spirit filled people of God, 00:17:18.900 --> 00:17:20.339 we get to participate. 00:17:20.559 --> 00:17:21.799 We become key actors, 00:17:21.980 --> 00:17:26.079 key players in the drama of redemption that continues to this very day. 00:17:26.720 --> 00:17:28.720 As we're filled by the Holy Spirit, 00:17:28.880 --> 00:17:32.660 and set free from the power and the bondage of sin and death, 00:17:32.800 --> 00:17:34.760 we're empowered to bear witness. 00:17:35.800 --> 00:17:37.060 And so third and finally, 00:17:37.260 --> 00:17:41.440 we've looked at the parallels between Babel and Pentecost, 00:17:41.500 --> 00:17:44.440 and talked about what it means that the spirit is poured out on all nations. 00:17:45.360 --> 00:17:46.100 I want to look about, 00:17:46.260 --> 00:17:47.960 look at what this means for us. 00:17:48.100 --> 00:17:50.660 Talk about how this lands in our lives today, 00:17:50.660 --> 00:17:53.700 for those of us who live here and come to this church. 00:17:54.600 --> 00:17:56.039 So I want to talk about life in the spirit. 00:17:56.220 --> 00:18:00.640 And there are so many ways that we could go in talking about the life in the spirit. 00:18:00.700 --> 00:18:02.279 We should probably talk about it more. 00:18:03.019 --> 00:18:05.299 I just want to focus on one thing this morning, 00:18:05.299 --> 00:18:07.940 as we consider what the life of the spirit looks like, 00:18:07.940 --> 00:18:09.039 and what it means for us. 00:18:09.539 --> 00:18:12.500 And that one thing is just the word strangeness. 00:18:12.880 --> 00:18:17.519 There are lots of things that were very interesting to me as I was studying the passages. 00:18:18.299 --> 00:18:22.519 But the thing that just jumped out to me the most was just how strange Pentecost is. 00:18:22.619 --> 00:18:23.599 And so I want to talk about that, 00:18:23.859 --> 00:18:26.839 and acknowledge the strangeness of the life in the spirit, 00:18:26.920 --> 00:18:29.079 and talk about how we should think about it. 00:18:29.740 --> 00:18:32.519 So at Pentecost, we see some bizarre things. 00:18:33.519 --> 00:18:34.859 There's a mighty wind. 00:18:35.180 --> 00:18:38.799 There are tongues of fire that appear to be resting over people's heads. 00:18:39.420 --> 00:18:41.099 There are a group of people who are gathered together, 00:18:41.200 --> 00:18:43.180 and they're drawing a crowd because they're doing weird things. 00:18:43.220 --> 00:18:45.160 They're speaking in different languages, 00:18:45.319 --> 00:18:46.960 languages that they didn't know before. 00:18:47.519 --> 00:18:50.519 Nobody knew what to make of it, because it was really weird. 00:18:51.139 --> 00:18:52.200 Some people were amazed. 00:18:52.480 --> 00:18:54.099 Some people were perplexed. 00:18:54.539 --> 00:18:58.059 Some mocked the people because they thought that they were drunk. 00:18:58.379 --> 00:19:02.279 But everybody thought it was strange, because it was. 00:19:03.139 --> 00:19:05.579 And I think that the life in the spirit, 00:19:05.680 --> 00:19:07.079 the life that we're called to in the spirit, 00:19:07.200 --> 00:19:08.960 will always appear strange. 00:19:09.619 --> 00:19:12.319 One of the things I considered titling my sermon was, 00:19:12.619 --> 00:19:13.700 Keep Christianity Weird. 00:19:13.700 --> 00:19:13.779 Weird. 00:19:15.220 --> 00:19:17.759 And I think that, as Christians, we are weird. 00:19:18.279 --> 00:19:21.840 But we're not called to be weird for the sake of being weird. 00:19:22.420 --> 00:19:25.120 The reason why we're weird, the reason why we're strange, 00:19:25.460 --> 00:19:29.220 is because new creation sticks out in a fallen world. 00:19:30.259 --> 00:19:35.160 It's because resurrection is a strange thing in the land of the dead and the dying. 00:19:35.160 --> 00:19:38.900 The spirit-filled life, it ought to stick out. 00:19:39.420 --> 00:19:43.580 Fully alive, fully awake human beings in the spirit, 00:19:43.840 --> 00:19:47.640 we just look strange in a sleeping and a dying world. 00:19:47.640 --> 00:19:50.980 When we talk about life in the spirit, 00:19:51.080 --> 00:19:55.940 I think we often focus on the sensational aspects of the Holy Spirit. 00:19:56.400 --> 00:20:00.280 So things like healings and prophecies and miracles. 00:20:00.580 --> 00:20:02.120 And we should probably talk about those things more. 00:20:02.520 --> 00:20:05.920 I don't want to minimize them or downplay them in any way this morning. 00:20:06.880 --> 00:20:11.759 But my focus is going to be less in terms of signs and wonders, 00:20:12.080 --> 00:20:14.100 and more in terms of the fruit of the spirit, 00:20:14.259 --> 00:20:16.540 as we're talking about the life of the spirit this morning. 00:20:16.539 --> 00:20:22.279 You know, I think that healing somebody is absolutely a miracle by the Holy Spirit. 00:20:22.799 --> 00:20:24.460 But so is loving our enemy. 00:20:25.019 --> 00:20:27.379 And so we'll talk more in terms of the latter this morning. 00:20:27.819 --> 00:20:29.299 Both of them are very strange. 00:20:29.619 --> 00:20:30.779 Both of them are miracles. 00:20:31.639 --> 00:20:35.180 You know, this reminds me of the story of Les Mis. 00:20:35.500 --> 00:20:38.200 I don't know if anyone's watched the newest Masterpiece version of it. 00:20:38.240 --> 00:20:38.579 It's great. 00:20:38.779 --> 00:20:39.500 Six episodes. 00:20:40.000 --> 00:20:42.839 You can go through it in a week, probably. 00:20:43.119 --> 00:20:44.619 Susan and I watch it in like two weeks. 00:20:44.619 --> 00:20:45.720 We burn through it. 00:20:45.720 --> 00:20:48.579 So you're probably familiar with the story. 00:20:49.059 --> 00:20:51.100 One way of telling the story, it's the story of two men. 00:20:51.460 --> 00:20:53.740 Jean Valjean and Javert. 00:20:54.539 --> 00:20:58.140 Jean Valjean is a man who was kept in prison for 19 years. 00:20:58.460 --> 00:21:05.220 And he was in prison unjustly because he stole a loaf of bread to feed his starving family. 00:21:05.319 --> 00:21:08.480 He tried to escape and they just kept him in prison for a very long time. 00:21:08.480 --> 00:21:17.539 And he ends up having this really profound moment of salvation where he has extended grace by a priest. 00:21:17.740 --> 00:21:20.680 And he is very much a redeemed man saved by grace. 00:21:21.559 --> 00:21:25.259 And then you contrast, the story contrasts Jean Valjean with Javert. 00:21:26.039 --> 00:21:35.940 Javert is this police inspector who cares nothing, cares only about just cold, hard, merciless justice. 00:21:35.940 --> 00:21:44.940 And he makes it his life goal to pursue Jean Valjean because Jean Valjean lives a life on the run away from justice. 00:21:45.840 --> 00:21:50.920 And so Javert does a very good job at making Jean Valjean's life very miserable. 00:21:51.220 --> 00:21:53.440 He chases him his entire life. 00:21:53.440 --> 00:22:02.720 As the story progresses, Javert is bound by some of the revolutionaries. 00:22:03.480 --> 00:22:05.920 And Jean Valjean finds him. 00:22:06.340 --> 00:22:11.240 And he finally has the opportunity to exact revenge on him and to kill him. 00:22:11.759 --> 00:22:18.259 But rather than killing Javert, who's made his life a living hell, he decides to set him free. 00:22:18.259 --> 00:22:25.579 And really interestingly, this act of grace and this act of mercy unravels Javert. 00:22:25.819 --> 00:22:26.619 It destroys him. 00:22:26.859 --> 00:22:32.500 It ends up destroying him and he ends up killing himself, as I'm sure you know in the story. 00:22:33.319 --> 00:22:36.500 And the masterpiece version ratchets it up a little bit. 00:22:36.599 --> 00:22:38.759 You know, I'm not a Les Mis purist. 00:22:38.819 --> 00:22:39.599 I've never read the book. 00:22:39.640 --> 00:22:40.980 I've seen the play on Broadway. 00:22:41.059 --> 00:22:42.379 But I don't know if this is actually in the story. 00:22:42.380 --> 00:22:45.420 But it's really powerful in the masterpiece version. 00:22:46.320 --> 00:22:50.560 So when they're having the battle, Marius gets injured. 00:22:50.880 --> 00:22:55.500 Marius is the young man who wants to marry Jean Valjean's daughter, Cosette. 00:22:56.280 --> 00:23:01.840 And Marius gets shot and Jean Valjean rescues him through these battles. 00:23:01.900 --> 00:23:04.900 And he takes him through the sewer of Paris. 00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:05.820 And it's really disgusting. 00:23:05.940 --> 00:23:08.760 He risks his life to save young Marius. 00:23:08.759 --> 00:23:13.900 And as he escapes the sewer, Javert catches him. 00:23:14.559 --> 00:23:16.640 And the game's over for Jean Valjean. 00:23:16.740 --> 00:23:17.779 He turns himself in. 00:23:18.539 --> 00:23:23.359 And they are riding in this buggy, this carriage. 00:23:23.879 --> 00:23:26.240 And Javert and Jean Valjean are together. 00:23:26.500 --> 00:23:26.960 They're alone. 00:23:27.460 --> 00:23:29.279 And they're riding to prison. 00:23:29.940 --> 00:23:32.279 Jean Valjean has surrendered, submitted himself. 00:23:33.000 --> 00:23:35.220 And it's this really powerful scene. 00:23:35.839 --> 00:23:38.460 Javert is just staring at Jean Valjean. 00:23:38.460 --> 00:23:42.039 He doesn't understand this man who let him free when he could have killed him. 00:23:42.620 --> 00:23:47.539 And he doesn't understand this man who has risked his life for this young guy. 00:23:48.160 --> 00:23:49.240 And so Javert says this. 00:23:49.279 --> 00:23:51.680 This is the dialogue from the show. 00:23:52.440 --> 00:23:52.980 Javert says, 00:23:53.140 --> 00:23:56.779 That young man, is he a particular friend of yours? 00:23:57.539 --> 00:24:00.120 Would you say he is dear to you? 00:24:01.519 --> 00:24:02.799 Jean Valjean says, 00:24:02.799 --> 00:24:04.500 Actually quite the contrary. 00:24:05.399 --> 00:24:06.539 If that young man lives, 00:24:06.799 --> 00:24:09.960 He intends to rob me of all my happiness. 00:24:10.299 --> 00:24:12.779 Because he's going to marry Cosette, his daughter. 00:24:13.940 --> 00:24:15.619 And there's this pregnant pause. 00:24:16.419 --> 00:24:19.879 Jean Valjean, or Javert just doesn't understand this man at all. 00:24:20.440 --> 00:24:21.619 And he asks this amazing question. 00:24:21.700 --> 00:24:21.940 He says, 00:24:22.019 --> 00:24:23.059 Are you insane? 00:24:23.059 --> 00:24:27.019 And Valjean says, 00:24:27.419 --> 00:24:29.359 No, I don't think so. 00:24:30.139 --> 00:24:30.599 Are you? 00:24:31.859 --> 00:24:36.559 And I think the two characters embody two ways of being in the world, 00:24:36.679 --> 00:24:38.539 both of which appear insane to the other. 00:24:39.379 --> 00:24:41.619 Valjean embodies the way of grace. 00:24:41.619 --> 00:24:43.719 He embodies life in the Spirit. 00:24:44.699 --> 00:24:47.399 And Javert embodies the way without grace. 00:24:47.879 --> 00:24:49.579 A life without the Spirit of God. 00:24:50.139 --> 00:24:53.439 Each appears insane and strange to the other. 00:24:54.259 --> 00:24:55.500 Here's a real life example. 00:24:56.339 --> 00:25:00.419 This makes me think of the families of the nine people who were murdered 00:25:00.419 --> 00:25:04.939 in the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015. 00:25:05.639 --> 00:25:08.659 The families were gunned down during a Bible study. 00:25:08.660 --> 00:25:12.900 The shooter came in, participated in the Bible study, prayed with them, 00:25:13.000 --> 00:25:14.420 and then he killed them. 00:25:15.300 --> 00:25:18.400 And miraculously, and very strangely, 00:25:19.360 --> 00:25:24.460 all the families extended forgiveness and mercy to the murderer. 00:25:25.560 --> 00:25:28.600 The sister of one of the victims said this 00:25:28.600 --> 00:25:31.540 when she had the opportunity to speak to the killer. 00:25:32.400 --> 00:25:32.920 She said, 00:25:32.920 --> 00:25:34.540 I acknowledge that I'm very angry, 00:25:35.080 --> 00:25:38.580 but one thing that my sister always enjoyed in our family 00:25:38.579 --> 00:25:42.460 is she taught me that we are the family that love built. 00:25:43.000 --> 00:25:44.279 We have no room for hating, 00:25:44.679 --> 00:25:46.259 so we have to forgive. 00:25:47.099 --> 00:25:49.839 And I pray that God would have mercy on your soul. 00:25:50.779 --> 00:25:54.579 You see, in our fallen world that's ruled by bitterness and by vengeance, 00:25:55.220 --> 00:25:58.099 this kind of forgiveness looks strange. 00:25:58.759 --> 00:26:00.619 But this is life in the Spirit. 00:26:01.579 --> 00:26:02.699 Here are some other examples. 00:26:02.700 --> 00:26:07.360 In a culture that vilifies and demonizes those with whom they disagree, 00:26:08.299 --> 00:26:10.819 maintaining friendships and communion, 00:26:11.080 --> 00:26:13.319 despite serious disagreement, looks strange. 00:26:13.799 --> 00:26:16.680 That's one of the things that we're trying to do with the common cup. 00:26:17.620 --> 00:26:19.200 And this is life in the Spirit. 00:26:20.039 --> 00:26:22.680 In a culture full of self-righteousness 00:26:22.680 --> 00:26:25.140 and self-justifying meanness, 00:26:26.080 --> 00:26:30.660 humility and kindness and gentleness look strange. 00:26:30.660 --> 00:26:33.320 But this is life in the Spirit. 00:26:33.740 --> 00:26:36.800 In a culture that celebrates unfettered autonomy, 00:26:37.540 --> 00:26:41.840 a life joyfully yoked to Jesus Christ looks strange. 00:26:42.259 --> 00:26:44.500 But this is life in the Spirit. 00:26:45.620 --> 00:26:49.240 In a city rife with discontentment and despair, 00:26:50.360 --> 00:26:54.240 waiting patiently on the Lord in hope looks strange. 00:26:54.880 --> 00:26:57.279 But again, this is life in the Spirit. 00:26:57.279 --> 00:27:01.460 In a city marked by flakiness and broken promises, 00:27:02.399 --> 00:27:03.779 faithfulness to your word, 00:27:04.460 --> 00:27:07.500 faithfulness to relationships looks strange. 00:27:07.940 --> 00:27:10.539 But again, this is life in the Spirit. 00:27:11.519 --> 00:27:13.119 In a world, this is the last one, 00:27:13.639 --> 00:27:16.960 ruled by the law of self-preservation and self-advancement 00:27:16.960 --> 00:27:18.299 at the expense of others, 00:27:19.160 --> 00:27:22.440 a life of radical self-giving love looks strange. 00:27:22.440 --> 00:27:24.920 But this is life in the Spirit. 00:27:25.539 --> 00:27:26.720 All of these things, 00:27:27.299 --> 00:27:29.000 manifestations of the fruit of the Spirit, 00:27:29.440 --> 00:27:30.240 the life in the Spirit, 00:27:30.320 --> 00:27:32.539 they appear strange in our dying world. 00:27:33.000 --> 00:27:35.700 But they actually go with the grain of the universe. 00:27:36.600 --> 00:27:38.940 Life in the Spirit goes with the grain of the universe. 00:27:39.059 --> 00:27:40.420 It's a universe that's created 00:27:40.420 --> 00:27:43.539 and held together by the love of God. 00:27:44.360 --> 00:27:45.240 And so I think as Christians, 00:27:45.320 --> 00:27:47.059 as we reflect on the life of the Spirit, 00:27:47.420 --> 00:27:48.759 we need to acknowledge 00:27:48.759 --> 00:27:51.120 and not shy away from the strangeness. 00:27:51.119 --> 00:27:53.239 And as we embrace, 00:27:53.519 --> 00:27:54.599 or maybe better, 00:27:54.699 --> 00:27:56.619 are embraced by the life in the Spirit, 00:27:57.379 --> 00:28:00.199 we end up becoming signposts of the kingdom of God. 00:28:00.299 --> 00:28:03.779 We become images of new creation. 00:28:04.219 --> 00:28:06.359 We become lights in this dark world. 00:28:07.219 --> 00:28:08.239 It might be strange now, 00:28:08.319 --> 00:28:09.679 but it's only a matter of time 00:28:09.679 --> 00:28:12.319 when this strangeness becomes the new normal 00:28:12.319 --> 00:28:13.979 in the age to come. 00:28:14.659 --> 00:28:16.839 I want to end with a prayer of St. Francis. 00:28:16.839 --> 00:28:18.639 It's a little prayer actually in the back 00:28:18.639 --> 00:28:20.039 of the Book of Common Prayer. 00:28:20.039 --> 00:28:23.599 And it's a prayer that helps us pray 00:28:23.599 --> 00:28:25.639 about cultivating the life in the Spirit. 00:28:25.759 --> 00:28:26.740 So let's pray together. 00:28:26.740 --> 00:28:32.779 Lord, make us an instrument of your peace. 00:28:33.819 --> 00:28:36.400 Where there is hatred, let us sow love. 00:28:37.099 --> 00:28:39.200 Where there is injury, pardon. 00:28:40.339 --> 00:28:42.480 Where there is doubt, faith. 00:28:43.240 --> 00:28:45.900 Where there is despair, hope. 00:28:46.480 --> 00:28:49.099 Where there is darkness, light. 00:28:49.740 --> 00:28:52.440 Where there is sadness, joy. 00:28:52.440 --> 00:28:55.019 O divine master, 00:28:55.960 --> 00:28:58.340 grant that we may not so much seek 00:28:58.340 --> 00:29:00.880 to be consoled as to console, 00:29:01.320 --> 00:29:04.180 to be understood as to understand, 00:29:04.519 --> 00:29:07.080 to be loved as to love. 00:29:07.840 --> 00:29:09.820 For it is in giving that we receive, 00:29:10.279 --> 00:29:12.580 it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, 00:29:13.240 --> 00:29:16.059 and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. 00:29:16.720 --> 00:29:17.140 Amen. 00:29:17.140 --> 00:29:17.580 Let's pray. 00:29:17.580 --> 00:29:17.860 Amen. 00:29:19.160 --> 00:29:19.620 Amen. 00:29:20.100 --> 00:29:20.140 Amen. 00:29:20.700 --> 00:29:20.840 Amen. 00:29:20.920 --> 00:29:21.000 Amen. 00:29:21.020 --> 00:29:21.520 Amen. 00:29:21.520 --> 00:29:21.800 Amen. 00:29:21.900 --> 00:29:22.100 Amen. 00:29:22.700 --> 00:29:23.000 Amen.