What's Your Sermon? (Acts 2:1-21)

So, it is often said that preachers really only have one sermon to give. We then offer variations on that theme Sunday after Sunday. Without realizing it, preachers tend to be repetitive. Obviously, the preachers at Christ Church are an exception to this. Unless you ask my family, who delight in pointing out exactly how often I repeat myself. They tell me that I always say things like “if we’re being honest,” or “if you’re like me.” They recently told me that Hannah and I both have started opening our sermons with the word “so.” Ragan will start doing it soon, I’m sure. As for my one sermon, I suppose I always land on the grace of God. How it works, how Jesus embodied it, and how it includes everyone.  

But that’s me. What about you, what is your sermon? When your faith is at its strongest, what would you preach? If I had more room in this pulpit, I’d invite you all up here today to preach your own sermons. Because that’s really what Pentecost is all about. Pentecost, as you know, is the day the Holy Spirit arrived, with divided tongues like fire on the disciples, and their ability to be understood in foreign languages. From that moment on, the book of Acts tells us that the Christian movement exploded, with new converts being added by the thousands. We sometimes call this the birthday of the church. But there is more to the story of Pentecost. We could also call this day the birthday of preachers. And the preachers are all of you. That might sound strange, but it’s right there in the text.  

Peter was the one to explain it. He stood up to speak to the astonished crowd that had gathered. For someone’s first time to preach, this was a challenge. The crowd was divided. Some people were amazed at the events, while others scoffed and accused the disciples of being drunk. Peter’s rebuttal was that it was only 9:00 in the morning. Not the strongest counter-argument, but it was his first sermon and the Spirit didn’t give him much time to prepare. 

By all accounts, Peter did very well. He explained that the miraculous events that day were the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy. This was the prophet Joel’s vision coming to life, when God declared: “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.” That’s what happened on Pentecost. 

Did you catch that the Spirit has been poured out on all flesh? Not just on a few disciples or prophets, as was the case in the Hebrew scriptures, but now on everyone? When the Spirit is poured out, amazing things start to happen. Old people who stopped dreaming about the future a long time ago can start dreaming again. Young people inheriting a broken and divided world can share their visions of a better future (Will Willimon). And people who don’t usually have a voice at all can start to dream and speak, too. Pentecost was not just a day of events; it was the beginning of a new reality that is with us today.

Whoever you are, know that you are included in Joel’s vision. You are part of all flesh. Through the Holy Spirit, you have a voice, and it’s time to preach your sermon. The Spirit sends us all out to speak to God’s grand, inclusive, and grace-filled vision for this world. Our sermons can speak to heaven on earth, or as one author has written, we can practice paradise (Douglas Christie). As we do, the world will fill with a little more justice, mercy, and peace, and become closer to what God has in mind.

If by chance you feel unworthy to convey God’s vision, you are not alone. Any preacher worth their salt worries about this. But take heart. You have been entrusted with the message anyway, and God tends to work through the unsure. Do you remember what was going on with Peter before Pentecost? He had denied knowing Jesus three times the night Jesus was arrested. The weight of his shame must have been unbearable. And yet, the Spirit sent Peter right out into the public square to be God’s preacher to the world. If Peter could overcome his sense of inadequacy, there’s hope for the rest of us. God’s vision is too important for any of us to sit this out. 

The good news is that today, God is getting another preacher. (At the 10:30 service) In a few moments, we will welcome little Maya into God’s vision through the sacrament of baptism. As she grows, she will be listening carefully to all of us. If we preach our sermons well, she will come to know that God’s grace is for her. She will come to know God’s dream, too. She’ll learn how to practice paradise with us. As she grows, she will learn to add her own voice as God leads her. She will preach her part of God’s vision, and the world will fill with a little more justice, mercy, and peace.

Like Maya, the Spirit has entrusted us with a wildly inclusive message that everyone, all flesh, needs to hear. So let me be first to wish a happy birthday to all of you preachers. Know that the world needs your sermon. Be sure to dream big and faithfully, and prophesy well. The crowds are still pretty divided, but you’ll do fine. If Peter could do it, so can we, because the Spirit has been poured out on all flesh. Your pulpits await. Happy Pentecost.