You Can't Hide Happy, May 24, 2015

You Can’t Hide Happy

Pentecost

Acts 1:1-9, 2:1-4

May 24, 2015

Grace Presbyterian Church

Rev. Dr. Richard E. Miller

 

A Swiss Party  Fourteen years ago, I was on a Mennonite Heritage Tour in Switzerland. One warm evening, a group of us were walking down the street in the small Swiss village of Lützelflüh where some of my ancestors once lived. As we passed by the entrance to the town pub we could hear boisterous singing, peals of laughter, a bit of yodeling, and lively music. We paused in front and since the door was open, we could look directly into the bar area. The patrons saw us and immediately ran out to greet us. The joyous mood of the Swiss, fueled perhaps by bottled spirits, was catching and soon we were dancing with perfect strangers out on the street. I even tried yodeling! Anyone who walked by could see and hear happy. 

You Can’t Hide Happy   Some weeks ago, Bob Denison told me Josh had accepted the invitation from the PNC to be their candidate as pastor here at Grace. Bob then asked, “Should I say anything yet at session?” My reply was simple. I said, “Bob, you will be beaming from ear to ear. They will know you have found a pastor for Grace just by looking at you.” In other words, he couldn’t hide happy.

And of course last Sunday, when you elected Josh to be your pastor, happiness was bouncing off the walls and ceiling of the sanctuary. As you welcomed Josh back into the sanctuary after the vote with a standing ovation, I didn’t see a single person that wasn’t smiling. You couldn’t help yourself. After all, you can’t hide happy.

 

Pentecost About 2,000 years ago, another event took place where you couldn’t hide happy. It is called Pentecost. A brief background of this event will be helpful. For forty days after the resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples and followers at least eleven times. His last interaction took place in Jerusalem with ten of his disciples. After commissioning them to preach repentance and forgiveness in his name, he said that they should remain in Jerusalem because in a few days they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

The disciples had heard about the Holy Spirit coming from reading the prophet Joel where God said, “In the last days it will be that 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.” [Joel 2:28ff]

Now Jesus was saying that the time of the coming on the Spirit as told in Joel was very near. Jesus then walked with his disciples a short ways to Bethany where he blessed them and then ascended into heaven.

Waiting  And so for ten days the ten disciples waited. Waiting with them were 110 of Jesus’ followers. Finally, on the tenth day, a great wind filled the house in which they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared and rested on each of them. And they began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them ability.

It is no wonder that some of the observers made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine!” But Peter stood up and refuted such an accusation by saying, “These are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only 9 o’clock in the morning.” The Spirit simply had come and filled their hearts and they couldn’t hide their happy!

Wind, Fire and Tongues  As you can see, the manner in which the Spirit came to the followers of Jesus was quite dramatic to say the least. The Book of Acts mentions the following startling events:

A sound like the blowing of a violent wind filled the house in which they were staying. It entered the house easily since there were no window panes to heed its progress. The wind likely sounded much like the sound of a tornado.

 

 

The fact that the Spirit came as a great wind is significant because the Hebrew word for wind is “ruach” which also is translated breath and Spirit. Ruach was the word used for breath in Genesis where it says, “The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” [Genesis 2:7] When talking with Nicodemus, Jesus said, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” [John 3:8] Throughout the Bible, the wind of God brings life-giving breath and spirit to all of creation. In like manner, at Pentecost, when the Spirit came as a mighty wind, the Spirit also filled the hearts and minds of the followers, giving them a new life in the Spirit, clothing them with power from on high.

Fire and Tongues  In addition to the mighty wind that came into the room, the followers also saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that came to rest on each of them. Whereas wind cannot be seen but quickly felt, the flames of fire are always visible. Fire moves and consumes and always produces change, good or bad.

Like wind, breath and Spirit, God’s association with fire is common throughout the scriptures.

For instance, God called Moses from a burning bush. [Exodus 3:2-4]

God led the Israelites through the wilderness with a moving cloud by day and fire by night. [Exodus 13:21]

God descended to Mount Sinai in fire. [Exodus 19:18]

At Pentecost, it was the fire of the Holy Spirit that entered the hearts of the followers to such an extent that they were permanently changed inwardly.

Speaking in Other Languages Having been filled with the wind of the Spirit and touched with the fire of the Spirit, each of the 120 men and women began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them. Since Jerusalem was filled with people from many nations who spoke many different languages, it amazed them to hear the wonders of God declared in their own language. The good news of Christ became understandable to all peoples. As a result of the wind, fire and tongues, the Church was born and has continued to be energized by the wind and fire of the Holy Spirit even to this day.

Why Happy at Pentecost  So why were the followers of Jesus happy at Pentecost? Because Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit had come true. He had told them that the Holy Spirit would come to them and now it had happened. And being filled with the Spirit caused them to rejoice. They could not hide their happy.

However, what does Pentecost mean to us today?

Church was created by God not humans. Sometimes we act as if we think that Simon Peter called a meeting of the New Church Development Committee of the Presbytery and said, "Now we are here today to talk about whether or not we ought to start a Church." They discuss that for a while, wondering where they’re going to get the money to buy the land and erect a building and who is going to be the first pastor. But finally James makes a motion that they start a Church. John seconds the motion, and they vote ten to two to go to the First Israelite Bank of Jerusalem to get a loan and to write a Church Information Form so that they can hire a New Church Development pastor.

However, it didn’t happen that way did it? The wind that swept through the house came from heaven, not earth. It is therefore God’s Church, not ours.

Purpose of the Church is to communicate the forgiveness, hope and love of God to the world. The gift of tongues at Pentecost symbolizes the intention of God that his Church include everyone no matter where they live or what language they speak. The church is to reach out to people where they live and find a way to tell them about Jesus in a way that they can understand. And believe me, the citizens of Jefferson County speak many different languages. I’m not just talking about ethnic languages of other nations. I’m talking about the difference of our culture and age. The difference in vocabulary between my generation and young adults is astounding. For instance, last December I was sitting around the supper table listening to my 19, 22, 25 and 30 year old grandchildren discussing their favorite music, movies and performers. After listening for about five minutes, I realized that I hadn’t the foggiest idea of what they were saying or who they were talking about. It was just as though they were speaking a foreign language as far as I was concerned.

 

Communicating to All  How to convey the gospel to youth and young adults who are immersed in a different culture in a language they not only understand but to which they respond is one of the great communication challenges facing the church today. Last Sunday you called a 35 year old pastor who can speak many languages - that of teens and young adults as well as the speech of us senior citizens. You indeed are right in being filled with happy.

Filled with Happy  But you cannot leave it all to Josh. I repeat - you cannot leave it all to Josh. But you can work with Josh as the body of Christ at Grace Presbyterian where every member is needed and every member is treasured. Last year, I challenged each of you to invite someone to attend worship or a special event here at Grace. Some of you did just that. Now you have an even better reason. Invite them to come and meet Josh and his family. Invite them to hear Josh preach. As you do this, you should be filled with such happiness that anyone who meets you will wonder what your secret is. Unfortunately, sometimes we live up to our Presbyterian reputation of being the frozen chosen who have been weaned on pickles. 

Erma Bombeck tells the story about a little boy at church with his mother. He was a good little boy, quiet and well behaved. He didn’t cause any problems. But every once in a while he would stand up in the pew, turn around, look at the people behind him and smile at them. His smile was infectious, and soon everybody behind him was starting to smile back at him, too. It was all going fine until the mother realized what the little boy was doing. When she did, she grabbed him by his ear and twisted it a bit, told him to sit down and remember that he was in church. Then he started sniffling and crying, and she turned to him and said, "That’s better."

 

Some of the non-churched of our society have the impression that if they came to church it would be all gloom and doom, hell fire and damnation, and that they would be condemned as being the worst of sinners. But the church is not a sanctuary for saints - it is a haven for sinners. The fact is - Jesus came that we might have life and have it abundantly! And Paul wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, Rejoice!”

How happy are you that Christ is your Lord and Savior? And how much do you allow that happiness to spill over to others? If you allow the Holy Spirit to fill your life with happy, then your inward happy will cascade over everyone you meet. Remember, you can’t hide happy when you’re baptized with the Spirit.
Acts 2:1-9, 2:1-4 NRSV

In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over the course of forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. ‘This’, he said, ‘is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’

 

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.