Grace Congregational UCC

“Words Not Necessary”
Romans 8:14-17
Acts 2:1-21

May 27, 2007 - Kim M. Henning

Three years ago, an exchange student from Brazil came to live with us for three months. We were honestly a little nervous before his arrival. A person never knows what could happen to the dynamics of one’s family should someone else move in. But as things turned out, Marcello was absolutely the finest, most respectful young person we could have possibly wished for.

The biggest obstacle we had was communication. Marcello spoke Portugese with just a smattering of English. I picked up Marcello in Milwaukee. I talked most of the way home. I don’t think he understand half of what I said. When Fay took Marcello grocery shopping, he mostly pointed. But word by word, his vocabulary grew.

And then came the telephone calls from his mother who spoke no English at all, and we spoke no Portugese. On several occasions Marcello wasn’t home, and there we were—stuck. She, with her Portugese spoke, and we didn’t understand a word. We would respond with the simplest of sentences like, ‘Marcello, not here,’ or ‘Marcello, not home’ which she didn’t understand. We had no words to communicate with. Do you know how awkward that feels?

“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like that of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.”

Today is Pentecost, the 50^th day after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For three years, the disciples had an abundance of words from Jesus. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are filled with, “And Jesus said..... And Jesus said..... And Jesus said......” And the crowds.... were like hungry baby Robins begging to be fed by their mother. The crowds hung on his every word. He spoke as one with authority. He did not babble. Something different there was about his ‘words.’

In fact, John uses the metaphor ‘Word’ to describe Jesus. “In the beginning was the Word.....the Word was with God....the Word was God.”

God communicated with us using words through Jesus Christ. Then Jesus was crucified. And there was silence. But then came Easter... and the words continued for forty days until Jesus’ ascension into heaven.

Jesus last words were, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

And with that, the recorded words of Jesus for the most part—ended.

Today is Pentecost.....and Heaven again had something to communicate. On Pentecost----10 days after Jesus’ ascension, the church is ‘together in one place.....and suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind.”

There are no words from God, there are no words from heaven, there are no words from Jesus Christ on Pentecost. What the church receives from God is something that sounded like ‘the rush of a violent wind’ and it was unmistakably powerful No words from God, today.....just wind.

Isn’t that odd? The most definitive activity the church receives from God on Pentecost is something like wind.

Isn’t that odd? If it had been left up to me, I would have given the church more words. Isn’t that how we human beings do things? When someone is dying.....we want to say something before they depart. When we send our children off to kindergarten, we give them some last words of instruction. When they go off to college we say something like, ‘oh, one last thing....’ And why not today? Surely there was more than could have been said to us.

Like....give us a final, definitive word against war. Or, give us a definitive word on how we might better raise our families or how we might live with our addictions. Is there a word from the Lord about the complexities of human sexuality?

But there is no speech from God today. What comes to the church is “a sound like the rush of a violent wind.” And apparently God’s communication is loud and clear today. It could be that you and I have already been ‘talked to death’ and what we truly need is power.....power from above, power within, power from God, power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus knew that words alone are not enough. At one point in his ministry Jesus said that the one and only unforgivable sin is the sin against the Holy Spirit. Jesus knew that human beings are governed from within. Jesus knew that human beings are made strong from within through the power of God. Jesus knew that human beings are made beautiful from within when God mysteriously gets inside us. .

“Come, Holy Spirit” has always been the great prayer of the church.

The wonder of Pentecost is that God comes “with a sound like the rush of a violent wind” and the church literally takes off flying. Without so much as a handbook on how to be a committed Christian; without so much as an instruction book, the church takes off with a flurry of activity....

We have, on Pentecost......the spontaneous speaking of the Gospel in foreign languages;

We have, on Pentecost......a sermon from Peter;

We have, on Pentecost......such energy coming from the early church that the town’s folk thought they were drunk with wine;

And we have, starting on Pentecost.....a movement where believers were pooling together all their money, and they prayed together and they ate together and they studied together and they worshiped together. And no one was in need. How’s that, for Holy Spirit!

Come, Holy Spirit, Come.

Last fall, one of those professional itinerant workers for one of the nuclear plants moved into our community. In fact, he lived in the motel that is directly down the hill here from the church.

Just before leaving in December, he told his story. Mike (that is not his real name) is from Connecticut. Mike hasn’t gone to church for years.....had something to do with a church fight many years ago. His relationship with his wife is almost non-existent. Mike’s mother is widowed and grieves the death of her husband every day. She has early signs of Alzheimer disease. One day, last August, Mike lay in his bed....down here in the motel....at the bottom of the hill.... and he said something like, ‘he just ached.’ Everything is so empty. Six digit income and his despair was even larger. He lay on his bed....and he looked up.....and there, he said was a church.

He came. He prayed. He worshiped. He enjoyed you. He sang. He read the Bible. Four weeks before the Monday adult study class began, he kept saying each week, ‘don’t forget me.’ He came. I ate breakfast with him a couple days before he left and all I can say is that something happened. Strong. That’s not enough of a word. Confident. That doesn’t do it either. Humble. As best as I can describe, God got a hold of him. I’m convinced it was the Holy Spirit.