Day of Pentecost

38:09 I think that was a special request, was it not? All the music is a special request. There have been deals going on behind the scenes I didn't even know about. Memorial Day was established three years after the Civil War in 1868. Initially, it was called Decoration Day, a time to decorate the graves of soldiers who fell in that conflict with flowers. Eventually, though, the day was expanded to honor all who have given their lives in service to this country. It remains a day when many visit cemeteries to bring flowers and to tend to the graves of loved ones. To all who will make that trip tomorrow in body or in spirit, we here at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church wish a blessed Memorial Day.

39:17 Let us pray. Guide us, O God, by your word and spirit, that in your light we may see light, in your truth find freedom, and in your will discover peace. This we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our rock and our redeemer. Amen.

39:45 On this Pentecost Sunday, we have before us two readings from the book of Acts. The first passage describes a conversation that occurs among the disciples of Jesus. They've gathered in the upper room and they are concerned having lost Judas. They are no longer 12 but 11 in number. And we pick up the dialogue as Peter, the big fisherman, describes a plan for filling the open spot in their ranks. Listen now for God's word to you as it comes to us from Acts chapter 1, beginning with the 21st verse.

41:30 This is the word of God for you, the people of God. Thanks be to God. For our second reading this morning, as is our tradition, I invite all the children in the congregation to join our own Austin Appelbach, who is in the center aisle here, so that you might listen for God's word on this Pentecost Sunday as it comes to us from Acts chapter 2. Head right on over to Austin. that's the place to be trust me Hear now this reading of Acts chapter 2 beginning with the first verse.

44:26 this is the word of God for you the people of God thanks be to God at this time our children will gather by Miss Osana over here pre-K up through the fifth grade and head downstairs for their time of church and as they head downstairs we're going to say to them may God be with you there Amen. May God be the new year.

44:59 Not every day this happens, does it, Augie? Thank you. The first chapter of the book of Acts records an uneasy moment in the life of the early church. Jesus has left the building. Christ has ascended to heaven. According to the Apostles' Creed, he's gone to sit at the right hand of the Father. This doesn't give the disciples a whole lot of comfort. Their teacher and friend is absent. Their Lord is gone. It's just us now, says Peter, Captain Obvious.

45:57 The disciples look around the room. They count noses. We used to be 12. Now we are but 11. Judas, the one who betrayed Jesus, is not here. after handing our precious Lord over to the Romans, Judas took his own life. We're down one disciple and it doesn't seem right.

46:24 First order of business, says Peter, we've got to get back to 12. We've got tradition to uphold, standards to maintain, and besides, our picnic basket has a set of 12 forks and 12 knives. We need another witness to round out the team, another soul who can testify to the resurrected one. This whole church thing is not going to work unless we get back to 12. How do we do that? How do we pick a new disciple? Well, that's a good question because up until that point, Jesus was the one who chose the disciples. Even Judas makes you think. topic for a future sermon.

47:14 Jesus tapped each one of the original 12 on the shoulder and said, come, follow. So how do you pick a replacement disciple? I can sense you leaning forward. This is the sort of thing that Presbyterians care about a lot. We love a good process. The church needs a new class of deacons, trustees, and elders. Crank up the nominating committee. Ask the congregation to submit names. Vet the candidates. Shape a balanced slate. Call the congregation together to have a vote. Not done yet. Require the candidates to go to class. Write their statements of faith. Attend retreats and get examined. Sound familiar? We're Presbyterians, by golly.

48:08 And that means we have a careful process ready to hand for this sort of thing. Decently and in order. That's how we do it here. And that's how it's always been done. Right back to the very beginning of the church. To that moment when the disciples decided to round out the crew. To fill the carton of apostolic eggs. To welcome a new number 12 into the fold. How did they do it? Well, they prayed. Good start. And after that, they threw a couple of ping pong balls in a bag. One read Joseph Barsabbas, also known as Eustace, long name to get on a ping pong ball. And the other read Matthias. Someone reached in the bag and pulled out Matthias. And the rest is history, right out of the gate.

49:02 The score for the church is random and chaotic one. decently and in order zero. Now some of you no doubt are wondering does it even matter? Come on. Matthias versus Barsabbas. Who cares if they played rock paper scissors? And you've got a point. In a way this story feels kind of like a biblical shrug. In all the good book, this is both the first and the last time that we hear about either of these two guys. Other Christian texts suggest that Barsabbas went on to become the bishop of a church somewhere south of Jerusalem. while other documents claim that Matthias went, and I quote from the well-known synopsis of Dorotheus, to preach the gospel to barbarians and meat eaters in the interior of Ethiopia.

50:09 Sidebar, I have it on good authority that this is precisely what Natalie Owens Pike told her family on receiving the call to come and serve Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church. I must go preach the gospel to barbarians and meat eaters. Pray for me. Okay, I've got a point here somewhere, and it's this. It doesn't seem to matter which ping pong ball got picked, because both Joseph Barsabbas and Matthias went on to spread the good news. They both went on to start Christian communities. And today we celebrate their efforts with all these rose petals. Today is Pentecost. It's the birthday of the church. It's the day we remember disciples of Christ, women and men, the newly minted twelve together with other believers and friends and hope mongers, those filled with the Holy Spirit running through the streets of Jerusalem, speaking about God's deeds of power in every language under the sun.

51:20 Pentecost though is more than an anniversary. It's a description of our shared calling. All Christians are urged to leave the safety of the upper room and to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. to speak grace and forgiveness, justice, love, and hope to the world. We are called to embody the good news in word and deed.

52:00 Pentecost acknowledges that this calling is not always or even mostly an easy gig. While the world needs good news, it really needs good news with its wars and shootings and toxic politics. The world needs Christ's good news like we humans need fresh air. And still Pentecost cautions us, discipleship is no picnic. You know this already, but it bears repeating. The world is not going to go out of its way to thank you for being a disciple. The book of Acts tells us that when the disciples run out into Jerusalem streets and begin speaking about God in all sorts of different languages, they encounter folk who were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, what does this mean?

52:58 But others sneered and said, they are filled with new wine. See that, says the book of Acts, the world is easily confused by people of faith. Folk cannot tell the difference between someone who is intoxicated and someone who is filled with the love of God. Our society is not sure who to trust. and this presents a challenge to the church.

53:31 A couple of years ago, one of our members told me that he had had a rough week. I said, rough? I said, how? So he went on to describe a phone call that he'd received from a telemarketer. The telemarketer wanted to come and visit. Visit? The man blasted the caller. Under no circumstances do I want a visit or a sales pitch from you. But you don't understand, said the voice on the other end of the line. This is Werner from the church. I want to come and visit you. Werner from the church? Yes. Oh, my. So the man confessed to me. My week began when I told one of our pastors to take a hike. Those shaped by Pentecost know the drill. Being from the church requires holy patience and inspired persistence.

54:34 Trying to speak the language of God's love to a hurting world can plunge us into unusual situations. My friend and church elder, Eric Daniels. Eric, are you here today? Eric's not here. Okay, good. Eric tells the story of delivering a meal from Meals on Heels to a person in Greenwich Village during the height of the pandemic. Knocking on the door of this shut-in's apartment, Eric announced himself, it's Eric from the church. I'm delivering your Meals on Heels. Don't come in, a voice shouted. I won't, Eric said, handing over the bag of lovingly prepared food with his hands encased in silicon gloves. And then there was a pause.

55:27 The door didn't immediately shut. Evidently, the voice expected a bit more. Did you bring toilet paper? No, said Erica. I didn't know that you needed any. They're out everywhere. So you'd like me to bring you some? Would you please? So Eric went off in search of that precious commodity. I like to picture the newest disciple, Matthias, doing the same thing. Chosen by Lot, commissioned by the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. I like to picture Matthias knocking on the doors of meat eaters and barbarians saying, Hello, this is Matthias from the church. From the what? The church. You know, the people that follow Jesus, our risen Lord. We don't want any.

56:21 Any of what? Whatever you're selling. I'm not selling anything. I just want to bring you some good news and some hope. Can you bring us toilet paper? Well, I suppose, yes, I can do that too. My friend Tom R., a gifted preacher, tells a similar story about Rebecca. Rebecca was a member of a church in Florida where Tom served, but she never came to worship. And one day, a deacon from the church, Peter, who was part of an every member canvas moment, went to visit her. Rebecca's yard was unkept. The shrubbery was overgrown. You couldn't see in her windows. Peter knocked on the door. It opened slightly, but the chain stayed on. Peter said, good morning.

57:15 I'm Peter from the church. A voice responded, I don't go to that church anymore. Peter said, I know, but you're still part of our family, and I just wanted to come by. I don't go there. Peter noticed that she had a coat on. It was cold, even in Florida. It was winter. The temperature was in the 30s. She was wearing a coat inside. She closed the door. Peter went back to his office. He had a space heater under his desk to keep his feet warm. As that heater cycled on and off, he thought about Rebecca. And so at lunchtime, he ran back by her house. He took the heater.

58:00 It's Peter from the church. I thought you might want this heater. Rebecca was silent for a moment. and then she said, could you show me how to turn it on? Sure. Rebecca was a hermit. She lived in a four-room house cluttered with all the stuff of her life. She had no heat, little food. Peter plugged the heater in and showed her how she could move it from the living room into the bedroom at night, it started a connection. And so every so often he would stop by. It's Peter from the church, brought you some groceries. It's Peter from the church, I thought I would trim your shrubbery.

58:51 Three years after all this began, the church held a memorial service for Rebecca. In her simple will, she left her savings account to the church, $3,211. A note attached to her wishes said, I want the church to have this. Because when everyone else had forgotten me, that man from the church wouldn't leave me alone. It's Pentecost. Today we celebrate the fact that God's answer to all the anger and the heartache and the cynicism out there is the church. Like it or not, God's response to the troubles of the world is to offer up an imperfect community filled with sinners, stumbling but still beautiful, still striving for the good.

59:57 All of which is to say God's answer is you. Don't wait, says Pentecost, for your name to show up on a ping pong ball. You, all of you, hearts of fire, Jesus-loving, spirit-charged people, You have work to do. You are called. You are called to get out there to carry good news and space eaters and toilet paper to barbarians and meat eaters and everyone else who feels abandoned by the world to spread the good news to folk who don't even realize how hungry they are for a different sort of fare. Friends, let us stand together in body or in spirit and affirm the mission of Pentecost using a portion of a brief statement of faith, which can be found in our bulletins and on your screens.

1:01:03 In a broken and fearful world, the Spirit gives us courage to pray without ceasing, to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior, to unmask idolatries in church and culture, to hear the voices of peoples long silenced, and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace. In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit, we strive to serve Christ.