Imagine you are one of the disciples. The resurrection of Jesus and his subsequent appearances to the disciples hasn’t done much to quell their fears, but they are doing as they are told, gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem waiting for something to happen. Since Jesus’ ascension, they have been praying together. Maybe praying to relinquish any fear they might still hold, maybe for guidance and direction, maybe for the Advocate Jesus promised them would show up.
Then the howling like wind moves over them, 
flames light over them, the Holy Spirit fills them and they begin to talk about Jesus in languages foreign to their tongue but music to the ones gathered around. They have crossed the barriers of culture and language to witness to the ways of Jesus, to testify to their own faith.
Peter’s impassioned speech explaining who Jesus was, and what Jesus brought to those who listened to him and followed him. His impassioned invitation to be baptized and be filled with the Holy Spirit. If you were there, what might your reaction be? Fear, excitement, amazement, trepidation? Would the energy of that Pentecost day capture you?
I imagine Pentecost was like a mountain top experience, a thin place experience if you will for many there. To be filled with awe and amazement at this Jesus they speak of, to see the disciples be filled with the Holy Spirit, to be connected to God in such a deep and different way. But notice the wind quit howling, the flames died out, perhaps the Holy Spirit became quieter, and the disciples and the new Jesus followers birthed a new way of being community. They birthed a new church if you will.
The last verses of Acts 2 are these: The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the community, to their shared meals, and to their prayers. A sense of awe came over everyone. God performed many wonders and signs through the apostles. All the believers were united and shared everything. They would sell pieces of property and possessions and distribute the proceeds to everyone who needed them. Every day, they met together in the temple and ate in their homes. They shared food with gladness and simplicity. They praised God and demonstrated God’s goodness to everyone. The Lord added daily to the community those who were being saved.
They left the upper room and went into the outer world, leaving the mountain top to engage in community-building, hospitality and radical welcome. They looked for the Holy Spirit in their work. They prayed together. They praised God together. They ate together. They welcomed all who came. They acted so differently from the outer world that many times they had to hide their gatherings. But that difference is what drew people to this new way of being church, of being a community of faith.
Pentecost is all about the birth of something new. What are we birthing that is new? Last week’s Mission Study retreat revealed a great deal of enthusiasm and desire to go into the outer world and birth something new. To leave the physical structure and focus on developing and nurturing relationships, partnering and collaborating with others to do mission activities, and to build coalitions for advocacy for our siblings who need advocates.
What questions might we need to ask ourselves as we begin to focus more on this outer world? What barriers of custom, tradition and even language might we need to cross for our Jesus story to be understood and embraced? What fears do we need to let go of? How do we need to gather in prayer and in praise of God? What might need to be different? There are lots of questions to explore as we too are birthing a new way of being a community of faith. Let’s let that howling wind and the fire of the Holy Spirit inspire and move us in the ways God is calling us to be a new community of faith. May it be so. Amen.