Pentecost / Youth Sunday: An Inspiration Conspiracy

Scripture can be found here

Today is Pentecost! Today we celebrate the birthday of the church.

 

We’ve just heard a reading from our young people that tells us that, after Jesus rose from the dead, after Jesus ascended into heaven, and no one could see him anymore, his friends were waiting all together in one room.

 

Have you ever had to wait for something… or someone?

 

Jesus had told his friends that God would send the Holy Spirit, but… not all of us know what that means.

 

They were waiting, but they weren’t actually sure what they were waiting for.

 

So when the Spirit came, the first thing it looked like, was Wind: Wind, which blows and we hear the sound of it, but we do not know where it comes from, or where it goes.

 

The Spirit is like that. You can’t see the Spirit. But you can see what the Spirit does.

 

The next thing the Spirit looked like was Fire: Fire gives us warmth, and fire gives us light. Fire can light a spark.

 

The Spirit is like that: The Spirit can warm our hearts. The Spirit can help us to see more clearly the way things are, and the way things should be. The Spirit can light a spark—the Spirit can inspire us—you can even see it in the word: In-Spire. The Spirit coming in.

 

The third thing the Spirit looked like was talking, communicating. Sharing important news. Telling people what we think, what we feel, what we believe.

 

The Spirit is like that: The Spirit helps us to communicate so that we can understand each other. The Spirit gave Jesus’ friends the ability to speak in new languages, languages they didn’t know before. The Spirit made that happen because it was important that Jesus’ friends could share the Good News, which boils down to: Jesus loves you. God loves you. And because we experience that love, and trust in that love, we can get together and make the world a better place.

 

Crosby read the last part of our scripture passage, and I want to make sure everyone noticed what he read: He talked about prophesying. I want everyone to understand what “prophesy/ prophecy” means. It means, telling the truth, especially telling the things God wants everyone to know.

 

That reading explained that everybody can prophesy, everybody can tell God’s truth, because God sends the Spirit to everyone.

 

Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
    Your young will see visions.
    Your elders will dream dreams.

No matter your gender. No matter your age. No matter the color of your skin. No matter who you love. No matter if you are famous, or if you live a quiet, private life. You can receive the Spirit and share God’s truth. You can be part of making the world a better place. You can be part of the Inspiration Conspiracy.

 

Now, I know the word “conspiracy” sounds like it’s a bad thing. I’m watching a TV show about a conspiracy to break into an office to find out someone’s secrets, in order to hurt them. Conspiracy means, working together—but it’s not always something bad. The word that means Spirit can also mean Breath. Conspiracy literally means “breathing together,” being close, which, I know… these days is complicated.

 

But Pentecost is the start of an Inspiration Conspiracy. People who love and follow Jesus receive the spirit—inspiration—so that they can start working together to make the world a better place—a better-world conspiracy.

 

And it starts right here. It starts right now.

 

On the front of your bulletin, you will see a big heart—it’s a word cloud I made from all the different words I could find for the Holy Spirit. I want to ask you to hang onto your bulletin, and maybe put that heart on your refrigerator. Talk about those words with your family. See all the ways the Spirit can be with us.

 

God sends us the Holy Spirit, and the church is born.

 

God sends us the Spirit, and even though the Spirit is invisible,

we can see what the Spirit does.

 

God sends us the Spirit, and our hearts are warmed,

and we can see everything just a bit more clearly.

 

God sends us the Spirit, and all of us,

young and old, of every gender, of every race,

are invited to share the Good News of God’s love.

 

Thanks be to God. Amen.