Sermon - Acts 2:1-21

<p>Early in the morning, there was the rush of a mighty wind.   Straight line, hurricane force winds were so strong the large white pine tree in our front yard was knocked down and one very large branch abruptly crashed through our roof, landing on our living room floor.  Trees were toppled throughout the city, hundreds of buildings and vehicles were damaged and power was down throughout most of Muskegon county.  It was Sunday morning, May 31, 1998.  I will always remember worship on that day.  Without electricity, we sang hymns by candlelight.  And, most memorably, accompanied by piano and not organ, the choir sang one of the great choral pieces from <em>The Creation,</em> by Franz Joseph Haydn. That Sunday, May 31, 1998, will be forever etched in my memory because it was also Pentecost Sunday, a celebration of the outpouring of God’s Spirit in the world.  And, the Spirit of God was very present as we gathered for worship on that extraordinary morning.</p> <p>Today, on this Sunday, May 31, 2020, we again celebrate Pentecost, and I am reminded of that morning twenty-two years ago. I am reminded of the great, destructive, mighty winds, that blew through our community.  Powerful wind, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunami waves – they all fascinate us.  But, nothing really prepares us for the degree of power displayed in these forces of nature as they tear apart our lives.  Destructive power of this magnitude leaves behind unrecognizable landscapes and devastated communities.  And, when we experience such power, life changes.  In an instant the world is turned upside down by a tremendous release of energy through wind, water, air, fire, or earth. </p> <p>Another power, a <strong>creative</strong>, life-giving power of a very different dimension and magnitude informs our faith.  It <strong>is</strong> <strong>also</strong> a power that changes lives, but in a very different way.  This is the power the disciples experienced on the day of Pentecost.  This is the power that was received by a s