"When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability." - Acts 2:1-4, NRSVWhile spending time with a friend recently, she was recalling with wonder and almost disbelief some events that had allowed a huge project to come together. It should have taken longer, unlikely people stepped up to offer help, and yet, there we stood admiring a work of art beyond our imaginations. She shook her head and said, “I think God has gone crazy!”Anyone who reads today's scripture passage might also sense a little Divine insanity. In fact, the pages of Acts are filled with encounters describing the mysterious, unlikely and seemingly impossible ways that the Spirit of God is moving beyond boundaries and expectations. God seems less concerned with maintaining order and more obsessed with creating new ways for all of creation to know and live God's all-inclusive grace and love. Should this really be that surprising and is it really anything new? Has this not been the story of scripture from the beginning? From the garden, the mountain(s), the wilderness, and the grave, has God not always been moving beyond expectations?Today is the day that Christ-followers remember and celebrate the coming of the Spirit among a gathered, yet very diverse group of people. If you follow, as we have, the prescribed scripture readings in the Revised Common Lectionary, this is not the first introduction to the Spirit. In fact, it is the last reading from Acts we will encounter during this post-Resurrection set of stories. This revers reading of Acts has surprised me; yet, today it is starting to make some sense. After hearing and being challenged to “live the story” of the Spirit's wild and almost unbelievable action over these past 6 weeks, we now move back to its initial pouring out. Perhaps, this is our opportunity to make an informed response to the Spirit's invitation. Now that we have seen and heard what the living Spirit of God is really capable of, will we really dare to allow this same Spirit to move among us? Will we accept the same Spirit that brought together Gentiles (considered outsiders) and Jews (considered insiders), that revealed strange and stirring (yet irresistible) visions, and that landed those who followed its path in prison?On this Day of Pentecost, it does appear that God has gone crazy...and, we are invited to join in. We are invited to become crazy enough to believe that God is still moving beyond expectation, leading us all to experience the transformation of our neighbor, our world and ourselves. May it be so!
