Sunday's Message - Graduating on Pentecost

During our service on Sunday, June 8, we celebrated the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, and we recognized the graduates associated with Sligo Presbyterian Church. Below is the podcast and text of the sermon. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).  You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page.

You know, today is really a special day. I mean, on one hand, we’re celebrating Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Sunday that really brings to a close the season of Easter, that time of year when we focus on why the resurrection of Jesus is or at least should be important and that reminds us that, right now, we’re living on the far side of both the cross and empty tomb. Now that’s one reason today is important. 

On the other hand, this morning we’re also recognizing some of the graduates who have a connection to our congregation. And I’ll tell you, whether it’s from high school or college or a special vocational program, graduations are really a big deal. You see, for me, they represent the turning of a page, the start of a new chapter, and the beginning of something else. And trust me, I’ve graduated enough to know. And you know, it’s interesting; every time I’ve graduated, the next day, well, it just seemed weird. 

Of course, why wouldn’t it? Before graduation, life is pretty predictable, isn’t it? I mean, there are some pretty clear goals that don’t really change a lot, you know, that sort of move us into the future without a lot of thought. My goodness, whether it’s high school or college, vocational education or basic training, our goal is to graduate, right; you know, to get the heck out of Dodge. Sure it is. And I’ll tell you, as we’re moving toward that goal, there are some very definite expectations that people have of us and we have of ourselves. In other words, regardless of what we’re doing, the folks who care about us the most want us to work hard and to stay focused and to do what’s necessary to finish the program. And it really doesn’t matter whether that takes thirteen years or a couple of months. And you know, given all that, I think there’s also some genuine comfort, you know, in our pre-graduation lives. I mean, before the “Pomp and Circumstance,” when we wake up in the morning, we pretty much know what we’ll be doing during the day, don’t we? In one way or the other, we’ll be moving toward that goal and satisfying those expectations. And you know, in that way, life is predictable. It may not be what we want, but it’s predictable.

But after graduation, everything changes, doesn’t it? Man, the predictability goes right out the window, along with those very clear goals and those very definite expectations and that genuine sense of comfort. All of a sudden, the page is turned and the chapter is finished and an awful lot of what we’ve known is at an end and something else, something unknown, something brand new stuff is about to begin. And you know, that can leave us feeling excited and scared but often just numb. I’ll tell you, based on what I’ve experienced in my own life, that’s what graduations can do.

And you know, in a real way, that same sort of thing may have been going on with the disciples on Pentecost. I mean, before that day, their lives were fairly predictable. Good night, they were disciples for crying out loud; therefore, their goal was to follow Jesus as he made his way from Galilee to Jerusalem. And as disciples, they were expected to listen to what he taught and to do what he commanded. And as to being comfortable, well, even though they were on their own for the three days between the crucifixion and the resurrection, during the rest of the time Jesus was around, they didn’t need to think about what they needed to do or to be. Their job was to follow and to listen and to do. And even after Jesus ascended, they were still kind of treading water and going about their business.

But I’ll tell you, on one particular day, man, that all changed. Just listen to what the Evangelist Luke wrote:

On the day of Pentecost all the Lord’s followers were together in one place. Suddenly there was a noise from heaven like the sound of a mighty wind! It filled the house where they were meeting. Then they saw what looked like fiery tongues moving in all directions, and a tongue came and settled on each person there. The Holy Spirit took control of everyone, and they began speaking whatever languages the Spirit let them speak.

Many religious Jews from every country in the world were living in Jerusalem. And when they heard this noise, a crowd gathered. But they were surprised, because they were hearing everything in their own languages. They were excited and amazed, and said:

Don’t all these who are speaking come from Galilee? Then why do we hear them speaking our very own languages? Some of us are from Parthia, Media, and Elam. Others are from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, parts of Libya near Cyrene, Rome, Crete, and Arabia. Some of us were born Jews, and others of us have chosen to be Jews. Yet we all hear them using our own languages to tell the wonderful things God has done.

Everyone was excited and confused. Some of them even kept asking each other, “What does all this mean?”

Others made fun of the Lord’s followers and said, “They are drunk.” [Acts 2:1-13]

Now that’s what happened. 

And you know, at that moment, everything changed, didn’t it? Everything changed for those disciples. I mean, not only was Jesus gone but they were now in the same position as everyone who graduates, and I’m talking about turning a page and starting a new chapter and ending something while at the same time beginning something else. In other words, they were moving beyond the predictable, with its goals and expectations and comfort, and moving into something new, something that was both exciting and scary. Who knows, they may have even felt a little bit numb. 

But I’ll tell you, what we can’t say is that they were passive and silent and still. No sir, as a matter of fact, they were anything but, not as they claimed this new power, power that would enable them to do the one thing Jesus Christ commanded them to do in the time between the resurrection and ascension, namely to “...tell everyone about [Jesus] in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and everywhere in the world.” [Acts 1:8b, CEV] No, instead of being passive, man, they were active, getting up and moving forward into their world. And instead of being silent, they spoke out and spoke up, proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to anyone who’d listen. And instead of being still, they demonstrated by their living the grace of the Son and the love of the Father and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit and they did it within a world that was judgmental and hateful and divided. You see, if Pentecost was like graduation day for those disciples, they moved bravely and boldly into the world around them.

And I’ll tell you something, so can we. So can we as we hear the story of Pentecost this morning. Brothers and sisters, so can we as we decide what we’re going to do with what we’ve received. You see, this morning, whether we’ve heard about the mighty wind and the fiery tongues for the first or the eighty-first time, right here and right now, everything has changed, because the same Spirit that descended on Jesus when he was baptized and that rested on those disciples at Pentecost, take it to the bank, that same Spirit is on us, which means the old predictability is over. The old goals and expectations and sense of comfort have changed. In other words, as we look at our lives, man, the page has been turned and we’re starting a new chapter and we’re on the threshold of something else, something exciting and scary, and something that we can claim and live. Now that’s where we stand. 

And so, let’s follow the example of those disciples who experienced the exact same thing we’re experiencing right now. I mean, like them, let’s be active, not content to hide behind thick walls and stained glass, but rather, be ready and willing and able to get off our pews and move forward into our world, and I’m talking about our communities as inspired followers of Jesus Christ. We can be active. And since we’re out there, following the examples of Christ and the disciples, let’s speak out when we’re face to face with hypocrisy and arrogance and hatred and when we hear lies being presented as truth and needs being confused with wants and when we’re ready to affirm that “the Scriptures say, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.’ They also say, ‘Love your neighbors as much as you love yourself,’” [Luke 10:27b, CEV] only to hear someone in the back of the room say, “But ‘who are my neighbors?’” [Luke 10:29b, CEV] And let’s also speak up: speak up for honesty and humility and mercy and speak up for what’s right even if it’s not popular and for what’s generous even if it’s not profitable and speak up in gratitude for the one whom we trust and in service to the ones whom our world often ignores. Man, we can speak out and speak up. And let’s decide, right here and now, to demonstrate by our living what is means to be guided by grace and what it means to show love and what it means to value fellowship and to demonstrate this within a world that seems every bit as judgmental and hateful and divided today as it did two thousand years ago. We can demonstrate our faith. You see, let’s view today, Pentecost 2025, as our graduation day and then move into our world both bravely and boldly. 

Of course, I recognize that, right after receiving a diploma, most graduates may not feel ready to be all that brave and bold. For example, last Sunday, after the service, I asked Clara how she felt on the morning after her graduation. And you know what, she didn’t say excited and she didn’t say scared and she didn’t say numb. She said, “Tired.” Well, I’ll tell you, I think feeling that way, man, it’s appropriate. I mean, after working so hard and so long, it just makes sense to pause for just a little while before moving on to the next page and a new chapter and, of course, something else. And even though Luke doesn’t mention anything like that happening to the disciples after the coming of the Holy Spirit, I think we might feel the same sort of thing as we move into the world with our spiritual diplomas. In other words, if we’re honest with ourselves, we might feel a little tired too. But you know, after we’ve rested for just a little bit, let’s make the decision to claim the power that’s already resting upon us, and I’m talking about that inspiration we already have. And then, let’s become active. And let’s speak out and speak up. And then let’s demonstrate exactly what it means to follow Jesus Christ. In other words, let’s view Pentecost 2025 as our graduation day.