05/26/2026
Sunday Sermon - Nina Miller, S.A.M
May 24, 2026 | Pentecost, a
Acts 2: 1-21; Psalm 68: 1-10, 32-35; 1 Corinthians 12: 3b-13; John 20: 19-23
Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen
John has set the scene for us this morning and in contrast to the awe and wonder of Pentecost, it is a scene of quiet intimacy.
We see the disciples, huddled together in the shadow of death, bodies tensed in fear. Then Jesus enters the scene, offering peace, offering witness to his death and resurrection. Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
And received into those bodies tensed in fear is the Spirit, releasing the tension into possibility
One of the things that stands out to me from our Gospel reading is the part of the Gospel that says:
“When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit.”
There is an alternate and maybe a better translation for the way Jesus imparts the Spirit.
“When he had said this, he breathed into them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Can you hear the difference? Can you FEEL the difference?
This alternate translation is the same use of the verb found in the Greek translation from the Old Testament in Genesis where God breathed the breath of life into the first humans.
And today, God is fire. Today, God is wind and breath.
Have you ever had the slightly embarrassing experience of receiving a gift, opening it, and realizing you have no clue what it is—let alone what you’re supposed to do with it? Or maybe you do know what it is, but you just can’t see how you will put it to good use.
There you are at a birthday party, Christmas gift exchange or a wedding shower.
Someone hands you a beautifully wrapped gift you tear off the bow, unwrap the paper, and open the box. The gift giver is eagerly watching; they obviously want you to love it, and you’re sure that you would but…
You try to think: Is this dish decorative, or are you supposed to put something in it? Or, this is a lovely one cup coffee maker but I’m not a big coffee drinker. Plus, imagine the space it will take up on my counter.
Sometimes it takes a while to figure out a gift. You never know when you might be entertaining guests and find that coffee maker will come in handy.
Some gifts just need a bit of time before their true value is discovered.
Pentecost can feel a bit like this: we know we have been given an amazing gift from God—but what exactly is it again, and what is it for?
Sure, it’s beautifully wrapped in tongues of fire and a multitude of languages, but what exactly are we supposed to do with it beyond dressing in red on Pentecost Sunday?
Each year, we hear the bewildering story from the book of Acts.
After Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, his followers gather together and wait for the gift Jesus promised would come.
This gift, they are told, will give them the power to faithfully witness to Jesus all over the world—beginning in Jerusalem, then moving out into Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
So, they wait, and wait, and wait… As the festival of Pentecost approaches, thousands of Jewish pilgrims begin arriving in Jerusalem from across the known world.
From the northeast come Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia. From the northwest come those from Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia. From the southwest and west come Egyptians and those from Libya, Cyrene, Rome, and Crete. And from the southeast come the devout from Arabia.
In this moment, Jerusalem becomes a living picture of the world—diverse in language, culture, and experience. And it is in the midst of this beautifully diverse gathering that the spark of the Holy Spirit ignites—not for show, but so the disciples will have something to say.
Suddenly, the house where they are gathered is filled with the sound of a rushing wind and with fire. The fire splinters into tongues of flame resting over their heads, and they are filled with the Holy Spirit.
And through the power of the Holy Spirit, they have something to say.
The Spirit enables them to speak, and the message of God’s saving power flows out through them in a multitude of languages—reaching every corner of that gathered community—so that everyone can hear.
It is worth noting that this is not the only way this could have unfolded. God could have united all people under a single common language. That might have been less complicated, less messy.
But, God seems to delight in the diversity of this gathering.
You see, the Holy Spirit does not erase difference; it works through it—meeting people where they are, allowing the message to arrive in their ears in their own language.
As Eric Barreto puts it, “At Pentecost, God makes a clear choice. God joins us in the midst of the messiness and the difficulties of speaking different languages, eating different foods, and living in different cultures. That is good news indeed.”
It is, in many ways, God’s boldest yes to diversity.
Today, God abolishes any hierarchy of gifts. In Christ, we all breathe in the same Holy Sprit and all express the Spirit’s gifts, each special in their wondrous variety. In Christ, we experience unity in this diversity.
We can see evidence of this in our own church. We have our quilting ministry, our food ministry, our Linens of Love, our trustees, our council, our worship team, just to name a few. For me, to make a quilt or cook a dinner for 50 plus people, you might as well be speaking to me in a different language! Give me a council meeting however, now you are speaking my language!
All parts of our church have and need their specialties and all have people who can do those things well but we are not divided into camps of those who can and those who cannot. We each do what we do to as one body, to the glory of God and to sustain our mission to love our neighbor.
At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit sends the followers of Jesus—and us— to speak a message of life and hope in ways that stretch us across cultures, comfort zones, and familiar language. It is relational work.
That is the gift we are given at Pentecost—something to say that others can hear. Now at this point some of us might be wondering: did someone save the gift receipt? Can we give this gift back?
Because bearing witness to God’s saving power, can feel like a lot of responsibility. In fact, it can feel downright overwhelming.
In American culture especially, we tend to assume that faith is a private affair—something personal, internal, contained. Something between “me and God,” safely managed and politely kept out of the way of everyday life.
But Pentecost doesn’t really leave that option on the table.
Many of us, without even realizing it, take on far more responsibility than we were ever meant to carry when it comes to sharing faith.
We begin to think that the outcome depends entirely on us—that it is our job to produce belief in someone else. But that is not our calling.
We are not asked to convert people. We are not asked to manufacture faith in another person’s heart. Only the Holy Spirit can produce faith. That work belongs to God alone.
Our calling, is to witness. To share the good news of Jesus Christ. To tell the truth about what God has done—and what God is doing in our lives.
And then—to trust. To trust that the same Spirit who moved at Pentecost is still at work today, still speaking, still breathing life, still meeting people in a language they can understand.
Bearing witness is simpler than we often make it.
It can look like offering a prayer for someone in the moment they need it.
It can sound like sharing about a feeding ministry or service project that has shaped your life. It can be as personal as reflecting on how God has walked with you through a difficult season.
Or as ordinary as giving thanks out loud—for family and friends, for the gift of a new day, for enough food on the table, and even something extra to share.
The gift of the Holy Spirit is that we have something meaningful to say about how God has met us in our lives.
So we bear witness— and then we trust the Holy Spirit to do what only the Holy Spirit can do: stir faith.
Friends, we have been given a gift. And we know what it is—and we know what it is for.
It is meant to be shared. Through a multitude of languages and expressions. In the furthest corners of the world and in the everyday spaces of your life. In a million different voices, so that every ear can hear the good news in a way they understand.
Because in that moment, the Holy Spirit fills us again with the good news of the God who steps into our world to meet us—and it is Pentecost all over again.
The disciples who once hid behind locked doors in fear were filled with the Holy Spirit and sent into the world with courage.
On Pentecost, fear gave way to witness.
Division gave way to understanding.
And resurrection hope could no longer get be contained.
The Spirit is still moving -
through acts of mercy,
Through servant leadership,
Through communities rooted in love.
Come, Holy Spirit.
