Like a Mighty Wind – May 24, 2026, Pentecost – Eddington Presbyterian Church

Joel 2:21-29, Acts 2:1-21
May 24, 2026

Several times last week, I said that the disciples had no idea what was about to happen to them – or to the world, for that matter! Of course, we know! We know the story of Pentecost – like we always know the story! But what we don’t know is the sense of “shock and awe” in that moment. We don’t know what it was like for these guys to experience what happened that day! As the old expression goes, “You had to be there!” Right?

But the thing is, they knew something was going to happen. Or at least they were told something was going to happen! But even so, I wonder how much they accepted it. Remember, they were told Jesus would die and rise again – they were told several times! But they didn’t accept that very well, either, did they!

So yes, they were told about this event, too! In the Upper Room, Jesus said, “I will be leaving you soon, but I will send you another counselor – the Holy Spirit.” Remember that? Then, just before the Ascension in Acs 1, he said, “Before many days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” So they knew they were waiting for something. But they had no idea what that “something” would be.

But then, there was this sound, like the rush of a mighty wind! Then, they saw the flames of fire. Then, their tongues were unleashed, and they spoke the languages of the world. And the world would never be the same again!

So the question is, can we even begin to imagine what that was like that day? That’s the feeling in our first song for this morning. It’s a song about trying to imagine what it will be like when we are with our Savior in heaven. Can we use that same imagination, to try to imagine this event – Pentecost?

I think all of the descriptions and depictions of this even have probably fallen short! But we can try to imagine it. There was this sound, there were flames, and the great works of God were spoken of in many languages. And there was this multitude of people, who were in Jerusalem at the time, who came out from their houses, from all the surrounding streets, and from all of the places they were staying, to find out what was happening!

The crowds were there for Pentecost already. Because Pentecost was already a “thing.” It was a Jewish celebration, also known as Shavuot. It took place 50 days after Passover. Hence the name, “Pente-cost.” It was originally a harvest festival, but by this time it had become a celebration of the giving of the Law – the Torah – on Mount Sinai. And it had become one of the great pilgrim festivals that happened throughout the year, where the Jewish people and their converts would come to Jerusalem from all over the region to celebrate.

So a great crowd gathered that day. And they heard these disciples speaking in all of these languages – languages they didn’t know! And then they heard Peter speak. Peter, this rough-hewn fisherman, this man who their religious leaders had probably called a “disciple” with sarcasm in their voices! (And maybe even air-quotes!) Here he was now, preaching what’s considered to be the very first Christian sermon! And in that sermon, he was telling them what had happened 50 days before – at the time of their Passover. And, of course, he was telling them what had become of this man, Jesus. And I’m sure that many of the people in that big crowd, had also been part of the other big crowds that went out to hear Jesus himself! Now, they were finding out that his story wasn’t over! It was only just beginning.

So, I hope we can try to imagine this today. I hope we can remember – as I’ve said before – that “God has a great flair for the dramatic!” “When God starts something, he really starts something!” Do you remember me saying that? Well, that’s what’s happening here! Here, God is making great use of my favorite punctuation mark – the exclamation point! (Even though I don’t think they had those things in those days!)

So I’d like us to try to imagine this. I’d like us to try to get some sense of the magnitude of this event. And I want us to do so first of all so that we do see how important it was, and how it was the beginning of the great age of the Church. But I’d also like us to try to imagine this so that we can remember that we worship a God who still has such power – in our world, and in our lives. Oh he may not choose to do such dramatic things as these in our lives – but then again he may! But whether he does or not, we have to know that he has the power to do so.

The other thing I want us to take away from this story is that we never know what God is going to do in our lives. These guys didn’t know. But they were anticipating something. And I think we need to be living in anticipation of something, too! Though we might not know what that something is.

Any C. S. Lewis fans out there? Do you remember his book, “Surprised by Joy”? Well, in that book, Lewis pointed out that the Greek word for “Joy” literally means “The good surprise.” When we live our lives in God’s joy, there is within that joy, the element of surprise. We never know what he’s going to do in our lives, but we live in anticipation. And that’s were our joy comes from!

We need to think that way. Because we do tend to live each day, just as it comes. Don’t we? We do tend to live and to think in 24 hour increments. Oh, maybe we have a sense of the next few days – if we have things on our calendar, but we’re often focused on the here and now. And in a way, that’s not bad. Even Jesus said “Let each day’s worries be sufficient for the day!” And I think that’s a good way of thinking about things. Because those worries can pile up and overwhelm us.

So, “Let each day’s worries be sufficient for the day.” “But,” I think Jesus would also say, “Don’t let each day’s promise be sufficient for the day.” That’s different! In other words, “Look to God’s promise, which is new each day, but also looks forward!” God’s promise – God’s hope – keeps us looking for things to come. It helps us live in anticipation of his “good surprise.” And ultimately, it keeps us thinking ahead to the day when his “kingdom comes” – which we pray for every week in that prayer.

That’s the way we, as God’s people, seek to live. Otherwise, our vision does tend to shrink, and we do end up just focusing on the “daily grind.” And that’s not what God wants for us. He wants us to live in anticipation. Because living in anticipating gets us thinking “kingdom-wise.” I believe the disciples were doing that. They were anticipating. They were ready for what was about to happen to them, though they had no idea what it would be!

There’s a verse in the book of Proverbs that tells us how important this is. It says, “Without vision, the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18) And of course, that “vision” meant “God’s vision,” or “God’s guidance.” (If God gives you his vision, that includes his guidance, doesn’t it?) That’s the vision Jesus was trying to give the disciples in anticipation of this event.

There are many people in our world today who have lost that vision. There are many who are mired in that “daily grind.” They’re overwhelmed by the worries of the day that have built up in their lives. And they have no sense of God’s “vision.” We need to remember that vision. Or we need to recapture it. And celebrating Pentecost does that for us!

So, as you think about this event – Pentecost, think about those disciples, how they knew something was going to happen, though they couldn’t imagine what it was going to be. And whether or not we know what’s going to happen in our lives, we can seek to live like them. We can seek to live anticipating!

We can do that, can’t we? We do anticipate things in our lives. We set events and anniversaries on our calendars. And we can get excited thinking about them as they approach. But if you think about it, they’re usually things we expect! Again, these guys were anticipating – they were waiting – but they didn’t know for what!

So, I was thinking this week, what if, on your calendar, one of the upcoming events simply said, “Something God’s gonna do!” You don’t know what that’s going to be. It’s just the words, “Something God’s gonna do.” That’s essentially what these guys were waiting for. “Something God’s was going to do.” And they had no idea the magnitude of what it was going to be!

So, imagine if your calendar said that. “Something God’s gonna do.” It could be something simple, something that’s surprising, something that gives you that quiet sense of Joy. But then again, it could be something that blows through your life, like a mighty wind!

Prayer

Eternal God, help us to have your vision. Help us to anticipate you working in our lives, and showing us glimpses of your kingdom each day. Help us to be aware of your hand in all of the world around us. And help us to live in joyful anticipation of your kingdom in our midst. For we pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.