Rev. David Gilbert tells the story about a best man who asked him at a wedding reception to help him keep an eye on the gift table, adding, “There are a few people here the newlyweds don’t trust around all that money.” “Why on earth were they invited?” he asked. Looking at him as if he were nuts, the best man replied, “They’re family!”

WITH STRINGS ATTACHED! So many things in life come that way, though it’s not always a bad thing. Our identity as Disciples of Jesus Christ comes with strings attached…in the guise of God’s indwelling Spirit. The HS not only births the church into existence, it powers us up for:
• Bold Proclamation and
• Dangerous living!

Our scripture reading comes from Acts 2:1-21.
The word of God for the people of God….

Prayer: Come Holy Spirit; fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created and you shall renew the face of the earth. Amen.

Before you sit down, I’m going to ask that just the mothers be seated at this time.  Please join me in a standing ovation for the mom’s among us this morning!
I’ve got two questions for you this morning.
1) Are you committed?
Verse 4 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
I want to share with you a prayer concern: Jane Eaves was here last Sunday (at the 11 o’clock service) to hear her granddaughter, perform in the children’s musical. On Monday Jane drove to bank to meet the buyer of her car. She and her husband, Joe were to leave the very next day for Mississippi to begin their retirement. On the way to the bank, someone on shoulder of the Toll road pulled out in front of her and she ended up totaling her car and in the hospital with a broken back. On Wednesday, Jane had back surgery at Medical City, and I told her I would ask you to pray for her.

Sometimes life throws a curve ball! What you do with it will be a defining moment for your life. Jane for her part is optimistic,  “I’m busy making lemonade!”

According to our scripture reading, something happened that day that turned this group of down-and-out misfits into a force to be reckoned with; something that took this group of men cowering behind closed doors for fear of their lives, to bold proclamation and dangerous living! That something is Pentecost!
But to understand Pentecost we need to briefly revisit one of Israel’s most ancient of faith narratives; the Tower of Babel. Know the story? The people God created decide to build a tower to honor their accomplishments. They became so proud of what they could do that they put themselves on the same level as God, believing they could build a tower so high they can use it as a stairway to heaven; the dwelling place of the Most High, that is until God intervenes.

For the Ancients, Babel explained why there are diverse languages, ethnic identities and geographic boundaries; put in place by God to thwart human pride, arrogance, and our vain attempt to contain or control God.

So what does this have to do with Pentecost? Pentecost is Babel flipped on its head. In Pentecost God reestablishes a shared language (everyone hears the Gospel in his or her own tongue). In Pentecost God’s Spirit dissolves the geographical, national, and ethnic boundaries that keep us apart.
Galatians 3:28, “In Christ there is neither slave or free, male or female, Jew or Gentile…but all are one in Christ.”

If Babel symbolizes the exaltation of humanity (our desire to be like God), Pentecost symbolizes the humility of God, God’s compassion and grace, in coming down to our level…to be “there for us.”

“If I do not go away, the parakletos (literally, the helper) shall not come to you,” says Jesus to his followers in John 16:7.
The Parakletos, God’s indwelling Spirit is the gift of Pentecost and it’s in you! And if you take Jesus at his word, then the same Spirit that incited Mother Teresa to pull dying, feces covered, lepers from the gutters of Calcutta, to lovingly wash their wounds, clothe and feed, and nurse them until their last breath escaped their lips (that same Spirit) is in you!

And one thing in particular sets loose this hound of heaven in your life; “Commitment.”

Kay Connelly, one of our members has terminal cancer. Doctors say she has weeks to live and Hospice has been called in. Her son, Tim, just completed his training to be commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in the Army. Next weekend, is his commissioning service and it’s a really big deal. But Tim made a really big decision (and I share this with you with his family’s permission). He decided that it was more important for him to be with his mom during the last few weeks of her life then to attend his commissioning ceremony. And I can’t tell you how proud I am of him.

The truth is, Tim could attend his commissioning and still demonstrate his love for his mom, but in his mind, he couldn’t continue to go on with “life as usual” and still honor his commitment to family.

It’s so tempting to compromise what’s most important to you to “get your cut of the pie.”
But commitment is a clear focus on what you want your life is to be about and then reorganizing everything in your life around that one thing. Are you committed?
2ndly) To what are you committed?

Vs. 14-16
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. 16No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
Our commitment define us. So here’s a question for you…So I’ve got a challenge for you. What do your top five commencements tell you about who you are, about what matters most to you, and what you want your life to stand for?

There have been times when I’ve worked backward from a commitment and didn’t end up I expected; with what matters most to me, or what I want my life to stand for.
I called my mom to wish her a happy Mother’s Day. We’ve come a long way since she first checked out on our family to pursue a career in acting. I realize now that my mom was committed; she was just more committed to her dream of being an actress then she was in being a young wife and mother.

And so I’ve learned to love my mom for who she is and not hate her, for who she isn’t. That may be one of the most important lessons in life God has to teach us; to love people for who they are, instead of hating them for who they are not!
We’re all committed to something. The question is, IS IT WORTH IT?

C.S. Lewis once said, “There are only two kinds of people in the end; those who say to God, “Thy will be done,” and those to whom God says (in the end), “Thy will be done.”
What does a commitment to Jesus Christ look like?

Vs. 17  and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions; your old men shall dream dreams.
Did you catch how Peter describes the Church experiencing Pentecost? Visions, dreams, divine revelations….This is about God being in the world and people tapping into that presence in such a profound way it causes them to see, speak, and even work for God’s purpose in the world (24/7).

Dawnie Dahir, who headed up our Adult Mission Trip to Greensburg last year has a vision for taking a group of members to Guatemala in the Fall. She’s already recruited 11 people to go!  And if you asked Dawnie why do this…she will tell you, Because God said “Go.”  (I know because I did and that’s what she said.)
Visions, Dreams, Revelations…Everything that this church does started with one of our members having a dream, vision or revelation. That’s the church experiencing Pentecost!

Are you committed? To What are you committed?

I received a voice mail this morning from Ryan Baugardner. Jennifer delivered a baby boy yesterday. Eric Matthew is the newest member of Holy Covenant!

This Capital Campaign is a result of the visions, dreams and revelation of our members to prepare this church for the future so the members of tomorrow (like Eric) can have a safe, inviting, and warm place to call their church home; to learn about God’s love in Jesus, and to be sent forth in radical ministry to the world. Thank you for doing your part to make this happen!

Pray with me, “God, we come to your table to share in common the bread and wine of your love.  Here we celebrate our oneness as your children. Here we proclaim the obliteration of all that is unholy in our world; hunger, death, hate, war, an d prejudice. Here we confess our brokenness and find healing, and here we set forth as those prepared to live; dangerously and bolding proclaiming the good news of your love in Christ. Amen.