"The Party's Not Over"    San Williams, UPC

Acts 2:1-21

More than two decades ago, a packet of materials circulated among Presbyterian Churches that was simply called The Party.   This material announced that the time had come to rescue Pentecost from its obscure place in the church year. Presbyterians were encouraged to make Pentecost Sunday fun, exciting, a special day in the life of the church. Accordingly, suggestions were given for incorporating drama, upbeat hymns, a spirited sermon, a rousing anthem, and so on.  Pentecost, we were told, should look and feel like a party—the Birthday Party of the church.

 One of the suggestions for the party was to splash the sanctuary with the color red.  Red symbolizes the flames of fire that appeared over the disciples’ heads at the first Pentecost.  Luke, who narrated this story, probably wants us to connect the flames of fire at Pentecost with the giving of the Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai. Legend has it that when the Law was given to Moses a great flame came from heaven and divided into 70 parts, one for each nation of the world.  So the tongues of fire at Pentecost meant that once again God was acting in a mighty way.  That’s why you see so much red in the sanctuary this morning--red parament on the communion table, red stoles for the clergy and choir, and members of the congregation wearing red shirts, ties, dresses and scarves.  The color red symbolizes the fire of the Spirit that wakes the church up, and leads the church in its mission.

Another suggestion for The Party was to incorporate music that uplifts and inspires. Didn’t you love the way worship began?  Philipe on the saxophone, and Judy, our multi-talented associate pastor, on the organ playing that jazzy rendition of “Amazing Grace.”

As always, the chancel choir came through with its introit and anthem.  Our hymns and songs this morning were all chosen to express some aspect of the Pentecost theme. 

Adding a dramatic flair to the scripture reading was yet another suggestion for The Party.  Accordingly, this morning you suddenly heard the scripture being read in several different languages. Luke tells us that, at the first Pentecost, diverse peoples were able hear the disciples’ message in their own native language.  In this way, Pentecost reversed the confusion of languages recorded in the Tower of Babel story.  Luke makes clear that the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples to break down barriers of communication, unite diverse peoples, and inaugurate God’s Kingdom, in which all the peoples of the earth become one human family. 

And wasn’t Ara (I mean Peter) impressive with his speech at Pentecost?  Peter defends the disciples’ behavior. They are not drunk, he declares.  No, what you see is a fulfillment of what was spoken of by the prophet Joel. That day when young and the old, sons and daughters would dream anew of God’s new heaven and new earth—the one filled with God’s justice, peace and goodness.  So the Pentecost Party, once it really gets going, fills us with visions of God’s New Creation.

Still another recommendation from The Party encouraged congregations to continue the celebration with after-worship fellowships.  Accordingly, following worship today The Party will spill out onto the courtyard.  The Central Time Jazz Collective will keep the music flowing.  We’ll eat pizza and enjoy the desserts that the youth have arranged for us. And after that?  Well, I suppose we’ll go home thinking, Wasn’t Pentecost fun, uplifting? What a Party! 

Now I’ve encouraged and helped plan The Party for the past twenty-odd years.  But it’s taken me this long to realize that we end Pentecost too soon.  We turn off the lights, so to speak, before the Party’s actually over.  The wearing of red, the special music, the dramatic reading, the after-church fellowship—all are good and proper for Pentecost. They just don’t go far enough. Flip over to the end of the Pentecost chapter, and here’s what we read:  “All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day…they...ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the good will of all the people…”  Apparently, the Holy Spirit did more than stir up the emotions; it changed and re-directed the disciples’ lives.  The Spirit rearranged their values from what can I get and have to what can I give and share?  You see, the Spirit that came upon them was the Spirit of God’s Kingdom, a Kingdom in which the poor are lifted up, the needy satisfied with good things, the oppressed set free, the impoverished given their fair share.  

So if we were able to keep the Party going the way Luke does, our celebration might end something like this.   While we’re still singing Every time I Feel the Spirit, people begin to get up from their seats and move toward two large baskets at the front of the church.  Several will have brought their stock portfolios, signed over the church.  The high school kids get up, and walk from the balcony.  One has his graduation money. He really wanted a new iPhone, but he brought the money here instead. Another sold the car her parents gave her. She figured she could use her old bike. One couple decided they didn’t need their second home.  Some children brought their allowance money.  Later on, the deacons and the Mission and Service ministry will consider the needs of everyone on the congregation along with those of the neediest folks in the community.  They’ll divide up the proceeds until there’s not a needy person in Austin.

I know, I know, some of you are thinking that such a radical divestment of possessions is no longer realistic—totally out of the realm of possibility.  Maybe that's true, but it’s also true that the Holy Spirit, when it comes in power, inspires us to be more generous, more intentional about meeting others' needs and sharing the resources we have.  Someone put it this way: Whatever we have that we don’t need doesn’t belong to us.  It belongs to God and God wants to give to the poor.

Several weeks ago, a young woman came to our Tuesday morning assistance program.  She and her four children had been living at the Salvation Army.  She had recently gotten a job at Good Will and she qualified for an apartment in Section Eight housing.  However, she had absolutely no furnishings of any kind.  So a team of volunteers from UPC sprang into action. You may remember that a couple weeks ago there was an insert in your Sunday bulletin asking for help furnishing an apartment.  UPC members went into our closets and storage rooms and found beds, pots and pans, towels, sheets, sofas, lamps, and so on. One of our members even bought new mattresses.  Then last Saturday these donations were collected and delivered.  This woman and her children now have everything they need for their apartment. This effort is just a small example of what we can do when the Spirit empowers and directs our ministry.

Believe me, friends, when I say that, at University Presbyterian Church, The Party is just beginning.