David Bahn – Reflections

My Podcast is on hold this week. You can listen to past podcasts here, including the sermon I preached at Angaza Igoma Lutheran Church in Mwanza, Tanzania

Philippians 4:4-9

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. ⁵ Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; ⁶ do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸ Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. ⁹ What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

It’s time to celebrate! We’ve come to the end of our teaching here in Tanzania. The pastors and spouses have been very gracious to us and we are blessed to have been a blessing to them to whatever extent we have been able to be. At the end of the conference we give out certificates to all the participants – pastors and spouses. They are eager to receive these, and express great appreciation to us for them. We also give them small wind chimes as a gift to remind us that we work together as the wind of the Holy Spirit blows through us.

There are many things we will miss as we leave. We will miss the kindness, generosity, graciousness, and warmth of the people here. We will miss the morning chai, and coffee breaks. We will miss the excitement of the people, eager to learn. We will miss hearing first hand of how the church is exploding here and in other parts of the African continent. Daniel and Heavenlight, our co-presenters, will go home today. Tomorrow in Mwanza, he will meet a group from Nashville, TN. That group will go door-to-door evangelizing, and they anticipate baptizing as many as 1,000 people and planting a new church next week. Amazing!

We will not miss some things. But whether it’s the lack of some western luxuries (which we too easily take for granted) or the nearly constant time and schedule adjustments, we’ve managed to adjust. As I write this (on Friday morning), we are waiting for the day’s scheduled start. It’s only 90 minutes after our anticipated and formerly scheduled start time. “It’s OK,” I insist to Diane. Maybe I’m really trying to convince myself!

Now you have a glimpse into our experiences here. It has been a wonderful week. We have made some great friends and shared some very important things with these brothers and sisters in Christ. We are scheduled to return next year for the final year’s training. We look forward to sharing the insights of missional leadership with these dear people, as God makes that possible.

NOTE: There are other photos available, and if you are interested you can check my Smugmug photo website.

My Podcast is on hold this week. You can listen to past podcasts here, including the sermon I preached at Angaza Igoma Lutheran Church in Mwanza, Tanzania

Psalm 84

How lovely is your dwelling place,
    O Lord of hosts!
² My soul longs, yes, faints
    for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
    to the living God.

³ Even the sparrow finds a home,
    and the swallow a nest for herself,
    where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
    my King and my God. [emphasis added]
⁴ Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
    ever singing your praise! Selah

⁵ Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
    in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
⁶ As they go through the Valley of Baca
    they make it a place of springs;
    the early rain also covers it with pools.
⁷ They go from strength to strength;
    each one appears before God in Zion.

⁸ O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
    give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
⁹ Behold our shield, O God;
    look on the face of your anointed!

¹⁰ For a day in your courts is better
    than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
¹¹ For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
    the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
    from those who walk uprightly.
¹² O Lord of hosts,
    blessed is the one who trusts in you!

We are decidedly different from almost all the other participants at the PLI International Year Three Conference. We have found a place here, however, and we recognize the grace of God to us in this regard. One key difference – beyond skin color and mode of dress – is how we communicate. I try not to yell when I preach. I try to make my points by means of intense quiet and earnest expression. The pastors here have the PA turned to “11” and they use it! In fact I was told that they appreciated it when, later in my presentation I became more intense in my manner of speech. But we have been accepted. I don’t sense that Diane has experienced this kind of communication challenge.

But we both must have interpreters take our thoughts and translate not only words, but concepts to their minds and hearts. We also must have a translator speak to us through radio headsets that they and we wear. I have also noted that all the pastors here wear clerical collars. I don’t even own a clerical collar any longer. I’m not against wearing one, I just don’t find it helpful or necessary. It seems here, however, that this is important. And if I were here all the time, I would buy and wear clerical collars. It seems to be an important witness that allows people to respect us. When in Rome… (cf. 1 Corinthians 9:20-22).

We are blessed to be received here. We are blessed to be part of the body of Christ. We are blessed to be God’s children. We are blessed to bless others. We taught today about the importance of the “One-Another’s” of the Bible. Take a look at these passages that speak of how we are to treat one another within the Body of Christ. Galatians 5:13; 6:2; Colossians 3:13; Romans 12:10; 15:7, 14; 16:16; Ephesians 5:21; 1 Thessalonians 5:11.

We hope we have modeled these to the people here. We have certainly experienced these from the people here, for which we thank God.

NOTE: Diane and I are in Tanzania, teaching pastors and their spouses about discipleship (following Jesus). If you want to track our experiences in Tanzania, you can check my Smugmug photo website. I’ll include photos there throughout the week.

My Podcast is on hold this week. You can listen to past podcasts here, including the sermon I preached at Angaza Igoma Lutheran Church in Mwanza, Tanzania

Ephesians 4:10-16

He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) ¹¹ And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, ¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, ¹⁴ so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. ¹⁵ Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

True Christian community is a place to love and be loved, serve and be served, know and be known,  challenge and be challenged, pray, and be prayed for. In these communities, and out of the blessings we experience, we are able better to be discipled. We learn by teaching in the large gatherings through sermons, Bible studies, and seminars. That’s important. But if we are to grow as disciples we need people who not only love us, but who are also willing to challenge us, calling us to a higher level of faithfulness, love, and maturity in Christ. That is the gist of today’s teaching.

We are experiencing this in our own lives as part of a Neighborhood Life Group at our church. I know the hope is that there will be many such groups at our local church. St. John has a number of Sunday morning Bible studies (Life Groups) where people deepen their relationship with each other around the study of God’s word. These are robust groups for which we thank God. The idea of the Neighborhood Life Group is an opportunity for even deeper relationships where we can encourage and be encouraged, challenge and be challenged. It is much easier to do this in a smaller group in a home. We can know each other not only neighbor to neighbor, but also face to face and heart to heart.

We are teaching this dynamic this week through this illustration of Invitation/Encouragement – Challenge/Sending. When the invitation/encouragement is high and the challenge/sending is also high we have breakthrough Christian discipleship life. We realize that God’s mission and all people matter. We want to live this out in real and personal ways.

If I believe, “I’m all that matters,” I exhibit the height of hubris and pride. This is the essence of original sin. If I believe, “I don’t matter,” I deny God’s love for me. If I say, “Nothing matters,” I am a spokesman for atheistic nihilism. But people matter. God’s mission matters. God has invited me into a relationship of grace and faith, truth and love. I am his beloved child. As his beloved child he sends me to help others realize his love and purpose for them, and encourage them to follow Jesus, inviting others to join them in that journey of faith. A small group of dedicated followers of Jesus will help and support us in this calling.

This is not only a thumbnail of what we are teaching, but a lifestyle we are seeking to develop.

NOTE: Diane and I are in Tanzania, teaching pastors and their spouses about discipleship (following Jesus). If you want to track our experiences in Tanzania, you can check my Smugmug photo website. I’ll include photos there throughout the week.

My Podcast is on hold this week. You can listen to past podcasts here, including the sermon I preached at Angaza Igoma Lutheran Church in Mwanza, Tanzania

John 17:20-26

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, ²¹ that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, ²³ I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. ²⁴ Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. ²⁵ O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. ²⁶ I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

Everyone. Every Day. Everywhere. 

This is the theme for our four-day conference here in Tanzania. We want to be Together in Mission. This is nothing new. From the earliest days of the church we see this idea. Ministry is not just for the Apostles. The first Christian martyr (!) was one chosen to wait tables. A great persecution broke out against the Christians and everyone was scattered except the Apostles. And those who were scattered (not the Apostles) preached the word wherever they went (Acts 8:1-4).

Our Christian faith is not a one-day-a-week thing. It is not a slice of the pie Our Christian faith is the sum and substance of true life. We live and move and breathe in God. The gospel message is not for only certain people to believe or to share. It reaches far beyond the church walls. It is all of life.

This morning I provided a review of our first two years’ teachings. After I had gone through the material, I realized that we had more time left than we had planned for. Diane and Heavenlight Mono (Pastor Daniel Mono’s wife) took the women for a time of reconnecting. The men were to reflect on their applications of the last year’s teachings in their own contexts. We had at least 15 minutes more time for that than we had planned for.

I was quite concerned whether I had made the connections in any meaningful way for them. We asked them to gather in their collegial groups for discussions. Corresponding to the teachings of last year’s conference, the two questions:

1. What was the most difficult change you made last year?
2. What was the most rewarding change you made last year?

When the time came for their reports, I was so pleased to learn that each had truly engaged and applied the teachings they had learned last year. Reports of new church starts, new ministries instituted, new attitudes cultivated, and challenges faced. I was also pleased that I could offer some probing questions based on their reports as well as offer some insights based on my experiences that would translate to their contexts.

Some of the issues they face may seem quite simple. How do you get meetings to start on time? Answer: The best way to make sure you don’t start on time is to wait for everyone to arrive before you begin. We must honor those who come on time, and so must those who are not on time. How to give leadership to younger people? Another way to ask it, How do you get long-term leaders to turn loose of the reins so others can help shape the church’s ministry? That requires a different attitude on the part of the leaders. Rather than thinking of leadership as a privileged position, we must teach them to view their leadership as a position of service. They can help by recruiting and training other leaders. There were other very encouraging reports.

In all honesty, I needed this encouragement. Getting to Tanzania is no easy task. Once we arrived it was an overnight stay at Kilimanjaro, and another plane ride to Mwanza. After two nights there we came to Sengerema which involved a ferry ride and travel over some pretty rough roads. The beds are not like home. We are challenged on those levels. I was wondering if it was worth it to travel all this way. So when I saw the pastors and spouses really engaging in the questions, I realized it is worth it. And truly, it’s not that big of a sacrifice. Satan would want me to think it is. But that’s a lie, and I reject that notion.

I hope this doesn’t sound like a pity party. It is, rather, a simple recognition that there are challenges to what we are doing, but they are not insurmountable. And there are many more blessings than challenges. I thank God for the opportunity to be here and pray that this first day is a portent of things to come.

NOTE: Diane and I are in Tanzania, teaching pastors and their spouses about discipleship (following Jesus). If you want to track our experiences in Tanzania, you can check my Smugmug photo website. I’ll include photos there throughout the week.

My Podcast is on hold this week. You can listen to past podcasts here, including the sermon I preached at Angaza Igoma Lutheran Church in Mwanza, Tanzania

Acts 2:22-36

“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— ²³ this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. ²⁴ God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. ²⁵ For David says concerning him,

“‘I saw the Lord always before me,
for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
²⁶ therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
my flesh also will dwell in hope.
²⁷ For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
or let your Holy One see corruption.
²⁸ You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

²⁹ “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. ³⁰ Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, ³¹ he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. ³² This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. ³³ Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. ³⁴ For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
³⁵ until I make your enemies your footstool.”’

³⁶ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

The young man sat in my office in deep distress and crisis of faith. He had none. He was railing from an experience he witnessed with his sainted grandmother. She was a woman of deep faith and devotion. She had copied the entire Bible by hand into notebooks she kept and read faithfully year after year. Then she developed fatal cancer. He saw her suffer terribly. It so impacted him that he could not believe in God. In fact as we talked, I learned that he couldn’t even allow that there was such a person as Jesus of Nazareth.

I got right to the crux of it all, and learned that it wasn’t a matter of whether he died for the sins of the world. It wasn’t a matter of whether he rose from the dead or not. It wasn’t a matter of whether He was God in the flesh. He could not acknowledge that Jesus had been an actual real historical figure. He wasn’t sure there ever was someone who claimed the things Jesus did, who actually walked the face of the earth.

We talked several times and slowly the Holy Spirit worked in his heart. He had deep struggles in his life. His beautiful wife had rejected him. He had suffered a brutal mugging. Add those things to seeing his grandmother suffer as she did, and it left him bereft of any faith or comfort in God’s love. Should it have surprised me? The one thing I did to help him along the path to faith and healing was simply to listen, encouraging him to admit his deepest doubts and fears. I offered no judgment. I just listened.

One day God worked a miracle in his life. The Saturday before worship we had talked and I had led him to confess his faith in Jesus, and even to acknowledge the mystery of the real presence of Jesus’ body and blood under the bread and wine in the Lord’s Supper. I asked him if he would like to receive communion. He wasn’t sure. I told him he would be welcome to do so. I wondered how it would unfold the next day.

When that Sunday came, I saw him come to the altar rail for Holy Communion. I told the elder serving along side of me, “You may be about to witness a miracle.” And we both did. He received Holy Communion that Sunday. The angels rejoiced. We praised God. And it all started with Jesus.

When Peter begins his sermon on Pentecost, he begins with Jesus. Whatever else you might want to ask, debate, or talk about – where did the dinosaurs come from? How old is the earth? – it all comes down to Jesus. Without him we have no hope. Without him we have no faith. He is the key to all of life. His death and resurrection are essential to our faith. The other issues all need to be sorted out. But without Jesus they make no eternal difference. With Jesus, they all form together a beautiful faith of life, grace, forgiveness, and true hope.

NOTE: Diane and I are in Tanzania, teaching pastors and their spouses about discipleship (following Jesus). If you want to track our experiences in Tanzania, you can check my Smugmug photo website. I’ll include photos there throughout the week.

My Podcast is on hold this week. You can listen to past podcasts here, including the sermon I preached at Angaza Igoma Lutheran Church in Mwanza, Tanzania

Acts 2:22-36

“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— ²³ this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. ²⁴ God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. ²⁵ For David says concerning him,

“‘I saw the Lord always before me,
    for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
²⁶ therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
    my flesh also will dwell in hope.
²⁷ For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
    or let your Holy One see corruption.
²⁸ You have made known to me the paths of life;
    you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

²⁹ “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. ³⁰ Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, ³¹ he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. ³² This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. ³³ Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. ³⁴ For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
³⁵     until I make your enemies your footstool.”’

³⁶ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

I had the privilege to preach at Angaza Igoma Lutheran Church in Mwanza, Tanzania on Sunday. It was quite an experience! We began the first service at 6 AM! No sooner than we finished with that one, the 8 AM service began. It went longer. Maybe 3 hours. The District Pastor Obadiah as well as the congregation’s pastor each gave what seemed to me to be a sermon; although you couldn’t prove it by me. I did a lot of sitting and listening, meditating and praying, waiting and wondering. It was a good day, with perhaps 400 or more people gathered for worship there in the two services. The music was outstanding! And when it came time for the offering, choirs sang and danced as the people brought their offerings forward. Such joy!

Peter’s sermon resulted in people’s hearts being pierced and multitudes being saved and baptized that very day. Quite a powerful moment.

As I look at Peter’s sermon, I notice some important characteristics. He quotes the Old Testament scripture. He makes no bones about what had happened to Jesus. He ends with a strong hortative call: “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” This isn’t a go in peace, serve the Lord sermon. This is a sermon aimed at people who needed to make a dramatic and lift-changing move. They were on the wrong path and Peter was calling them to the path of life. 

Clearly this is Pentecost. The Holy Spirit has been poured out in abundance. People are speaking and hearing the mighty deed of God in their own language. The challenge had gone out when some said that they were drunk on new wine. Peter is now setting them straight. He wants them to realize just who they are dealing with. And it’s not Peter. It’s the Son of God who was slain, but now reigns at the right hand of God.

I’ve experienced this once or twice in my preaching ministry. But I can tell you two things:

It cannot be manufactured. It’s not something you can jin up and program out. It is the move of the Holy Spirit that makes it happen.

Even we who are dedicated Jesus-Followers may need to be reminded of the sovereign reign of Jesus at the right hand of God.

Our need to repent may not be as obvious as it was of the people in those days. But our need is no less real. Perhaps you and I can consider just where God might speak to us about our misguided ways. We can rejoice that Jesus is ready to receive all who turn in repentant faith to him.

If you want to track our experiences, you can check my Smugmug photo website. I’ll include photos there throughout the week.

Psalm 4:1

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
    You have given me relief when I was in distress.
    Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

Psalm 34:1-3, 8

I will bless the Lord at all times;
    his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
² My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
    let the humble hear and be glad.
³ Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
    and let us exalt his name together!

⁸ Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
    Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

Psalm 64:10

Let the righteous one rejoice in the Lord
    and take refuge in him!
Let all the upright in heart exult!

Psalm 94:12-15

Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord,
    and whom you teach out of your law,
¹³ to give him rest from days of trouble,
    until a pit is dug for the wicked.
¹⁴ For the Lord will not forsake his people;
    he will not abandon his heritage;
¹⁵ for justice will return to the righteous,
    and all the upright in heart will follow it.

Psalm 124

If it had not been the Lord who was on our side—
    let Israel now say—
² if it had not been the Lord who was on our side
    when people rose up against us,
³ then they would have swallowed us up alive,
    when their anger was kindled against us;
⁴ then the flood would have swept us away,
    the torrent would have gone over us;
⁵ then over us would have gone
    the raging waters.

⁶ Blessed be the Lord,
    who has not given us
    as prey to their teeth!
⁷ We have escaped like a bird
    from the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
    and we have escaped!

⁸ Our help is in the name of the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

David Bahn-Reflections Podcast

Acts 2:14-21

But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. ¹⁵ For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. ¹⁶ But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

¹⁷ “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
    and your young men shall see visions,
    and your old men shall dream dreams;
¹⁸ even on my male servants and female servants
    in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
¹⁹ And I will show wonders in the heavens above
    and signs on the earth below,
    blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
²⁰ the sun shall be turned to darkness
    and the moon to blood,
    before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
²¹ And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

Diane and I will soon be teaching pastors and their spouses in Tanzania. The focus of this immersion in missional leadership is Together in Mission. One of the key ideas we’ll be sharing is that Jesus calls everyone to be a disciple, each day, everywhere we go. Following Jesus and inviting others to join us in the following is a way of life, not an optional extra work for those who believe in Jesus.

I remember the time I shared this idea with a friend. He was a dedicated Christian. He led a decent, godly, and morally upright life. He was even a leader in the church I was serving at the time. He balked, however, at the idea of being called a disciple. To him a disciple was a sort of super-Christian. A disciple was someone who lived in Bible times and hung out with Jesus on a regular basis. He had to rethink Jesus’ great commission: Make disciples of all nations. Make disciples, not just converts. Not merely people who believe in him. Disciples are followers of Jesus who make other disciples who make other disciples. We’re all called to this. That’s quite a challenging call!

We who have called on the name of the Lord have been saved. Now we carry his message of salvation to others. Thankfully we’re not called to do this on our own. God has sent his Holy Spirit – just as he promised to do through the prophet Joel.

Joel 2:28-29, 32

“Then, after doing all those things,
    I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
    Your old men will dream dreams,
    and your young men will see visions.
²⁹ In those days I will pour out my Spirit
    even on servants—men and women alike.
…
³² But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
    will be saved,

This is for us all: Young and old, women and men, new believer and life-long Christian. It’s a high calling and a great privilege. We don’t do this alone. Thank God for his Holy Spirit who works in and through us to bring this good news to others!

David Bahn-Reflections Podcast

Acts 2:5-13

Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. ⁶ And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. ⁷ And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? ⁹ Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, ¹¹ both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” ¹² And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” ¹³ But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”

What’s going on here?!? I’ve said that more than a few times as our sons were growing up. They’d be fighting, making or causing a ruckus of one kind or another. And I wanted an answer. Actually I wanted more than an answer. I wanted the comotion to cease and things to return to peace and calm. Indeed, how un-good and unpleasant it is when brothers don’t dwell together in harmony (apologies to David, Psalm 133).

In the eyes of the onlookers on the occasion of Pentecost Sunday 33AD, these goings on were quite an eruption of impropriety and chaos. This was the end of the Old Testament Feast of Weeks celebration. As a result there would be five or six times the normal population of Jerusalem present in the city. That was certainly enough chaos to begin with. Now you have this rushing wind and a rowdy gang of religious outsiders is speaking in languages previously unknown to them! What’s going on here? Where did this gale-force wind come from?!?

I’m sure the Jewish leaders were thinking, this is our feast. This isn’t how we celebrate the Feast of Weeks and the fulfillment of Pentecost. [see note below for a fuller explanation of the Old Testament Feast of Pentecost celebration.] We Christians can easily understand this today as well. What if some Sunday morning such an event would take place? I’d certainly want to know what is happening! I’d be skeptical. I’d be anxious and feel insecure. After all, I am (or was!) in charge. I’m supposed to lead these people! I need to get this back on track.

Something a bit similar did happen in a church I was serving years ago. The children of our church’s Child’s Day Out program sang at our Thanksgiving Eve service. When their song was over utter chaos broke out in the service. I mean, utter chaos. People applauded (nothing different about that). But then parents stood up and were calling out loud for their child. A full-blown ruckus broke out. I remember standing in the front of the congregation and wondering, How am I ever going to get things back under control! It was not the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. But I believe it was from God. He was awakening us to the importance and value parents place on their children. We had a sacred trust in caring for them.

Keeping our hearts and habits open to the fresh wind of the Holy Spirit is a must if we are to follow Jesus. It may mean some very different things happen around and in us. But I’ll quote the Jesus character in the incredibly impactful series The Chosen. When one of the disciples says, “This is different.” The Jesus character says, “Get used to different.” Amen.

Come, Holy Spirit, enlighten the hearts of your people, and guide our paths to follow Jesus!

 Pentecost: The Feast in Light of the Old Testament, Part 1 by Canadian Reformed Seminary Professor Emeritus, Cornelis Van Dam:

The Feast of Pentecost did not exist in isolation on Israel’s calendar of special days. It was closely linked to, and dated from, celebrations connected with the Passover. The Passover feast was celebrated at twilight in the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month (Lev 23:5). It was followed on the fifteenth day by the beginning of the closely related seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread (Lev 23:6). On the next day, the sixteenth, the first fruits of the (barley) harvest had to be brought to the Lord (Lev 23:11, cf. vv. 6-7). Seven weeks and one day later, the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) was celebrated, during which, among other things, offerings from the grain (wheat) harvest and two loaves of bread had to be brought to God (Exod 34:22; Lev 23:15- 17).