Dear Friends in Christ, grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus  Christ. Amen.

On a bookshelf in my office, I have a model of the Lutheran Cathedral in Riga, Latvia. It is where I put my doctor of ministry degree into practice teaching homiletics, or the art of preaching to aspiring Latvian pastors. Twenty some years ago, while guiding a college choir through Russia and the Baltic States, I was also invited to preach in that church on Pentecost Sunday. It was an honor for me.  The cornerstone of the church had been laid by German missionaries in 1211, and the building itself stands today as the largest medieval church in all the Baltic States. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any time to stay around after the service.  Instead, as the final words of the benediction were being said, I was whisked away to the neighboring country of Lithuania.  A week or so later, I was stopped on the street by an excited acquaintance, “Pastor Haug, I heard you preached a powerful sermon in the Cathedral last week.  You brought the house down.”   Being a shy and unassuming Norwegian, it was hard to receive such a compliment without blushing, but I did say thank you appreciatively.  Then the friend added, “Literally, you brought the house down.”  I was a little mystified until I opened my copy of the weekly English language newspaper the Baltic Times and read, “Cracks discovered in Church Columns.  French engineering expert deems Cathedral unsafe until repairs are made.”  As it turned out, the church was closed for a year and a half.  Everyone loves a wildly vibrant church- until it gets out of control.

For nearly 2000 years, the Church has awkwardly celebrated Pentecost in grand and colorful ways – always trying to replicate the excitement of ancient Jerusalem at that 9:00 hour, the ferocious, churning wind, the tongues of fire, and the crowd of 120 flooding out on the street.  I have done my best to bring down the house again and again on Pentecost. But I have never witnessed what St. Luke described of the Pentecost Day in Jerusalem. 3000 people were so moved by the power of the Holy Spirit and the promise of Jesus Christ that they were baptized- all  in a single day.

No doubt, that’s what congregations hope for when they call a new preacher. They believe that they will grow the church. And it is what pastors believe they can achieve when they begin a new call, until they’re first greeted with the words that flow from the mouths of babes. After the church service one day a little boy told the preacher, “When I grow up, I’m going to give you some money.”  The preacher replied, “Well, thank you, but why?” The boy innocently answered, “Because my daddy says you’re the poorest preacher we’ve ever had.”  Or there was a pastor who proudly installed hot air hand dryers in the church restrooms, only to remove them two weeks later.  They worked fine but when he went in one day, he saw a sign that read, “For a sample of this week’s sermon, push the button.”

But God’s Holy Spirit moves in mysterious ways, and no pastor or preacher can control its movement.  When it is active and present, it can turn the world upside down, and when it is absent it can make the church mundane and lifeless.  Unfortunately, as Christians we’re not always comfortable with an uncontrollable Spirit. We prefer our faith to be orderly and predictable.  Yes, everyone loves a wildly vibrant church- until it gets out of control.

That is certainly why the crowds in Jerusalem were so skeptical. They were devout Jews from every nation and they knew there were expectations for the faithful.  All were amazed and perplexed about the wind and tongues of fire, and the speaking in multiple languages.  They said to one another “What does this mean?” But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine?”

Peter’s words to the crowd must have surprised even him. “These men are not drunk, as you might suppose,” he said. “No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel 800 years ago. “When you are open to God’s possibilities, he will pour his Spirit upon you, and you will do amazing things.”  And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Now, like the crowds in Jerusalem, you may be wondering: So what are the amazing things that God can do when you open yourself to the Holy Spirit?  The Day of Pentecost teaches us that the Spirit has the power to change you, to encourage you, and to nurture you for doing the work of the God’s kingdom.

Peter and eleven apostles were changed by the Holy Spirit that day. Seven weeks earlier when a woman questioned Peter at a fire, the cowardly disciple was frightened and scared.  Peter lied to save his own skin and denied knowing his master.  When Jesus was taken from his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane by the Roman soldiers, the other disciples scattered like sheep.  But now when they were surrounded by a crowd of over three thousand curious and some scoffing onlookers, the disciples demonstrated a strength which they had never known before. Now they were open to the Holy Spirit and suddenly Peter had the courage to proclaim the good news, and in spite of the scrutiny of educated pilgrims and the Pharisees around him, the lowly man from Galilee, a fisherman turned apostle, opened his mouth and preached.

When the disciples opened themselves to the Holy Spirit, they discovered that in the darkest hours of faith, the Holy Spirit was present to encourage them.  I know that for many here these are not the best of times.  You have experienced hardship and loss, surgery, illness, divorce, depression, death, unemployment, and at times, utter despair.  It is a humbling task to offer your prayers before God.  As the apostles gathered with their followers, they were no doubt struck by the daily trials of their faithful as well. Life would be so much easier if choosing faith and walking in the ways of Christ eliminated all of life’s struggles.  But it doesn’t.  In those dark nights of the soul, the disciples discovered that when they opened themselves to power of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit came and filled them with courage, hope and strength. They grew in a deeper understanding and awareness that that very Spirit helped them in their weakness.  In those moments when they could not find the words to pray as they ought, the Spirit interceded with sighs too deep for words.

And finally, when the disciples opened themselves to the power of the Holy Spirit, they discovered that they were nurtured by the community of believers.  For three years, the disciples had been preparing for that Pentecost. They walked and talked and prayed with Jesus. He questioned and challenged them, and when the Holy Spirit came up them at Pentecost, they were ready.

My friends, what will be the occasion for the entrance of the Holy Spirit into your life?  In my mind, the Holy Spirit enters in when you allow yourself to be exposed to the presence of God, to be surrounded by the company of fellow believers and to be embraced in his holy sanctuary.  God’s ways will remain veiled to you, but by his Holy Spirit, he will tap you on the shoulder through the Word and Sacraments to dare to do acts of faith for others.  He will not overwhelm your intellect, but he will simply whisper into the ear of your soul, gently persuading you to have faith and to go forth.  You may not be completely certain of what the Holy Spirit is doing, but you know that you are being encouraged to take a step, to make a commitment, and to go somewhere that you could not and would not do on your own.

A kindergarten teacher observed that confidence in her Sunday School class. She watched her children drawing. One little girl was working so diligently, that the teacher asked her about the drawing. The girl replied, “I’m drawing God.” The teacher paused and said, “but no one knows what God looks like.” Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing, the girl replied, “They will when I am done.”  That’s the work of the Holy Spirit.

My friends, he challenge for the church today is the same challenge the disciples faced 2000 years ago.  How do we make Christ known to the world?  You and I have been entrusted with the story of Jesus Christ. And we are to live it and proclaim it in such a way that the Holy Spirit can make the word of life known.

This afternoon I will put my copy of the Riga Cathedral back on its shelf.  Some in Riga still remember me as the American pastor who once brought the church down.  Apparently, everyone loves a wildly vibrant church- until it gets out of control.  But personally, I would prefer to be remembered as the pastor who taught young Latvian preachers how to open themselves to the power of the Holy Spirit and then to share the story of Jesus boldly. Amen.

May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.