John 7: 37-43                                                                                                              Rev. Dr. Galen E. Russell III

Acts 2: 1-21                                                                                                                                             May 24, 2026

     “In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh…”

Prayer: O Holy Spirit of God, Holy Spirit of the risen Christ, descend upon us in ways that we can discern your presence. Amen.

     Years ago, when I finished being the Associate Pastor at Holladay UCC in Salt Lake City, I was on my way to Community UCC in Reading, PA to be their pastor. The first day we made our way from Utah to Colorado. And on the second day, we entered Kansas. It was a clear blue sunny day, but particularly windy, the kind of wind that creates dust devils. You could see them off in the distance racing across the ground.

     Suddenly ahead of me was a giant dust devil, wide enough to cover both sides of the freeway with the grass median in between. The trucks and cars ahead of me were simply driving right through the thing. And as I approached, I thought, OK, here we go. And I drove right into it. And our car shuddered from the rush of the wind, and it made a tremendous noise. I’ll never forget it. It lasted for the next few seconds. And I have to say that I was never so thrilled to come out on the other side of that thing. Because I just had the feeling that we went through something kind of dangerous, on the order of a dust devil tornado.

     That experience came back to me as I was thinking about what the followers of Jesus might have experienced on Pentecost Sunday. They heard what sounded like the rush of a violent wind. They saw tongues of fire descend on them. And I have to wonder if they thought they were going through something kind of dangerous.

     But the presence of the Holy Spirit was felt. It was the Spirit of the risen Christ Jesus. And it filled the entire place where they were. And they spoke in other languages with the miracle being that they understood each other. They listened to each other talk about the glories of God in Christ with nothing being lost in translation. 

     And it made me realize that it wasn’t dangerous at all. It was weird. It might have been scary. But it wasn’t dangerous. Because of all the things that Jesus promised, the Holy Spirit is the one thing to be poured out on all flesh. It is the Spirit of Truth. It is the promised Comforter. The helper. The guide. The advocate. The intercessor. The wonderful counselor. Do you remember from Isaiah, “And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). The promise was kept. That’s the good part. The Prince of Peace arrived. For everyone.  And his spirit on Pentecost was given.

     And it keeps arriving. The Holy Spirit keeps coming. That’s another good part. This is the promise that God keeps fulfilling. God keeps sending us the Holy Spirit.  Which means, I think, that God keeps putting the living, risen Spirit of Jesus Christ into our lives, our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls. It’s in us! Like the song we sang says,  “This is the air I breathe. Your holy presence, living in me. This is my daily bread. Your very word spoken to me.”

    Our job is to receive Christ’s Spirit. To take it in. To let it descend upon us, maybe with flames and speaking in different languages. Maybe not. Now, don’t mistake me… that may happen for some, but I’ve never experienced anything like that. I’m guessing you haven’t either. So, most likely, the Holy Spirit comes to us as a still small voice in our conscience. In our spiritual and moral center. The Holy Spirit comes in moments of prayer or discernment or worship. However, it comes, or whatever metaphor you want to use, pray the words of the song, “Let your Spirit come, fall upon us now.” Because that’s a promise God keeps.

     In these past couple of weeks, I kept asking where God’s Spirit has fallen on us. Poured out in ways that make us see visons and dream dreams. Poured out in ways that we all felt the God’s presence.  I think back to the days when we as a congregation voted to become an Open and Affirming church. And then later a Creation Justice church. Some may say we voted and that was that. I say the Spirit was poured out on us, and we listened to our conscience, the still small voice within, and we acted on God’s behalf. And on behalf of all God’s people, I felt the Holy Spirit when we voted to build an elevator and ADA bathrooms. I believe the spirit fell upon us, and we acted on God’s behalf and on behalf of God’s people.

     I’ve felt the Holy Spirit in some of the more unique ways we’ve worshipped together.  Did you hear God speaking through movie segments? Or did you feel God’s spiritual energy when we did dramatic readings for Bible passages? Or how about when the E-town High School Chamber Singers came? Or when we celebrated our music program and our musicians with Music Celebration Sunday? Or the joy of Easter Sunday with flowers, and Holy Communion and the message that Christ is risen! God kept the promise—the Holy Spirit was poured out among us! Amen?

     But make no mistake. It doesn’t stop there. It never stops there. God doesn’t put the Spirit of the risen Son of God in you just for you. You are not God’s museum.

     I believe God puts the Son of God’s Spirit in you and me for God’s purposes. God keeps pouring out the Spirit on us, touching us believers and making rivers of living water flow from our hearts to touch the lives of others because God knows who needs that living water. And God knows what good use God has for you and me. And God uses you and me to get at the people God wants to receive what God wants to give.

     See that’s a good thing, too. Because strictly speaking, we don’t decide how, when, and where God wants to use us. That’s on God. Our job is simply to let the Holy Spirit of the risen Christ come through us in the circumstances of our lives and let God do the rest. We become the tools God uses, so we let the Spirit take us for God’s purposes.

     Not long ago, Joanne Carroll gave me a “little Jesus.” [hold it up]. She told me that “Everyone needs a little Jesus.” And she’s absolutely right. And since then, I’ve seen these little Jesus’s pop up in a lot of other places. At the Clergy Convocation, people were handing them out. Ali Spayd, our Children’s Choir director gave our kids a little Jesus at their choir party two weeks ago so that they could take a little Jesus with them wherever they go.

     And I got to thinking about that. And I wonder if the reverse is more accurate. I mean that instead of us taking Jesus places, I think it’s the spirit of Jesus who takes us places! I think it’s the spirit of Jesus that takes us into places of ministry here at Christ Church. It’s the spirit of Jesus that takes people into foreign countries places as missionaries. Or back home to help restore relationship? Or to a hospital room? Or to your desk to send a card or email? Or to an AA meeting? Or to a church to be one of its pastors? We don’t take Jesus’s spirit with us. It’s already there! The spirit of Jesus takes us places.

     Wherever it is that God takes you, remember that God always keeps the promise. Doggedly. With stubborn insistence. God promises to send us the Holy Spirit. So that we may be about God’s purposes. And that is a really good thing. Amen.