“Young will see visions and the old will dream dreams”

Pentecost – I can’t think of a Pentecost Sunday without thinking of a children’s sermon I once did in a church in Texas. It is the birthday of the church, as we talked about in children’s sermon time. So I thought during the children’s sermon it would be nice to have a cake complete with candles and let the children blow out the candles as we sing happy birthday to the church. One little girl had very long hair. She got so excited when she came up front, she wanted to help blow out the candles and slung her whole head into over the cake as she blew out the candles, this happened so fast I couldn’t stop her. Her hair flowed over the flames. It caught on fire. Yes, if that makes you gasp in horror. Think of what it did to me. The Sunday school teacher was behind her and she reached around and dampened the hair and snuffed it out within seconds. Then the little girl ran all the way out the sanctuary screaming, “Cake!” because she thought she wasn’t going to get to eat a piece. Which, of course we let her have a piece. The smell, have you ever smelled burnt hair? Can’t imagine the days when animals were sacrificed in the temple. So I sat down, slunk down afterwards and sighed in relief. The choir director turned to me and said, “That was one for the books, coach.” He always called me coach. Indeed, it was one for the books. So, note to self, do not light candles for children to blow out in church. Because it says of Pentecost in the book of Acts, it was LIKE flames on their heads, not actual flames.

Pentecost, the day of understanding. It was like Rosetta stone on steroids. People from many nations, speaking different languages, understand the message in their own native tongue. How can this be? They didn’t know how, they just knew they understood. They remained diverse, they just understood what was being said. There is some very advanced technology with apps that can translate most anything in most languages almost instantly in real time. Interesting, in the time we have such advanced AI available to us is the same time many are showing such disdain for diversity and God given differences.

What happens when the spirit is poured out? Women prophesy. That is what it says, the Bible says women, your very daughters will prophesy. Women will find their voice.

I know I have told you some of these stories before, but hey Peter is quoting the old testament, so it is OK to repeat these old stories. Remember the hymn we sang last week “I love to tell the Story”, the ones who know it best seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like that rest.

A clergy friend of mine was born with a congenital spine conditions. She had a surgery that put her flat on her back for weeks. She wrote her newsletter column from her bed. She wrote about geese and how they fly in a V. She said the lead goose get the brunt of the wind at the vortex. So, the geese encourage the lead goose, by honking. She also said the lead goose changes and others its place. After the column came out, one day she was lying in her bed and she heard a car horn and another. She thought it strange that time of day. Then another, then another, then another. She soon realized, her entire church drove past the parsonage and honked their horns to encourage her, their leaders to keep the faith.

Another clergy friend is a pastor in Albuquerque, NM. She was diagnosed with breast cancer. This is a photo of her church after she announced her cancer diagnosis. They surprised her and showed up wearing pink shoes. They told her, we will walk with you on this journey. They wore pink shoes in solidarity of her cancer. I am so proud to say, this was several years ago and today she is alive and well and still a pastor.

Your daughters will prophesy.

It doesn’t stop there. What else did the prophet predict? Your young men will see visions. Many of you know that although Walt Disney was there for the opening of Disneyland in California, he died before the opening of Disney World in Florida. Lillian Disney, his wife, said at the opening when people lamented that he was not there to see it, “If he didn’t see it, it wouldn’t be here.” Your young men will see visions.

Your old men will dream dreams. The spirit of Pentecost is alive and well when the old men still dream dreams. Not simply who we were memories, but dreams of who we can become. Old men, who have a generative spirit to equip and lead the next generation.

Your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions and your old men will dream dreams.

The diverse voices will understand one another in their own unique language.

What difference does it make? This Pentecost event that happened so very long ago?

It helps me to know even while this was happening, it was not something naysayers could ignore was happening. Yet, not all understood. Some observed and said, “They must be filled with new wine.” Notice it says, “new” wine. New wine is newly fermented and at the time was more potent and intoxicating. So, some watched from the sidelines skeptical thinking they were drunk. It reminds me of the text in the gospel of John when God’s voice speaks from the heavens and many heard while others said, “Was that thunder?” I am so afraid that would be me. Was that thunder? Or what are these people doing? Are they drunk? I really like Peter’s answer. “Indeed, these people are not drunk for it is only 9:00 in the morning.” He seems to be saying, they are not drunk, yet.

Something new is happening alright, but it is not chemically induced. It is from the Holy Spirit. Peter quotes Bible verses he knows. A scripture from the book of Joel. This is happening now. The spirit of the Lord is being poured out on all flesh.

We have fun with our red clothes and or red shoes. At annual conference it is a tradition to wear red shoes at the Ordination service symbolizing the Holy Spirit.

There is nothing magic about it. So how is it some hear the voice of God while others hear thunder. How is it some understand in their own language while others see the people as drunk? How is it some wear a symbolic color to breath in the spirit while others see trivia?

Fred Craddock was a pastor and a teacher to pastors, called a homiletics professor. He was a master storyteller. Here is one of his stories:

“I have a student who, for eight years, taught in a school in Nashville, Tennessee, for children with hearing disorders. Their ears were all right; they just didn’t make contact. He said that after eight years, “I just could not stand it anymore. I went home crying; I went to work crying.” He said, “One year, right after Thanksgiving holiday; there was this beautiful girl in the school. Heather was her name. She was seven years old. We were out on the playground just after our Thanksgiving holiday. I went over to Heather, took her by the shoulders, squatted down in front of her, and said, ‘Heather? Heather, what did you eat for Thanksgiving?’

“Heather said, ‘My shoes are red.’”
He said to me, “I just couldn’t do it anymore.”

I didn’t have the heart to tell him that he’s going to have experiences pretty close to that. I was in Dallas, Texas in a service in which the music, the anthem, the prayers, the songs, everything gelled, and in the sermon, everything was just right. I was in the presence of God. Standing there after the benediction, I didn’t want to move. I was immobilized by the presence of God in the service. Just a guest. A man in the pew in front of me—he didn’t know me, I didn’t know him—turned around and said, “Do you think Tom Landry’s going to coach the Cowboy’s another year?”

Do you know what that man said to me?
The man said, ‘My shoes are red.’”

How we long for connection. How we long for others to catch the spirit. We first must catch it. Otherwise, we are just a bunch of people wearing red.

And how do we do that? It is not up to me, as a pastor. It is not up to you as a lay person. It is about the Holy spirit who still moves and touches us deeply.

Come, holy spirit you are welcome here. AMEN.