Pentecost Sunday
Rev. Jimmy Moore, preaching
Acts 2:1-13
Holy Host of Others: A Pentecost Longing for Community
Did you know you have a “holy host of others” standing round you? I suspect some of you remember hearing the phrase. In 1968, James Taylor was in London recording on the Beatles Apple label. As he tells it, he was missing his family, his dog, Hercules, and the geographic home that had always been part of his soul’s remedy when he was having a hard time. Maybe you knew that the “holy host of others” in the song refers to the Beatles, who recorded that song with him. But it begs the question of who are those holy others who surround us, sometimes to our great surprise.
In Christian tradition, this coming Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, and as it is recounted in the second Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, marks the coming of the Holy Spirit. For many, the strange occurrences in the text are the memorable things: the tongues of fire, the rush of a mighty wind, and people who though their languages were diverse heard the Word spoken in a way that they could hear it. Admittedly, that’s all pretty impressive. But it is possible to overlook that in the heat of this story is the light that God was bringing together a collection of very diverse people to join in a common community and mission. In this story, the old chasms of difference… language and ethnicity and gender and persuasions…were bridged in the experience of the Spirit. In this story, there we see the image of the holy gaggle that Jesus sought to create, where all were gifted, where strangers could become friends, and where even enemies could find their way to peace. When the Spirit blows, a holy host of others come together to love deeply and justly. And make no mistake about it, this is a timely reality as we all are sensing the longing for community after months of “Stay at Home”.
We’ll explore this on Sunday morning in worship. The sermon is titled, “Holy Host of Others: A Pentecost Longing for Community,” arising from Acts 2: 1-13. Our singers will offer a lovely anthem, we’ll have a children’s moment, sing some hymns, offer prayers, and hear a biblical reading from Max Cron. We will also have a time of honoring graduates during the service. We look forward to connecting with you on the live stream this Sunday.