“A Mighty Wind”

Pentecost Sunday

June 8, 2025

Dandelion seeds blowing in the wind

Acts 2:1-21

John 14:8-17

Children’s Message:

Do you know what today is in the church? It’s Pentecost! This is the day we learn about how the Spirit helped the disciples tell people from all over the world about Jesus. So, today we celebrate the Spirit.

We can’t see the Holy Spirit, so we use different things to symbolize the Spirit’s presence. What kinds of images do you think help us do that? (shells, dove, fire, water, wind). We saw the fire and water already today. The water reminds us of the Spirit coming to Jesus when he was baptized—and when we are baptized. The fire reminds us of Pentecost when the flames came over the disciples and gave them the ability to speak in other languages.

What about the wind? Can you make a mighty wind? You see, the wind reminds us of how the Spirit was with God in creation, blowing over the earth. And then God put God’s breath into the first humans to make them alive. Can you show me a big breath? Can everyone hear or see your breath? No.

Our breath is invisible and hard to hear. But the Spirit helps amplify our breath and make it audible—or visible. Let me give you an example (kazoo or party noise-maker). See? Now you can see or hear the breath! Kind of like how the Spirit made the disciples’ story of Jesus audible to the people gathered around.

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank you for giving us your Spirit. Help us listen for the Spirit when we feel you are hard to hear. Amen.

Message:

“They were amazed and astonished.” Not by the message, but by the fact that the disciples were speaking their language. Growing up in first Century Israel, the disciples would already know several languages. They knew Latin—that’s what the Romans spoke. They knew Greek—before the Romans were in charge, the Greeks were in charge. They knew Hebrew—to read and listen to Scripture. They knew Aramaic—it was their common language spoken among each other.

But to know languages beyond that—enough to be able to share a message of hope to all that were gathered—that was something new! How many languages do you know? Most of us, including myself, are only fluent in English. But people across the world are often fluent in several languages and dialects. It’s necessary in order to function in their world.

Languages are difficult to learn, in part because they involve more than words, grammar and syntax. Languages embody the cultural and political realities of a place. This is the challenge Biblical scholars have had to deal with for centuries. They work hard to understand nuances of words and phrases and what they could have possibly meant when they were first written versus what they mean to us today. This is why we can’t just say, “The Bible said it, so I believe it.”

You see God cannot be contained in one language, one culture, one country, one race, one people, or one gender. We get to see in Scripture how the Spirit came to those who still questioned. We see the Spirit descend on Roman soldiers and prison guards. We read about the Spirit moving the man who was a eunuch from Ethiopia and the woman who was unmarried from Samaria. The Spirit descended upon every nationality, race, economic situation, gender expression, education, social class, and religion. The Spirit welcomes all—not in spite of who we were but because we are children of God.

On that Pentecost day a mighty wind stirred up the hearts and minds and voices of the people, and there is a mighty wind blowing today. There is a mighty wind that will not be harnessed by religious dogma or hate-filled speech. The words that the disciples spoke were words of hope and life. They did not bully; they did not condescend; they did not belittle; they did not kill. Rather, they lifted up. They told the people that God is with them. God is with the ones who have been pushed out, pushed down, pushed away, and pushed too far. God is with the ones who question, who doubt, who turn back, and who believe. God is with the ones who don’t fit in, don’t fit the mold, don’t fit ideals, who break out as their true selves in all of our beauty and wonder. God is with you. Here. And there is a mighty wind blowing.

A mighty wind that is blowing over the incredible diversity of people in this place and across the world. It is working to blow apart the divisions humans have created in God’s name. There is a mighty wind blowing.

It is toppling the halls of power and the fortress tower. Friends, there is a mighty wind blowing.

It is shifting the sands beneath the houses of wealth and drowning out the loud voices of hatred. There is a mighty wind blowing.

It is blowing down walls and stirring up good trouble for the sake of the gospel. There is a mighty wind blowing.

It is breaking open prison doors and opening the eyes of the blind. There is a mighty wind blowing.

The Holy Spirit is at work, my friends. It may not always feel like it or look like it, but rest assured, there is a mighty wind blowing. The voices of the faithful will not be silenced by executive orders and hate-filled legislation. Our voices of hope will not be shaken by threats or set-backs. There is a mighty wind blowing the Word of God into the world, and she will not be stopped. She will not be harnessed. She will not be held back for some and withheld from others. She will persist. She will persist by speaking into the hearts of every one who listens. By speaking their language—words of hope, words of love, words of affirmation, words that remind us that we are beloved children of God. And words that remind us that the Other is a beloved child of God, as well.

There is a mighty wind blowing, my friends. She is blowing here at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church. She is blowing in Lincoln, NE. She is blowing across the United States. She is blowing throughout the nations struggling under oppression and famine, war and violence. There is a mighty wind blowing—blowing us into community, into action, into God’s abundant arms. This Spirit-drenched place, this messy imperfect Church, this Body of Christ—this is YOURS. This mighty Spirit of God—she is for YOU. She speaks your language: cis, queer, trans, gay, black, white, red, poor, rich, Christian, non-Christian. She is inviting you in. Telling you that you have a place of honor. You are welcome. You are beloved. You are home.

Pastor Tobi White

Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church

Lincoln, NE