A Confirmation Affirmation: Acts 2:1-21 - Day of Pentecost

¹When the day of Pentecost had come, [the apostles] were all together in one place. ²And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. ⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
  ⁵Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. ⁶And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. ⁷Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? ⁹Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” ¹²All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” ¹³But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”
  ¹⁴But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. ¹⁵Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. ¹⁶No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
 ¹⁷‘In the last days it will be, God declares,
 that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
  and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
 and your young men shall see visions,
  and your old men shall dream dreams.
 ¹⁸Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
  in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
   and they shall prophesy.
 ¹⁹And I will show portents in the heaven above
  and signs on the earth below,
   blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
 ²⁰The sun shall be turned to darkness
  and the moon to blood,
   before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
 ²¹Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ ” (NRSV)

Confirmation Classes, 1926-1943.

Over the past year, Pastor Ryan and I repeatedly asked our confirmation students: In one word, what is the bible about?

The easy answer would be to say “God,” or “Jesus;” and technically, you’d be right. But you can give that answer to just about any question I ask!

I’m looking for an answer that’s more specific, and here it is: the bible is about relationships. That’s what our Christian faith is all about: not doctrines or rituals, but relationships. That point is clear to understanding what happens on the Day of Pentecost.

You have a whole bunch of people gathered together in one place—because Pentecost was a Jewish festival: the Feast of Weeks, when God’s people worship God for the first fruits of the harvest.

Suddenly, there was a violent rush of wind, and tongues of fire appeared on the people. “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.”

Some lookers on say that these people are drunk. And the Pentecost event would be, essentially, nonsense, unless all this had a greater purpose—and the greater purpose is relationship. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit created relationships: with Jesus Christ, and with each another. The Spirit eliminated the language barrier—so that all would hear the Gospel in their own language and come to faith in Christ. And what the Spirit brought about was bigger than just individuals in a personal relationship with Jesus. On the Day of Pentecost, the people became the Body of Christ.

That is what I pray your confirmation will be for you: that you will be established and strengthened in your relationship with Jesus, and embrace your belonging to the Body of Christ. I pray that we have given you the language to understand who God is, what God desires for the world, and what roles God desires you to have in this world.

You may think your work is done. I’m here to tell you that your work is just beginning. Your purpose as a member of the Body of Christ is to both confirm and affirm Jesus’ unconditional love, forgiveness, and acceptance of all people. Living in a time, such as this, where a person’s value is measured by their paycheck, their possessions, and their popularity, you have your work cut out for you. Life as a child of God is not measured by how much you achieve or attain. It’s about relationship—with Jesus Christ among all who belong to his Body. We’re all family here.

Sometimes, we as the Church forget that—and we let our own personal agendas get in the way. Sometimes, we as individuals forget that—and we allow family time with Jesus to fall off of our schedules because we’re “busy” and have “important things” to do. And sometimes, you’ll feel like there’s no relationship with Jesus to tend to. This is why it’s so important for you to stick with your church family, because they’ll be your connection to Christ when Christ seems far away. Just the same, it’s important to stick with your Christ, to help you to deal with the people you love; the people you struggle to love; and the people who make your life difficult.

If there’s nothing else you remember about your confirmation class, I pray you’ll always remember that you are part of a family of faith who loves you very much, and who’s proud of you just for being who you are. Jesus loves you, and so do we. And you are God’s gift to the world. The more of yourself you share, the more people will see Christ in you. It truly is all about relationships! May you be forever blessed to belong.