We heard Leah Guerrero read from the Book of Acts that on the day of the first Pentecost, the followers of Jesus were all together in one place that day-a house, the Scripture says. All the followers of Jesus were there together, sitting, in a big house-not unlike how we find ourselves here this morning in church. Sitting together in God's house. They had become disciples of Jesus and he had entrusted them to share with the world his message of love and reconciliation, forgiveness and grace. In his absence they were afraid, and now they had come expecting something awesome to happen.

But they had one big problem to overcome before they could spread the Gospel. These were people from all over the Mediterranean world-Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Judea, Mesopotamia, Asia, Egypt, Libya, Rome, and more! And they all spoke different languages. They were from different cultures, different worlds, really. They had different customs, different ways of doing things. They didn't know each other. They couldn't understand each other. They couldn't talk to each other. They probably didn't even like each other very much. So how could they possibly be effective in sharing Christ's message of love with others?

Well, you heard what happened! Something amazing happened that day. The Holy Spirit blew into that house like a mighty wind and rested upon each of them, so that they become able to understand one another. What the Holy Spirit can do in our lives is awesome.

One way to think of what happened that day is in terms of different languages, as we heard people right from our own congregation do this morning-Hindi, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, German, English! All those different languages spoken, and yet, on the Day of Pentecost, somehow everyone could understand what was going on. The Holy Spirit became their translator, their interpreter, so that they could speak with one another and understand. They were receiving God's gift of the Holy Spirit. And what the Holy Spirit can do in our lives is awesome.

Now, there's another way of thinking about speaking different languages, and I say this especially to the Confirmation Class this morning, but I say it to us all. I know that you know how it is when you hear stuff about God and Jesus and the church and Methodism and there's so much you don't understand. And I know that sometimes when you try to talk about what's going on in your lives, you feel like no one understands, even your parents or your brother or sister or your pastor. You feel like no one speaks your language. I know you've had the experience of trying to express yourself, trying to say what you want to say and just feeling like people think you're babbling or speaking a foreign language. And I know that sometimes you feel like everyone else comes from another planet, speaking God-knows-what kind of language. It's really awful to feel like no one understands. Or to feel like you don't understand enough. It can be confusing and even scary, and it can leave us feeling pretty alone.

But as Christians, we believe that God never leaves us alone. When Jesus ascended into heaven to dwell forever with God, he promised to send us the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, to be with us always and to give us peace. He promised. And he keeps his promises. And now, on the Day of Pentecost we see that promise fulfilled! The Holy Spirit comes to us, just like he said it would, and the comfort we find is the promise that we will all be understood. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we will be understood and we will understand others.

You know, still to this day, the church is made up of all kinds of people. Some come from as far away as Europe and Asia and Africa. But there are also people of different generations. People who see things one way or another way, or another way all together. People who like this, but don't like that. People who like that, but don't like this. People who want this, but not that. People who want that, but not this. People who believe strongly in something, and people who see the same thing very differently. We've got meat-eaters and vegetarians. We've got kids from different schools. We've got jocks and people who play the cello, and some who do both! People who love chocolate and people who never touch the stuff. People who live for baseball and people who don't know a corked bat from a golf club!

In the real church, we've got it all! All people-but all speaking very different languages. It's no wonder that even though sometimes when we're all sitting together in this one big room of God's house, the church, we don't understand each other and we feel like we're not being understood.

But God doesn't abandon us to the horrible, scary silence of not understanding and not being under-stood. God doesn't leave us alone. God doesn't leave us to just go and do our own thing on our own. Oh no! God brings us all together and sits us down together in this one big house. That's what makes church so exciting and so challenging! God gives us each other. And then God gives us the way to understand each other and the means for making ourselves understood. God sends us the Holy Spirit. And what the Holy Spirit can do in our lives is awesome.

The Bible says that not only will we truly understand each other, but that we will understand God. And we will understand not only the life that we see and experience now, but also the beautiful life God intends for us. Young and old, youth and adults, men and women, we will see visions and we will dream dreams when God pours out the Holy Spirit on us.

I know that you Confirmands have come to see your life as a faith journey and that you're making this commitment today because you're ready to keep moving along that path of faith. From being with you, I know that you see the church as the best place to grow spiritually, that you want to grow in faith and that you want to be part of this Christian community. I know that you're ready to be full members of this church and take on some of the responsibility for making it all it can be. And I know that some of you are ready to make a bigger commitment and even make some sacrifices to be here more and contribute more. I know that you want to become better Christians and to receive God's blessings for your life.

In the act of Confirmation, we believe that the Holy Spirit comes and rests upon you in a very special way, just as it did on those early disciples gathered together so long ago. We believe that the Holy Spirit will comfort you and give you the ability to be understood and to better understand one another. We believe that you will continue to grow in all the gifts of grace, so that your lives might be more righteous and holy. We believe that you will continue to grow in wisdom and in understanding, finding strength to face the hard things of this world. We believe that through the gift of the Holy Spirit, you will grow in the knowledge and awe of God. And that through the gift of the Holy Spirit, you will enter into the gift of everlasting life, so that you may understand not only everything that is human, but everything that is divine. What the Holy Spirit can do in our lives is awesome.

As of today, these young confirmands are full members of this church, with all the rights and privileges and responsibilities attendant thereto. May we all be inspired by their commitment and their intention to continue to grow in faith.

And may the Holy Spirit enter this house this morning and visit us again, and rest upon us in the fullness of God's power and love. May we understand one another. May we know God more fully. May we receive grace and strength. May the Holy Spirit draw us together and shape us into the church God intends. Alleluia! Come Spirit, come.

© Patricia E. Farris, 2003. Permission is given for brief quotation with attribution. All other rights reserved.