Who here got up this morning and poured their coffee or tea into a cup. You lifted the pot and
gently tilted it, allowing the warm liquid to fill your mug. Sometimes we allow ourselves a
second pouring, a second outpouring of caffeine, which is an additional blessing. It is a ritual we
do most mornings, pouring a hot beverage into a container so that we can drink it.
Our gospel mentioned drinking living water, coming to Jesus who will quench our thirst with the
Spirit. A Spirit Jesus promised to send but who was not yet widely known. In the Old
Testament, God’s Spirit had been poured out on kings and prophets but was often short lived.
God shared some of God’s spirit with the seventy elders who served with Moses so that they
were able to prophesy, but this was only temporary (Num. 11:25). Then, “In Isaiah (44:3) God
said to Israel, ‘I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour
out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.’ The Holy Spirit is
pictured as the ‘water of life’ that saves and blesses a dying people” (Got Answers, Outpouring
of Spirit). Jesus was picking up on that theme on the last day of the festival of Booths which is a
joyous harvest festival celebrating God’s provision. Here Jesus invites anyone who is thirsty to
come to him and receive the Spirit. Jesus is expanding the promise. The promise the prophet
Joel foretold of an inclusive blessing from the pouring out of God’s Spirit. Peter quotes this
promise on Pentecost when the Holy Spirit dramatically arrives. Reading portions of the story, I
ask you to listen for who receives the outpouring of God’s Spirit. READ Acts 2:1-4, 14-21.
The day I wrote this sermon, May 21, was the Jewish Pentecost. A holiday that marks fifty days
after Passover. It is called the Festival of Shavout, meaning weeks, because it marks seven
weeks and 1 day after Passover. As you know, the name Pentecost, comes from Penta meaning
five or fifty. So, as we celebrate the birthday of the church, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, let
us understand that Pentecost as a reinterpretation of a longstanding Jewish tradition. The same
way that God had shared God’s Spirit before it was transformed by Act’s account of Pentecost.
So, back to my question. Did you hear who received the outpouring of God’s Spirit? Was it
kings and prophets? Was it only Jewish people? Were women included? Before I answer that, I
want to share something I learned this week. There are three outpourings of God’s Spirit
recorded in the book of Acts. The one we just read, the story of Pentecost. Then Samaritans
receive the Holy Spirit after being baptized by Philip (8:4-17). Let’s remember, Jews and
Samaritans hated each other. Yet the Spirit was poured out upon Samaritans after Peter and John
laid hands upon the newly baptized believers. That’s the second outpouring. Then again in Acts
10 (44-46) after Peter preached the peace of Christ, the Spirit was poured out on the Gentiles.
God’s Spirit was poured out on the uncircumcised, even before they were baptized. Something
Peter corrected immediately by baptizing them in the name of Jesus Christ. God’s Spirit was
poured out upon Gentiles and Samaritans. The Holy Spirit poured out upon the uncircumcised
and the enemy.
Three outpourings of the Spirit. Yet Pentecost was the first outpouring, when God’s Spirit was
poured out upon Jews from every nation under heaven. This power gave the Jews the ability to
speak in other languages. So startling was this power that people wondered if they were drunk.
But no, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit is the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy. After Jesus sent
the Holy Spirit to his disciples, on Pentecost the Holy Spirit was given to everyone who
believed! Everyone! It was a mass outpouring of the Spirit. God’s Holy Spirit is poured out
upon all who believe! And the Church is born.
God said, “I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh” (17). Peter is connecting the fire, wind and
the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, with this expansion of who is included in God’s kingdom,
who receives the Holy Spirit. And it is not the usual suspects, it is not the kings and prophets,
the powerful and the rich. No, who gets named are the ones who are often on the margins, the
young and the old, the sons and daughters, the enslaved, both male and female. “The pouring
out of the Spirit does not discriminate by gender; deliberately naming daughters, when sons
could be used to refer to all children. All genders, with an emphasis on all, have access to the
pouring out of God’s spirit. The pouring does not discriminate by age either. Young people will
see visions and the elderly will dream dreams (Acts 2:17). The pouring does not exclude those
on the lowest rungs of the social ladder—enslaved men and enslaved women” (Working
Preacher, Jeremy L. Williams). Pentecost shifted the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to be all-
inclusive—available to all believers, regardless of age, gender, or social status. God’s Spirit is
poured out upon all flesh, reminding me of Paul’s declaration, there is no longer Jew or Greek,
slave or free, no longer male and female for we are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:28). This
inclusivity makes it so that “those who think they are safe because of their wealth, gender,
ability, or domination of others are the very ones who need new tongues to call on the name of
God and be saved” (Working Preacher, Jeremy L. Williams).
God’s pouring out of Spirit did not end at Pentecost. No, we are all included in this outpouring.
The day you were baptized, God poured out God’s Spirit upon you. We call it the seal of the
Holy Spirit, but it is the pouring out of God’s Spirit (Eph. 1:13). Ever since Pentecost, the Holy
Spirit has baptized every believer into Christ, (1 Cor. 12:13), so that the Holy Spirit comes to
permanently dwell in you, in God’s children. Baptism is a pouring out of water and Spirit.
Maybe that is why in our gospel text, Jesus speaks of the rivers of living waters as the Spirit.
Why we speak of the pouring out of the Spirit the same way we pour out water.
We often think about wind and fire on Pentecost, but today we focused on the pouring out of the
Spirit, the pouring of water.
So, as we conclude this message, I want you to close your eyes. Imagine you are in a beautiful,
secluded place. A safe and peaceful place “with lush green foliage, rocks and flowers, a crystal-
clear blue lagoon filled with fresh water, and a waterfall. In your mind, you can hear that water
flowing through the rocks, the rushing sound of the water as it pours down into the lagoon, the
fresh air and water forming into mist across the flowing, rippling water. Now in your mind, slip
into that serene oasis. Feel the fresh, cool water on your skin, breathe in the scents of nature,
allow the sound of the rushing water to soothe your spirit, relax your muscles, refresh your soul
like a natural spa. Put your fingers together and cup some fresh water in your hands. Gulp it
down. The water is pure. Refreshing. And cool. How does that feel? Chances are, just
imagining that scenario has relaxed you, released your stress, and brought you to a peaceful
place.
Now I want you to imagine that all of that water that you feel surrounding, immersing you, and
nourishing you, that soothing rushing sound, that fresh, clean purity – all of it is not mere water
but the very Spirit of God! Let it flow over you, around you. Feel it. Taste it. Let it soothe your
soul. The Spirit of God is with you. Receive the Living Water of Christ! You can open your
eyes” (Sermons.com, Lori Wagner).
On Pentecost God flooded the world with the Spirit and the world was changed. The 120 people
who felt, received and had the Spirit poured out upon them were so changed that they preached
and prophesied to bring over 3,000 people into faith (2:41). That’s the power of Pentecost.
“On this beautiful Pentecost Sunday, feel the presence of Christ around you. Open your mind
and heart to the power of Christ among you. Open your hearts to God. Let Christ in! Now in the Spirit of Christ, let us rise up and sing. For the risen Christ is alive among you! And your life and
your faith will never be the same again!” (Sermons.com, Lori Wagner).
