“Mistaken for Being Sober”

"Speaking in Tongues: A 21^st Century Perspective"

The story presented in The Book of Acts, 2:1-12, has been studied for centuries by scholars and church-goers alike. It's the story of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit filled the disciples and they were empowered to speak the gospel message of salvation in as many languages as there were folks listening. Reading the story we can pick out at least sixteen different languages represented in the crowd.

This story has given rise to the charismatic belief in speaking in tongues. Of course, this story doesn't really relate to the modern-day charism of speaking in tongues at all, since the disciples in the story did not speak unintelligible languages of the heavens; rather, they were speaking normal human languages that they didn't know. This was miraculous, but not cosmic. It has caused quarrels about whether the disciples actually learned a new language or if the people simply understood what was being said. Was this really speaking in many languages or was it some sort of First Century United Nations? Either explanation would be miraculous; but the conflicts continue.

Another issue seems to be that we have lost our enthusiasm for Pentecost and the Holy Spirit. Post-modern Christians are adept at thinking about social justice issues, but seem to lack the stomach for talking about and learning about the Holy Spirit and the Spirit's gifts to the church. "Spirituality" is a great buzz-word, but there is a general disconnect when it comes to talking about being filled with the Holy Spirit and acting like the disciples did at the first Pentecost. I wonder why this topic has become so stale.

This passage is considered to be the focus of the Pentecost and provides the most-often preached text for this important Sunday. Maybe that is part of the problem; maybe we have heard this text preached so often that we think there's nothing new to say about it. Maybe we think we know the Pentecost story so well that it is no longer special. There is nothing more for us to learn here. Can't we just move on? This might a great day to dust off last year's Pentecost sermon. Read the story, make a few brief remarks about the birth of the church, and let's all go to lunch. That would probably be a pretty popular Sunday indeed!

The thing is: It is still a miracle when people actually hear about and understand the work of God in a way that speaks to them. There are people in our community who think differently, live differently, and understand differently than we do. There are still people out there waiting to hear the gospel presented to them in a way that they can understand and embrace. How are we speaking in languages for those people?

Think about those first disciples in the story. They were scared out of their minds, hiding behind locked doors, waiting for somebody to come and take them off to jail or to the same fate that met their Master. Then, on that special Pentecost Day, they changed their mood and their behavior because of the presence of the Holy Spirit. They went out into the streets proclaiming the saving work of God without any fear. They were able to speak in whatever language was necessary for the people around them to understand. For them, it was a great miracle of speaking in many different languages; for us, it might just be the miracle of being able to relate to many different kinds of people. The miracle of Pentecost in our lives might just be the ability to reach out to people in our own community and find ways to bring them to an understanding of God's love. Maybe we don't need to speak in tongues or any other language; maybe we just need to realize what people need and provide it.

In the story we just heard the apostles were accused of being drunk. How else could the people explain their wild appearance and behavior? The people knew that these followers of Jesus were different. However, their assessment as to why they were acting so strangely was wrong. The apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit.

But it raises a question for us. When folks see and hear us, what do they assume? How do they explain our appearance and behavior? It may be that there is nothing to explain. If we seem to be like everybody else, then shame on us. We are not called to blend in — but to stand out in such a way that calls attention to our God. I wonder if too many Christians would never be mistaken for being drunk because their faith is so incredibly sober.

The apostles weren't drunk — just excited. They were filled with the Holy Spirit that they encountered through a violent wind and tongues of fire, and they took the message of Jesus to the entire earth. They were mistaken for being drunk. I think that many Christians today are mistaken for being sober. We are so afraid that somebody might think we're weird or different or strange that we act so sober that no one would ever mistake us for being excited about our faith. That's just wrong! I don't want to be mistaken for sober; I want people to wonder why I'm so happy and excited. I want people to ask me what's gotten into me so I can tell them – the Holy Spirit has gotten into me! That's what Pentecost is really all about…It's about showing everyone how excited you are to be a Christian. It's about going out into the streets and proclaiming the message of Jesus Christ with enthusiasm. It's about being able to communicate with many different types of people in ways that they can understand and appreciate. It's about helping lots of different people learn about Jesus and come into a relationship with him.

So, how about you…Do you want to be mistaken for being drunk on the love of God or mistaken for being sober?