He was a little
guy with a big Afro, but, other than that, there was really nothing remarkable
about his appearance at all. In fact, he looked like most of the other kids in
school. And he was shy, so you might walk right past him in the hallway. If you
did happen to look his way, he might smile and nod. He was a polite kid. Quiet.
Low key. He was smart and a decent student, but he just wasn’t the kind of kid
who attracted attention. Except when he played music.[i]
And then everybody noticed. He had a rare talent, the kind that would lead to 7
Grammy awards and 19 top 10 hits.
So what was it?
What turned a shy, quiet kid from Minneapolis into the world-renowned pop star
known as Prince? He found his voice, and miraculous things happen when people
find their voice.
For Jesus, that
moment was his baptism. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus was praying when the Holy
Spirit descended upon him, and it was the Spirit who gave Jesus the power to
speak with authority. It’s as if his tongue were on fire! Jesus was God’s
spokesman here on earth. And he came preaching freedom!
Throughout
Luke’s Gospel, voice or speech is linked with issues of authority and power and
truth. People realized that Jesus was a prophet sent by God by listening to his
voice. And Jesus had plenty to say! But, throughout the story, the disciples
really don’t say much … until Pentecost.
On the day of
Pentecost, the disciples were gathered to pray, which is EXACTLY what Jesus had
been doing when the Spirit came upon him. And, sure enough, while they
worshipped, they were filled with the Spirit! They received the same gift that
Jesus had been given. The gift of the Holy Spirit. It is a gift of power. A
gift of inspiration. A gift of speech. It’s as if their tongues were on fire!
For years, the
disciples had seen God’s power at work in Jesus, but after Jesus was raised
from the dead and ascended into heaven, they were given the power and authority
to speak for God. They had almost nothing to say until they were filled with
the Holy Spirit. And that Spirit came upon them as they worshipped. The Spirit
came upon them as they joined together to lift up the name of the Lord. The
Spirit came upon them as they spent time in God’s presence. The Spirit came
upon them as they sought to deepen their relationship with the Creator.
It is almost as
if the gift of the Spirit was a reward because the disciples had been faithful.
They had kept the covenant. They had kept open the doors of communication. They
were open to receive God. They were open to receive instruction. They were open
to receive God’s word. They were open to God. And their openness pleased God,
so they were given the very essence of God. The Lord came to them as Spirit,
and when the disciples embraced that Spirit, they found their own voices. Their
tongues were on fire!
Each of them was
filled with power from on high. They were given the power to speak God’s Word.
They were given the freedom to speak for God. In fact, they were instructed to
speak. And sing. And shout. They were sent out to tell the whole world all that
they had seen and heard and experienced as they followed Jesus.
Miraculous things
happen when people find their voice. And it sure happened that day in
Jerusalem. It started with a group of about 120 people. Men and women. People
who had followed Jesus. But there were hundreds of Jewish people in town that
day. They had come from every nation under heaven. And they spoke hundreds of
different languages. But they all heard the wind that blew through the house
where the 120 were gathered. And it got their attention. What’s going on there?
They wondered, so they went to investigate. And they were amazed by what they
heard.
Those 120
disciples who had been filled with the Holy Spirit were all talking at once.
Their tongues were on fire! Each one spoke a different language, even though
they all came from the same place. They were all Judeans! They had all grown up
speaking Hebrew. But their tongues were on fire! The Spirit of God had given
them the power to speak in other languages. Languages they couldn’t possibly
have known on their own. But God gave them the power to speak in other languages
so that everyone who came that day could hear God’s Word and understand.
Parthians,
Medes, and Elamites. Residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappodocia, Pontus,
Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and parts of Libya. Visitors from Rome.
Jews, proselytes, Cretans and Arabs. Everyone. Everyone could hear. Everyone
could understand. Everyone had the opportunity to hear the gospel that day.
The 120 were
filled with the Spirit. Their tongues were on fire! So everyone got to hear
about Jesus. There wasn’t just one person speaking for God anymore. The Holy
Spirit had been set loose upon the earth. And anyone who embraced that Spirit
could be God’s prophet.
See, I told you.
Miraculous things happen when people find their voice.
Sons and
daughters prophesy. Young men see visions. Old men dream dreams. Slaves and
free, men and women – they all become vessels for the Spirit of the Lord. Their
tongues are on fire! They become prophets, proclaiming good news to the poor,
release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind! They become
prophets who cry out for God, “Let the oppressed go free!” They become
prophets, singing, “Jesus loves all the little children of the world.” They
become prophets so that everyone, everyone, everyone in every time and place can
hear the good news of God’s saving love and be set free from sin!
Miraculous
things like THAT happen when people find their voice.
So, come, Holy
Spirit, come! Pour out that Pentecostal Power on us today!
Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me.
Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me.
Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me.
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.[ii]
[i]
The story of Prince is told in “The quiet one: A high school classmate recalls
the Artist as a young man” by Jon Tevlin, which was published by The Star
Tribute on March 13, 2004. It was posted on their website at http://www.startribune.com/the-quiet-one-a-high-school-classmate-recalls-the-artist-as-a-young-man/11527586/.
Accessed June 2, 2017.
[ii]
Daniel Iverson. “Spirit of the Living God.” The United Methodist Hymnal.
Nashville: The United Methodist Publishing House, 1989. 393.
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