When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs--we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" [NIV]

Church is FUN, um… right? Well, is it fun? Did Jesus intend church to be fun? If it is fun, in what sense? Of course, church is not fun as we normally understand the word. Playing games are fun. Going out to a nice restaurant or a movie is fun. Vacation is fun. Church is not fun in this way. But is church boring ? Many churches seem to believe so about themselves. As one local church advertised their Saturday night youth program: “It’s too much fun to be church!” Such a statement, though intended to be humorous, is quite tragic. If a church considers itself boring unless it is energized like a rock concert, why would anyone consider it worth their time?

Church may not be fun like going to a movie, but it definitely is not boring. Church transcends fun. Through the Word it preaches and teaches, we are filled with Christ’s forgiveness to erase guilt. The Word brings us salvation through that forgiveness Jesus won at the cross. Through that same Word of God, we are armed with Christ’s strength to battle through life’s problems with hope and joy until the Father calls us heavenward!

Today, on Pentecost Sunday, we learn how “not boring” church is, as we celebrate Jesus’ sending of the Holy Spirit to the Church on that Pentecost long ago. On that day, the Holy Spirit kick- started the church’s mission to preach the Word of God about Jesus throughout the world. Here’s how it happened!

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Now there were staying in Jerusalem God- fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs— we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”

One thing is clear about this account. When the Apostles began to preach God’s word in the languages of many people gathered in Jerusalem at that time, the people who heard them didn’t seem bored. They were very happy simply to hear about the wonders of God accomplished in Jesus Christ for their salvation.

Each week, the Holy Spirit gives us the same opportunity to hear the wonders of salvation in Jesus, God’s only Son! The wonder of God’s Son being conceived in Mary’s womb by the Holy Spirit! The wonder of God’s Son being born as a little baby— in appearance no different than any newborn we might see. The wonder that He was born to live for us in perfection, because we could not do so for ourselves as God demands of us in the commandments. The wonder of God’s love in Jesus as he healed diseases, cast out demons, raised his friend Lazarus from the dead. The wonder that Jesus came to speak the words we all need to hear: “Take heart son, your sins are forgiven.” The wonder of God’s Son being put on trial, but never seeking escape. The wonder of God’s Son hanging on the cross, never commanding His angels to rescue Him. We hear God’s own Son cry out in the suffering we deserved as He bore our sins: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Once laid in the tomb, we see God’s Son break the bonds of death and return to life in victory, a victory which brings all believers victory over our own graves. He then ascended to heaven to watch over us and intercede for our sins before the Father. These are the wonders of God to our hearts , though we have witnessed none of them! Thanks to the Holy Spirit who has given us faith by the power of God’s written Word of truth, and by the Word washing us in the water of baptism! We now live confidently in the knowledge that Christ has opened heaven to us, overcoming our sins. THIS message, preached and taught faithfully and with urgency, is what Church must be about.

With this in mind, we must be aware of the weakness that lives in us all due to sin. Despite the wondrous hope God has given us in Christ, which the Holy Spirit has communicated to our hearts by the Word, we Christians still have that tendency to worry more about the superficial things in the church which do not nourish faith at all, rather than pay attention to the message we are preaching. This is why we complain about the way our church does things. “Are we playing the right music?” “Is our play area attractive enough to families with young children?” “Does our pastor use enough humor in his sermons?” Do we give our community the impression that we are a fun church?” “Maybe we should attract people with a Super Bowl party?” In the end, we are in danger of concluding: "Our church is too boring to attract anyone. We must change.” This is our temptation. But the problem is not church. The problem is our sin. Quite simply, our hearts doubt God’s Word has the power to bring people into the church on its own. We believe we must dress things up to make it more attractive.

So, shall we give in to our sin’s desire? If we do, we will only find that what was “fun” today soon wears out its welcome. In the forgiveness of Christ, which washes us clean of such thoughts as we bring them to God in confession, we move forward according to what God says about conducting the ministry of His church. In the end, the Apostle Paul put it best, as he encouraged the young pastor Titus: “You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned” (Titus 2: 1,7).

On that Pentecost long ago, the Holy Spirit moved the Apostles to do just this. Instead of trying to dazzle the crowds, the Apostles simply proclaimed God’s word to them— and the people heard the wonders of God in Jesus. On that day, over three thousand were brought to faith, and were baptized in Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2: 38- 41). On this Pentecost, let us rejoice that the Holy Spirit has moved us to do the same thing. In the integrity and soundness of speech, with heart- felt love for God’s Word, and for the people who come to hear, we preach God’s Word and let the Holy Spirit make things grow. As people hear about how Jesus has saved them in His perfect life, atoning death for sin, and victorious resurrection, faith will grow in their hearts. They will come to rejoice more and more that, in Christ, God sees them as holy and perfect as Christ Himself, and that heaven now stands open to them, despite their many failures. I think you must agree with me: there will be nothing boring about that at all! SOLI DEO GLORIA

DEAR HOLY SPIRIT, COME TO US THROUGH THE WORD OF GOD TO RENEW FAITH IN US TO BELIEVE IN JESUS OUR SAVIOR. USE US TO BRING THE WORD TO OTHERS THAT THEY ALSO MAY BELIEVE. HELP US TO DO THIS WITH INTREGRITY AND SERIOUSNESS, FAITHFULLY TEACHING ALL THINGS ABOUT JESUS CHRIST— HE WHO TRANSCENDS ALL SUPERFICIAL THINGS AND BRINGS ETERNAL SALVATION. AMEN.

[NIV] New International Version used throughout.