Bright ideas, simple reflections — a little light for every step of the way.
What do you do with a bunch of old sermons? Turn them into a blog – refined, condensed, made for today’s world – feel free to use as written, or as fodder for your own message. It’s For you! No permission needed or credit given. (Scroll down for previous posts)
Day of Pentecost
Acts 2:1-21
Psalm 104:24-34, 35b
1 Corinthians 12:3b-13
John 20:19-23
The Way Home
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
A while after I retired from full-time ministry, I found myself looking forward to something I never seemed to have enough time for before—reading. Over the years I had accumulated hundreds and hundreds of books on my Kindle. One evening I decided it was finally time to see what treasures were hiding in that digital library.
I came across a book by Christian author Max Lucado called God’s Story, Your Story. One chapter grabbed my attention immediately because it told the story of a man named Carl McCunn. It was such an unbelievable story that I later looked it up to make sure it was true. It was.
Carl McCunn loved wildlife photography. In 1981, after spending a year planning an Alaskan wilderness adventure, he hired a bush pilot to fly him into a remote area northeast of Fort Yukon. He brought rifles, food, supplies, and hundreds of rolls of film. He was prepared for months of isolation.
There was only one problem.
He never arranged for anyone to come back and get him.
For months he photographed wildlife and enjoyed the wilderness. Then reality began to set in. Summer turned to fall. Food supplies dwindled. Temperatures dropped. He realized no rescue plane was coming because he had never scheduled one.
Among the diary entries later recovered near his body was this heartbreaking understatement: “I think I should have used more foresight about arranging for my departure.”
After all of that planning, all of that preparation, he had forgotten the most important part—the way home.
It is a tragic story. And it raises an important question:
How often do we live as though we can make it on our own?
We plan. We organize. We work hard. We strive to be independent and self-sufficient. We create calendars and budgets and retirement plans. We try to control outcomes and manage uncertainties.
Yet sooner or later we discover that there are things we cannot handle by ourselves.
Grief.
Fear.
Broken relationships.
Illness.
The divisions that wound communities.
The uncertainty of what comes next.
The disciples discovered this too.
On the day of Pentecost, they were still trying to figure out life after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension. They were uncertain about the future. They didn’t know what the church would become or whether they were capable of carrying on Jesus’ mission.
And then God showed up.
Not through careful planning.
Not through human strength.
But through wind and fire and Spirit.
The rushing wind filled the house. Tongues of fire rested upon them. And ordinary people suddenly found themselves speaking words of hope that crossed barriers of language, culture, and experience.
Pentecost is God’s reminder that we were never meant to do this alone.
God’s plan was never simply to forgive us and then leave us to figure out the rest by ourselves. God’s plan was to remain with us. To dwell within us. To empower us. To guide us.
Jesus promised an Advocate, a Helper, the Holy Spirit. And on Pentecost that promise became reality.
The Spirit is God’s own breath filling God’s people.
The Spirit comforts us when we are grieving.
The Spirit challenges us when we become complacent.
The Spirit gives courage when we are afraid.
The Spirit creates community where division threatens to pull us apart.
And perhaps we need that reminder today more than ever.
Our world can feel exhausting.
Every day we are bombarded by angry voices competing for our attention. Social media often rewards outrage more than understanding. Political disagreements fracture friendships and families. Wars continue around the globe. Many people carry deep anxiety about finances, health, or the future. Others struggle with loneliness and wonder if anyone truly sees them.
It is easy to become discouraged.
It is easy to retreat.
It is easy to believe that fear, division, and hatred are stronger than love.
But Pentecost tells a different story.
The Holy Spirit does not erase our differences. Instead, the Spirit enables people from different backgrounds and experiences to hear the good news together.
The Spirit does not create uniformity. Spirit creates unity.
The Spirit does not teach us whom to fear. Spirit teaches us how to love.
The Spirit does not build walls. Spirit opens doors.
That day of Pentecost was not about people speaking the same language. It was about people understanding one another through the power of God.
Imagine how much our communities, our nation, and even our churches need that gift today.
We need the Spirit of wisdom more than our certainty.
We need the Spirit of compassion more than our judgment.
We need the Spirit of courage more than our fear.
And we need the Holy Spirit’s peace and presence.
After the resurrection, Jesus repeatedly greeted his disciples with the same words:
“Peace be with you.”
Not because everything was fine.
Not because all their questions had been answered.
Not because the world had suddenly become safe and predictable.
But because Christ was present with them.
The same is true for us.
The Spirit does not promise a life free from hardship. The Spirit promises that God will never abandon us in the midst of it.
Unlike Carl McCunn, we are not stranded and forgotten.
We have not been left without a way home.
God has already made that plan.
Through Christ’s death and resurrection, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, God continues to guide us, strengthen us, and lead us toward the home God has prepared.
So, when the future feels uncertain…
When the world feels chaotic…
When hope feels difficult to find…
Listen again to the promise of Pentecost:
You are not alone.
God’s Spirit is with you.
God’s peace is within you.
God’s love is still at work in this world.
Come, Holy Spirit.
Fill our hearts.
Renew your church.
Give us courage to love, wisdom to listen, and strength to follow Christ wherever you lead.
For we have been sealed by your Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
God's Yes + My Amen 