Pentecost – Wind, Fire, Word and Song

Pentecost was really a very disjointed and disorganized event. Here were these followers of Jesus who were holed-up in an upper room for fifty days, fearing for their lives. They were at the mercy of the crowd who called for the crucifixion of Jesus. Suddenly a mighty wind roared through the house where they were hiding. Tongues of fire began to spread around the room and light on everyone in the room. To add to the confusion, everyone began to speak in different languages that they had not been conversant in before.

The room could not contain them any longer. They rushed fearlessly out into the street. Just imagine what the Jerusalem crowd thought as they were all running around like living torches, with the living flame of God bursting out of their heads. Each one was trying out his or her new language on the crowd. The wind of God was blowing them around. To the crowd, it looked like a drunken orgy.

However, this was no drunken orgy. This was the exhilarating reactions of the people of God, to their birthing as the people of God “in the world”. Today we say they were born of the Spirit. No longer were they dependent upon the physical presence of the Christ in their midst. The Spirit of the Risen Christ had settled upon each one of them. He was in them, on them and around them. They were now the embodiment of Christ in the world.

This event was the undoing of the havoc wrought when the Tower of Babel was being built. At Babel, God came and confused their language by giving each person a different language. They could no longer communicate with each other. Communication broke down. They could no longer work together and could not talk with each other.

At Pentecost, each person had a new language, however the language was one someone in the crowd understood. So, the people in crowd were all amazed. They said to one another: “How is it that we now we hear the good news proclaimed in our own tongue.”

This was the real resurrection morning for the early church. They were now possessed by the Spirit of the Risen Christ. Those who had been living in despair were now empowered by the Resurrection power to be God’s resurrection people in the world.

The strange thing is there is nothing in the record to indicate that they sang any hymns or psalms. In fact, apart from a fragment of a hymn from the ancient church that appears in Philippians Chapter 2, there is no record of the hymns of the early church anywhere or no mention of them singing. However, I cannot help but believe that the early church did sing and that being good Jews they used the Psalms as their Hymn Books.

In his book The Feast of Fools, Harvey Cox tells how singing and celebration have always been a part of the life of oppressed people. It is through celebration that we can bear the pain of oppression. 

Pentecost was certainly a great celebrative event of an oppressed people. I cannot help but feel that singing was a vital part of their celebration.

Hymn – I Had a Dream One Day

I dreamed of a day when swords will be beat into plowshares, 
When cannons and guns will be melted down,
And out of the metal we’ll build for mankind 
A bridge that will span every ocean.

I dreamed of a world where all men will call others “brother”. 
Where borders and walls will be broken down.
And out of the milieu will come a new world 
With love bridging ‘cross every chasm.

I dreamed of a time when Christ will be Lord of all people. 
When rituals and creeds will be set aside,
And out of the jumble we’ll hear once again 
The Spirit of God speaking to us.

Words by Arthur Schwabe
Music by Eleanor Schwabe