“Birthday Gifts”

Acts 2:1-21

Rev. Caela Simmons Wood

First Congregational UCC, Manhattan, KS

May 24, 2026 - Pentecost

Today is someone’s birthday. Do you know who?

….. The Church! That’s right. Pentecost is often called “the birthday of the Church” because it’s when the early followers of Jesus began to prophesy and heal and teach and invite others to join them in following in the Way. 

“Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to the Church. Happy birthday to you.”

Like any good party guest, God showed up on Pentecost with a gift. It wasn’t exactly a surprise because Jesus had been telling his friends for a long time that this gift was coming. But it did arrive with a bang. Or, more precisely, with a whoosh of wind and a crackle of flame. You may already know what the gift was.…… That’s right. The Holy Spirit. 

If you asked most people to name important Christian holidays, what do you think they’d list? Christmas? Easter? I’m not sure if Pentecost would get a mention from the general public. But it is an incredibly important holiday in our tradition. Without Pentecost, we wouldn’t be here today. We might not even know the story of Jesus’s life and ministry, right? Without the early followers of Jesus carrying on his story, telling it to others over and over again, and inviting people to follow the Way, none of the Christian Scriptures would exist at all. It could have all just been a blip. 

One guy living in a small corner of the world, two thousand years ago. He had some local notoriety. He briefly captured the attention of the Empire. He was executed, as so many criminals were. His followers said something miraculous happened and he was resurrected from the dead. Forty days later he floated up into the heavens. And….that would be it. That would be the end of the story. A fascinating story. Inspiring to those who knew and loved him. But a story with a beginning, middle, and end. A one and done. 

Pentecost is what enables the story to continue. Pentecost is when the early followers of Jesus realized God was still speaking. This wasn’t a one and done. And they were charged with the task of looking forward - not just back. 

Now it might surprise you to read this text from the Book of Acts and see how it starts: “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.” 

If this is the first Pentecost, why is the author of Acts talking about it like it was an already-established holiday? 

Those early followers of Jesus were Jewish, just like Jesus. And although they wouldn’t have called it Pentecost, they would have been celebrating a holiday at that time: in Hebrew, Shavuot. In English, “weeks.” Called that because it concluded the “week of weeks” after Passover. Seven weeks of seven days each gives us 49 days, right? A week of weeks. And the day after would be the 50th day, aka Pentecost the 50th day. 

Y’all are gonna be ready for Jeopardy after this sermon, I tell ya. 

Jewish Biblical scholar Amy Robertson notes the parallels between this season of the year in Judaism and Christianity. The Jewish season is bookended by two of the three great ancient pilgrimage festivals: Passover, which commemorates the liberation of the ancient Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt and Shavuot, when the Jews received the gift of the Law, the Torah, on Mount Sinai. 

Dr. Robertson says that these two holidays encapsulate something beautiful about our relationship with the divine. On Passover, there is a one-time grand, spectacular, liberatory event. God intercedes in human history in a shocking, powerful way. It isn’t earned, it’s just grace upon surprising grace. 

Robertson says that in our lives, we can have these grand one-time experiences in any relationship. They can be overwhelming in their intensity. But if they’re just a one-time thing, they don’t really change anything in our lives long-term. They’re just a one-and-done. 

Shavuot, when the Law was given, comes along fifty long days later as the deepening of this experience. Shavuot is when we start to see that this liberating God is not just a single event. Instead, God is inviting us into a deeper relationship. A relationship that won’t just be a showering of grace-filled gifts. Yes, God liberates on Pentecost, but Shavuot helps us realize this is not a one–way relationship. Instead, the God of liberation invites us into a sustained covenant that comes with structure, demands, and ongoing transformation. 

I really have to thank Dr. Robertson for fleshing this out because it’s made me see our parallel holiday, Pentecost, in new and fresh ways. 

The Jewish holiday of Passover runs parallel to the Christian holiday of Easter. Both call our attention to God powerfully seeking liberation for oppressed people. The Hebrew people are freed from slavery in Egypt. Jesus stands up to Empire on behalf of the marginalized and is murdered - yet God breaks into human history through Christ’s resurrection and says “this is not the end,” “death does not have the final say.”

The Jewish holiday of Shavuot runs parallel to the Christian holiday of Passover. Unlike the earlier holidays which are pure gifts of grace, totally unearned - these two holidays move us into a place of deeper commitment. An understanding that our God is not just a one-time-showstopping-miracle type. Our God is one who continues to speak and continues to call us into covenant relationship. Our God bestows upon her people gifts for the long-haul: the Law, given to draw the people together and bind them in commitment to each other….but also to call them outside of themselves, lighting up their path and empowering them to be a “light to the nations”-  showing and inspiring others how to live. 

And now, a couple thousand years later, those Jewish followers of a Jewish teacher are together in one place for the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, celebrating the gift of the Law. And they receive another gift, the gift of the Holy Spirit. Also given to draw the people together, providing comfort in their time of uncertainty and grief. But also meant to call them outside of themselves - urging them to celebrate diversity as they begin to prophesy in many languages and connect with people from all over the world. Also meant to light up their path and show them how to be a “light to the nations” - sharing the good news and inspiring others to live with greater intention and love for all of humanity. 

I want to be careful here and make something very clear: God didn’t give this new gift because it was better than previous gifts given. Christianity is not some kind of “new and improved Judaism 2.0.”Sadly, many in the Church have interpreted the synchronicity of these holy days ways which have led to horrific conflict and violence over the centuries - claiming the “new” way is the only valid one.

But God is big enough for multiple pathways and stories. Our two faiths are deeply intertwined, but distinct. Both valid, beautiful ways that we humans reach out towards the divine. They don’t have to be in competition. They can compliment each other, both showing the miraculous dance between God and humanity. 

For me, the synchronicity between these two stories is a reminder that God has been speaking since the dawn of creation and is STILL speaking today. Whether you hear God on the mountaintop with Moses or in Jerusalem in the rush of wind, the point is that we LISTEN to the voice of our stillspeaking God and then ACT in loving, liberating ways. 

Traveling forward ANOTHER couple thousand years and here we are today. We continue to gather in one place again and again, just like the early followers of Jesus did. We continue to listen for the voice of our stillspeaking God. We continue to be called into action - working for more love and liberation in a hurting world. 

And so, as we celebrate the Church’s birthday, I’m taking inspiration from someone I know who has a social media ritual for their kids' birthdays. Every year, when their kid takes another trip around the sun, this mom posts a happy birthday message on social media to honor their child. But it’s not just a short-and-sweet message. It’s a whole long love note - capturing who their child is at this particular moment in time. She writes down all things her kid is into - favorite books, foods, hobbies, subjects in school. Sometimes she includes funny stories or quotes. She always takes time to say what she really admires about her kid and it’s so specific. Every time I see one of these posts, I think, wow, these are an incredible gift to her children. To be seen and known in this way. And to have it documented year after year. It’s lovely. 

Church, could we do something similar this morning? Could we take a moment to celebrate who the Church is called to be? And who it actually is in our world today? This might be the “big C” church universal or it might be more specific, intimate settings like congregations you’ve been a part of or even small groups within churches. The Church has done a lot of harm over the centuries. And, sadly, the Church is STILL doing harm today. At the same time, when the Church gets it right and actually lives into its call to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves - well, it’s a powerful and beautiful thing. And I think Pentecost is a great time to celebrate what is right with the Church.

Happy birthday to the Church. A community of flawed people where it’s okay to bring the fullness of yourself. This past Wednesday, many who showed up for our monthly Cabinet meeting on Zoom were tired. We checked in on each other. We acknowledged our weariness. We named that we probably weren’t going to be running at full strength and that that was okay. We said we’d be gentle with ourselves and each other. And we were. Thanks be to God. 

Happy birthday to the Church. A community of diverse people who are better because of that diversity. The glory of God is reflected in the uniqueness of every person. We affirm the quirkiness of individuals, the beauty of all kinds of family configurations. We know God loves beyond borders and shows us how to do the same. We believe we are stronger when we are led by people of every race, culture, nationality, age, family configuration, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, and socio-economic status. 

Happy birthday to the Church. A community where people show up for each other and show up for strangers, too. Time and time again, I’ve watched you extend yourselves in lovingkindness to others in our community. Whether that’s by bringing a meal to someone who needs it or sending a text message to check in because you’ve missed seeing someone in the pews. Sometimes it looks like serving a hot meal at Common Table or a weekly shift at the Breadbasket. Always, it looks like the Holy Spirit, alive and well in our midst. 

As we move into our time of offering, do you have any birthday greetings you’d like to share with the Church? If so, now’s the time: as we prepare to offer our gifts of time, talent, and treasure, let’s also offer the gift of gratitude for the ways the Spirit continues to move through imperfect human institutions.