Acts 2:1-21
Rev. Dr. Chris Ayers
Welcome to the zoo!
That’s how I sometimes begin the worship service at Wedgewood Baptist. We are indeed a zoo. The diversity in our congregation is incredible: heterosexual males, heterosexual females, bisexual males, bisexual females, gay men, gay women, transgendered, bi-gendered, Republican, Democrat, Independent, organizing freaks, humanoids who prefer less structure, people who love gardening, people who hate gardening, vegetarians, meat and potato folk, Methodist background, Catholic background, Lutheran background, Baptist background, Presbyterian background, atheists, agnostics, English majors, Math majors, geeks, cooks, rich, poor, middle class, beach bums, mountain lovers, homebodies, international travelers, quiet, loud, few words, long-winded, introverted, extroverted, inner journey, outward journey, book worms, remote control controllers, do it yourselfers, have trouble changing a light bulbers, young, old, very young, golfers, haters of golf discussions, concentrators, ADD-ers, emotional, stoic, lamenters, praisers, bubbly, boiling, criminal record, lucky hasn’t been caught, parents, teenagers, grandparents, children, infants, direct, nudgers, confidants, spread the word, Androiders, Blackberries, Apple crazies, chocoholics, singers, please don't do more than lip syncers, writers, readers, labyrinth walkers, candle lighters, pray-ers, movers, like to shake you-ers, mostly patient, leaning toward impatient, short, tall, momma's boys, daddy's girls, like a detached retina when it comes to our family, white, black, mixed, southerners, northerners, midwest, west, from nowhere near here, early birds, hard to drag out of bedders, partakers, and the don't the extra calories crowd, artists, instrumentalists, ham radio operators, single, married, dating, available, love Ethiopian food, will not even look at Ethiopian food, left lane idiots, speedsters - well, you know who you are.
You are you. I am me. And, by some miracle, by some strange glue we are church. We are woven together in love, or woven together as we try to love.
Acts 2:1-21 is an amazing text.
They were all together
in one place
All of them were filled
They began to speak in other languages,
from every nation under heaven
the crowd gathered
each one heard them speaking in the native language of each
Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs
I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh
It was a zoo. It was a church. It was humanity gathered.
