🔥 An AI Sermon Summary: "What In the World Is Happening?" (Pentecost Sunday, June 8, 2025)
The sermon explores the unexpected, powerful, and sometimes confusing nature of Pentecost—both in the Bible and in today's church. The sermon reflects on how Pentecost "snuck up" this year, just like it did in Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit arrived with wind, fire, and strange languages. The message emphasizes that the early church didn't fully understand what was happening either—they were "amazed and perplexed"—but they didn't let confusion stop them from moving forward.
The sermon encourages Trinity Presbyterian Church to see itself at a similar threshold: ready for its own "Pentecost moment." The church is described as loving and familiar, but also self-aware and ready to try new things—to "speak new languages" to reach the modern world with the Good News. There's a call to embrace change, stay rooted in Christ, and trust the Spirit to lead even when the way is unclear. As new elders are ordained, the congregation is reminded that courage, faith, and fresh voices are all part of how the church continues to grow and proclaim God's deeds of power.
---
🚗 Three Car-Ride Home Discussion Questions
1. When have you felt "amazed and perplexed" by something God did—or something unexpected that turned out to be good?
(Bonus: What do you think the Holy Spirit might be doing in our church or in you right now?)
2. If we could tell people about God in a new "language," what would that look like today?
(Would it be music? Social media? Acts of service? Something else?)
3. What's one tradition in church you really love—and one new thing you'd be excited to try?
(Why do you think it's important to balance old and new in our faith?)
Scripture Reading Acts 2:1-21 Pew Bible, NT, p. 119
2 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
5 Now there were devout Jews from every people under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." 12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" 13 But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine."
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Fellow Jews and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15 Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. 16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
17 'In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit,
and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show portents in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
20 The sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day.
21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'
Sermon "What In The World Is Happening? Rev. James McTyre
2025-06-08 Pentecost Sermon: "What In the World Is Happening?"
Today is Pentecost.
"Pentecost" really snuck up on me this year. Pentecost is a sneaky little day. Not really a holiday-holy-day. Like, Christmas. I get to wear my red stole. Pretty daring for Presbyterian clergy.
The thing is, in the Bible, Pentecost snuck up on everyone there, too. Everyone -- the Bible says -- "Everyone was amazed and perplexed." Wind, flames, people speaking in tongues. It sounds like some kind of popup tent revival. What would you think? If something like that happened here at Trinity?
You'd think your GPS sent you to the wrong church.
At THE Pentecost, the crowd, the followers, even the Apostles were "amazed and perplexed." Wondering, "What in the world is happening?"
The fire of the Holy Spirit, powered by winds of change, swept through. And the people of Jesus started talking in new ways. Foreign words in strange ways. Jesus's people were energized to be different than they'd ever been before, whether they were ready for it or not.
I may not always know what day it is. Or month, or year. But I know. I can feel it.Trinity Presbyterian Church is on the verge of its own Pentecost level event.
Your own church-wide Pentecost.
You're ready to feel the fresh winds of the Spirit igniting this church. Visitors, people driving by, will say, "What in the world is happening THERE?"
Young families with six children will come flocking in the doors.
Sorry, they're already Mormon.But I feel this readiness here.
I feel you're ready to start proclaiming the gospel in ways you've never done before.
You're ready for the winds of the Holy Spirit to fill your sails.I BELIEVE you're ready to. I KNOW Jesus wants it to happen, too.
What in the world is happening, even here at Trinity?
Catch the wind. Let's find out.
--
It's the Second Chapter of Acts. The Apostles are coming to grips with the knowledge that Jesus - in bodily form - is gone. Their teacher, their preacher -- has moved on.
So what do they do? Well of course: They form a committee. What else would good Christians do? They elect a new member of Session to fill Judas's unexpired term. Matthias. They establish a quorum and call the meeting to order and then, it says:
And suddenly from heaven comes this rush of wind -- new spirit.
Tongues as of fire give them energy and courage to say what's really on their minds.
Each of them -- even the disciples themselves -- gathered and was bewildered.
Amazed and astonished -- AMAZED AND ASTONISHED -- they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?"
Now, I know. At the Pentecostal Churches in town they speak in tongues every Sunday. I don't get it, but I'd be willing to learn from their spirit.
In Acts, it says the Holy Spirit had the Apostles speaking in FOREIGN tongues.Suddenly, miraculously fluent in the languages of "Parthians, Medes, Elamites," and all the other countries Americans can't locate on the map.
As if I were to suddenly start preaching in Spanish.
Or... Korean. Poor Hyunjoo might have a heart attack.
Who knows what I'd be saying.
I sure wouldn't.--
Cam and I talked last week and she told me that during the Children's Sermon she was going to talk about the Tower of Babel.
In that story, God identified the problem. All the people IN THE WORLD had been together since Adam was a boy. And they all spoke exactly alike. They acted alike.They all worked alike, and shopped at the same Target, and went to the same church together. They were overly similar.
--
Do y'all ever feel like you're speaking the same words you've spoken before?
I've been here two months. I've gone to every committee meeting, and class, and Bible Study I can. I have heard someone say it in almost every meeting.
"Well, you remember when we used to..."
"You remember when we tried..."
Wasn't 1975 just a great time? Lemme tell you about it. Again.
You Trinitarians love each other.
You know each other well.Some of you might know each other TOO well.
You openly admit you've been together long enough that -- like that tower -- when it comes to church --
You open your mouths and the same old words come out.You talk the same you sound the same.
Some of you are even starting to look the same. Good thing we have name tags.
All churches do that.
Churches do something once. It's a tradition.
But now you're worried -- worried that saying the same things and doing the same things is not telling the world of God's deeds of power like you want to.
You're worried you're not speaking the language of whatever year of the 21st century this is.
Here's the thing about the Bible's Pentecost. It never says WHAT the Apostles were saying in those different languages to all those new people. They were talking about God, yes.
But it doesn't give us the content. It just says they spoke. They ministered. And people paid attention. People listened. People joined.
True then is true now. There is no magic bullet to church growth. What we know about that Pentecost church is that they kept at it. They kept telling the stories of God. They kept talking, they kept welcoming the people who spoke different church languages.
And -- miracle of miracles -- they didn't make the newcomers learn THEIR language.
They spoke so even strangers could get it.
And this was so new.They didn't do it once and say, OK, been there, done that. Didn't say, "Hey. We put it in the NEWSLETTER. Once.
Last October."
They kept at it.
They listened. They learned.
And they let the spirit lead them.
--
Today, you'll be ordaining and installing a new class of Session elders. They'll serve three years, with good behavior. They are ready. They are ready to help this church have a Pentecost moment. They -- and all the session --
are ready to experiment, ready to keep the traditions that serve Jesus well, and ready to listen to the language of this day, this era,
This neighborhood.
This Bayou Blvd.
This city.This WORLD - this world where so many are asking, "What in the world is happening?"
None of us know what the future's going to be. Three years, three months, three days, three minutes from now. We might get home and find out Elon's moved into Mar-a-Lago.
Who knows?
But things were changing pretty fast in Jesus's day, too. 2000 years, and people of faith, churches of faith, like Trinity, are still listening, still speaking, still following, and still reaching out to the world in all its different, unpredictable, strange and bewildering ways of having a Pentecost moment.
It's scary not to know what happens next.
Even in a church.
It takes courage to be a church. It takes courage to take a leap of faith. But that's the starting gate of Pentecost.
Red is the color that says "Warning!"
But Pentecost isn't just about the fun of wearing red.
It's being read-y.
Being ready for whatever the Holy Spirit unleashes in this house, this church.
What in the world is happening?
What do you think God WANTS to happen?
At Trinity Church.
In your soul?
Let's pray.
Almighty God, give us your Pentecost moment. With power and courage, inspire us to step forward into the future. Help us to hold on the holy ways of our past. But help us discover new ways, new languages, and a new spirit of faith and truth. Bless Trinity Church. And bless us all with the fire of discovery. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
